Cowboys Need McCarthy's Best-Ever Season For Success in 2020
FRISCO - I doubt that when the Dallas Cowboys hired Mike McCarthy as their new head coach, the former Green Bay fixture thought that just a few months later he’d be wearing a bracelet monitor that lights up when he gets within six feet of a player.
The safe-distance monitor is just a small part of the large COVID-19-induced series of difficult challenges McCarthy must overcome to find success in the 2020 NFL season.
[Bri Amaranthus and Mike Fisher discuss in the video above]
McCarthy’s list of accomplishments is long; he's one of the most successful coaches in Packers history with his 125 wins, nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl victory in 2010.
The first-year Cowboys coach is going to need to lean on his championship pedigree and mentality to lead Dallas back to the playoff promise land and beyond. The Cowboys haven’t made it past the divisional round since 1995. ... meaning they have a history of not overcoming challenges.
Yes, McCarthy inherits a talented roster … But can he command that roster amid a coaching transition and a global pandemic?
Coronavirus has already drastically changed the Cowboys training camp. Preseason games have been eliminated. Some are suggesting the NFL should consider a ‘bubble’. Players from around the league are opting-out of the 2020 season.
There have been two Cowboys so far to opt out and players have until August 3 to make their decisions. Veteran cornerback and Maurice Canady and wide receiver Stephen Guidry are the players on Dallas’ roster to opt out.
While neither of those players' absences are especially detrimental to Dallas chances in 2020, there is no doubt that McCarthy will have to smartly shuffle his roster when an undeniably likely challenge pops up around the corner: upcoming positive tests for a key Cowboys player.
I always figured Mike McCarthy was uniquely qualified to teach these Cowboys how to win. But that was previous to COVID-19, meaning now McCarthy and staff are going to be challenged to learn new things themselves ... and that if they do, might mean Dallas is on the cusp of championship contention.
