Mike McCarthy: Criticism from Anonymous Cowboys Players Is 'Teachable Moment'

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is taking the high road in the wake of criticism from some of his players following Monday's 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. 

McCarthy called the situation a "teachable moment" during his Wednesday press conference. 

On Tuesday, NFL Network's Jane Slater quoted two anonymous Cowboys players who were critical of McCarthy and the coaching staff. One player said the coaches are "totally unprepared" and "they don't have any sense of adjusting on the fly."

Another player told Slater the coaches "just aren't good at their jobs."

McCarthy addressed that on Tuesday, telling reporters he would prefer someone would address any issues internally instead of going through the media:

"I’ve always stated that...it’s important to handle things as men. I mean, if you do have something to say publicly that is of most important, I think it’s important to say it to the individual, or particularly in a group dynamic setting, especially in the game of football, especially for the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, that’s all part of the development our program, of the system that we’ve got going here. I think that’s just part of our flight right now. We don’t like the way we played last night. We had some areas that we struggled strong in. It’s definitely not what we’re looking for.”

Six games into his first season as the Cowboys' head coach, McCarthy hasn't found an answer to their myriad problems. 

Defense has been a significant issue all season. The Cowboys are allowing an NFL-high 36.3 points per game; the Minnesota Vikings are the second-worst scoring defense with 32 points allowed per game. 

Since Dallas held the Los Angeles Rams to 20 points in Week 1, each of the Cowboys' last five opponents have scored at least 34 points. 

The offense is adjusting to Andy Dalton at quarterback after Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 against the New York Giants. The Cowboys lead the league with nine fumbles lost and 15 giveaways. 

Despite all of those issues and a mediocre 2-4 record, McCarthy's team leads the NFC East. The Cowboys will look to rebound from last week's loss when they play the Washington Football Team on Sunday at FedEx Field.