Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Won't Endorse Coach Mike McCarthy; 'A Lot to Think About'
FRISCO - Mike McCarthy knows what he sees in the mirror.
“I know how to win,'' said the Dallas Cowboys coach this week.
But what does owner Jerry Jones see in the glass when he takes a look an McCarthy and the Dallas coaching staff?
"I've got a lot to think about regarding these coaches,'' Jones said on Friday on 105.3 The Fan, clearly still steaming about the way the year ended.
This is hardly a ringing endorsement of McCarthy and his staff, and whether Jones is truly considering firing the head coach, or just some of his staff, or just wanting to make sure McCarthy knows the seat is hot, or just milking the situation for "America's Team'' attention ...
McCarthy's "clear vision'' doesn't matter.
In Wednesday's season-ending press conference that he believes he's the right coach to end the Cowboys championship drought, issuing a public statement that may have mirrored exactly what he told an unhappy team owner in their early-week meetings following Sunday's playoff loss to the 49ers.
"I understand what goes on here every day," said McCarthy. "I know how to win. I know how to win in this league. I know how to win playoff games. I know how to win a championship.
"So I have great confidence in that.''
Jones hired McCarthy a year ago sold on the same concept; McCarthy had a 13-year run in Green Bay, mounting a 143-92-2 regular-season record, a 10-9 playoff mark and winning a Super Bowl. And certainly much of what Dallas accomplished in 2021 reflects that ability to succeed, as the Cowboys ended up with a 12-5 record and a playoff berth, driven by QB Dak Prescott the NFL's top-ranked offense and play-making excellence on defense and special teams.
But Jones is irate about the way his talent-laden club finished, and while COO Stephen Jones is shooting down speculation about McCarthy's future - "Absolutely'' and "very confident'' were Stephen's responses to questions about McCarthy's retention - Cowboys Nation now evaluates Jerry's every word ... and McCarthy's self-confidence figures to be a bit shaken.
Jones roasted his coaching staff for wasting talent. "We have used up some very talented players over the last few years,'' he said, adding, “We deserve better than ending up this way. That’s how I feel today.”
He said he is convinced that Dak Prescott can win a Super Bowl. “Dak has the skill to make it happen,'' Jones said.
He cited the coaching staff's inability to adjust early enough, grousing about McCarthy's promise to use the offseason to repair what's broken. "I don’t want to wait until we're sitting here with no season left to address things,'' he said.
And he does not feel "compelled'' to offer clarity on the coaching staff.
"It's just not in our best interest to talk about where we are with members of this staff right now. ... I'm not going to get into any conversations that I've had with anybody, relative to do with anything with the staff,'' he said. "I understand the interest in it, but there is nothing compelling me."
And so we work on. And wait. And, we suppose, so does Mike McCarthy.
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