Cowboys New Offense: Pressure on Dak Prescott, Coach McCarthy in 'West Coast' System?
The Dallas Cowboys offense is going to look a little different next season.
After four years as offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore "moved on" to the Los Angeles Chargers and head coach Mike McCarthy has now added offensive play-caller to his job list, something he did rather well during his time with the Green Bay Packers.
But the pressure is on McCarthy to replicate or exceed what Moore did in Dallas. In three of his four years, Moore had the Cowboys ranked as the sixth- (2019), first- (2021), and fourth-best (2022) scoring offense in the NFL. Even with Andy Dalton at the helm for most of the 2020 season with Dak Prescott sidelined, Moore and the Cowboys still managed to rank 17th in scoring.
Given the bar that has been set, McCarthy and his West Coast system will need to stand up to the task.
Still, there were also the downsides to Moore's tenure in Dallas, though they were hardly all his fault. Prescott had two of his best completion percentage seasons under Moore (68.8 percent in 2021 and 68.0 percent in 2021). But the one glaring stat under Moore for Dak was his interceptions.
In three of his four seasons under Moore, Prescott threw for 10 or more picks. And in 2020 when he suffered the season-ending ankle injury against the New York Giants, he threw four interceptions in five games.
So, what are the expectations for the Cowboys' offense under McCarthy?
In short, he will need to win games, and a lot of them. Moore won 38 games in four years, which included back-to-back 12-win seasons.
Plus, the Dallas offense was known for its ability to score rather easily but was largely inconsistent. Under McCarthy, the hope is that the free scoring continues, but Dallas becomes a more consistent offense.
And one big change ... Prescott's interceptions.
The quick passing that accompanies the West Coast scheme is an extension of the run game, which means Dak doesn't have to hold the ball and wait for a play to develop (CowboysSI.com illustrated the difference in Prescott holding the ball vs. quick releases).
Many also expect the Dallas offense to be more efficient. While there were final scores of 30-plus points regularly, there were also some abysmal final scores in losses like 19-3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26-6 against the Washington Commanders and 19-12 against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional.
Moore was removed, and now McCarthy is in as play-caller, which invites pressure. There are no excuses for "Big Mike," as the buck starts and stops with him on offense.
While winning 24 games in two seasons, Cowboys fans have become used to an offense that can score at will. That's the minimum expectation for McCarthy entering next season.
Is that attainable? For McCarthy's sake, it has to be.
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