Cowboys' Mike McCarthy Discusses 'Unusual' Coaching Narratives Pushed by Jerry Jones

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said some of the coaching narratives discussed by team owner Jerry Jones are a bit odd but noted he remains "very, very comfortable" with their relationship.

McCarthy was retained as the Cowboys' coach this offseason, but not before Jones initially didn't confirm that would be the case while two of the Cowboys' top assistants, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, were interviewing for outside jobs.

"Are these narratives unusual? Absolutely," McCarthy said Tuesday on The Rich Eisen Show (via Jori Epstein of USA Today). "I've never dealt with anything like this. ... I've always, frankly, just [kept] it about winning. I've always taken a blind eye or a blind ear to those things, but that's not the case when you work here."

Dallas was ultimately able to retain both Moore and Quinn, and Jones explained that McCarthy's status was never in question behind the scenes but rather the entire ordeal was more of a leverage play since they wanted to keep the core of the staff together.

"My goal was to keep the continuity of this group together,' Jones told David Moore of the Dallas Morning News in late January. "We were very much in a competitive environment."

He added: "Whether we were right or wrong, we made the decision to keep it quiet. Mike's status was never in question. Ever."

McCarthy told Eisen he was in communication with Jones throughout the coaching carousel, which also included speculation about longtime New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton after he stepped down from that role last month.

The 58-year-old McCarthy also discussed his overall relationship with the outspoken Cowboys owner:

"I have an excellent relationship with Jerry Jones. At the end of the day, we both want the same thing: to win a world championship. Hey, definitely, the narratives are unusual. But at the end of the day, I think you've got to trust the relationships, the communication and the connection you have in our leadership group. I think we're doing everything we possibly can to build a championship team here."

McCarthy, who guided the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl XLV title at the end of the 2010 season, has posted an 18-15 record across two years with the Cowboys.

Dallas earned the No. 3 seed in the NFC bracket for this year's playoffs but was upset at home by the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round.

Although Jones has tried to downplay the notion that McCarthy's status was left in limbo, it still doesn't feel like his job is completely safe heading into year three.

If the Cowboys don't show signs of further progress next season, most notably making at least a little run in the playoffs, the coaching questions will likely return next offseason.