'Who's Mike McCarthy?' Fox Analyst Rips Cowboys Coach Over Aaron Rodgers
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Dak Prescott may be facing one of the most pressure-packed slates of the upcoming NFL season ... and yet, it's a breeze compared to what his head coach is going through in terms of criticism from some.
Asked to compare the respective burdens of the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and his top overseer Mike McCarthy on Fox Sports' "Speak," NFL veteran and analyst Emmanuel Acho granted a heavier load to the boss based on a single question.
"Who is Mike McCarthy?" Acho replied when asked which current Cowboy is under more pressure, calling his question one "with way more fluctuation and way more flux" than a similar query involving Prescott.
Acho states that Prescott has proven himself to be "an above-average quarterback" both with and without McCarthy. Since McCarthy took over the Cowboys in 2020, his production has been relatively similar and efficient (99.1 passer rating, 21-12 record) compared to his first four years with Jason Garrett (97.0 passer rating, 40-24).
On the other hand, McCarthy, Acho says, has yet to prove himself as an efficient coach without an Aaron Rodgers-shaped crutch. Both are out of Green Bay after Rodgers engineered a trade to the New York Jets earlier this offseason, but their 13-year, rollercoaster collaboration will not be soon forgotten. Last season's Wild Card victory over Tampa Bay, for example, was McCarthy's first without Rodgers under center, and it came against a division champion with a losing record.
"We keep heralding (McCarthy) as a Super Bowl winner, which he is," Acho said, acknowledging the Super Bowl XLV victory McCarthy and Rodgers earned at AT&T Stadium in 2011. "But I always think 'Who are you without your best?'"
Acho went to the NBA to find another bleak comparison, comparing McCarthy's post-Rogers endeavors to those of Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra after superstar LeBron James left South Beach after four consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2014. Spoelstra has been back to the Finals on two occasions since then, the latter appearance tipping off on Thursday.
"It's not like (Spoelstra) was exclusively dependent on LeBron James to get to the Finals," Acho said. "But McCarthy without Rodgers, he (hasn't) been all that. He wasn't all that."
As proof, Acho refers to McCarthy's Green Bay teams from 2013 and 2017. The Packers made the playoffs with an 8-7-1 record but needed some late magic from Rodgers, who returned from injury after his substitutes went 2-4-1. Green Bay wasn't so lucky four years later, when they went 3-6 en route to a seven-win, playoff-free season due to another Rodgers ailment.
"Without Aaron Rodgers, I don't know who Mike McCarthy is," Acho said. "It's time for him to prove it to me. That's why he's under more pressure, because I think his reputation could move drastically more than Dak Prescott's."
McCarthy's chance to flip his script will feature an early reunion with Rodgers, as the Cowboys and Jets are set to do battle on Sept. 17.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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