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Jerry Jones Backs Mike McCarthy Despite Cowboys' Struggles: 'I Got My Man'
October 27, 2020
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has thrown his support behind head coach Mike McCarthy despite the team's 2-5 start.
"I got my man," Jones said of Mike McCarthy on Tuesday during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan.
Jones then got a bit frustrated when asked if Dallas has a "leadership void":
Albert Breer @AlbertBreerJerry apologizes: "If I was a little abrupt there, I don't want to start our day off like that. ... This certainly isn't my most tactful time ... I can't tell you how disappointed I am." Then adds, "There's an old adage—don't piss an old man off with little money. He'll getcha." https://t.co/AP0kWBmv0Q
Jones famously started his reign by firing coaching legend Tom Landry in 1989 and hiring Jimmy Johnson.
In the years since, though, Chan Gailey is the only Cowboys coach who failed to get at least three full seasons at the helm. Back-to-back 5-11 years weren't enough to see off Dave Campo, who went 5-11 again in 2002 before he was out. Jason Garrett didn't post a winning record until his fourth season but lasted for nearly a decade.
McCarthy may be putting Jones' patience to the test, though.
Dak Prescott's season-ending injury put a dent in Dallas' playoff hopes, but the team's performance before and since that setback is a damning indictment of McCarthy's stewardship.
Following a 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, NFL Network's Jane Slater reported some inside the locker room believed Cowboys coaches were "totally unprepared" and "don't have any sense of adjusting on the fly."
McCarthy downplayed any drama, and linebacker Sean Lee told reporters the coach "squashed" the issue.
The Cowboys proceeded to suffer a 25-3 loss to the previously 1-5 Washington Football Team. Andy Dalton was 9-of-19 for 75 yards and an interception prior to leaving with a concussion. Ezekiel Elliott had 45 rushing yards on 12 carries. Dallas allowed one of the league's worst offenses to gain 397 yards.
Longtime former Cowboy Marcus Spears had this reaction:
After the game, McCarthy was critical of his players for not reacting more physically in the immediate aftermath of Jon Bostic's hit on Dalton that knocked the quarterback out of the game.
During Tuesday's interview, Jones said the Cowboys landed on McCarthy—having conducted a coaching search that ended two days after Garrett's firing—because they thought he could be a steady captain during difficult times.
"We wanted someone that, in case the you-know-what hit the fan, had the credibility and had the doability to stand tall and strong as the head coach," Jones said (via the Dallas Morning News' Michael Gehlken). "... He's doing that in the face of adversity."
One could argue McCarthy is doing the exact opposite, but it doesn't seem to matter at the moment.