Hot Seat? Cowboys 'Power Means Pressure' for Coach Mike McCarthy; 'It's All on Him!'
FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has added an offensive play-caller title to his to-do list this offseason. After leading the Cowboys to back-to-back 12-win seasons, McCarthy now has total control - total power - over the offense.
What they say in the comic-book movies is, "With great power comes great responsibility.'' (Credit Spider-Man, we think.) A sports slogan is, "Pressure is a privilege.'' (Credit Billie Jean King, with think.) And our take?
Let's go with, "Power brings pressure.''
For some, the buck starts and stops with McCarthy and his name has been placed on a list of seven other head coaches deemed to be on the "coaching hot seat" next season by CBS Sports.com. Their view?
"Jerry Jones apparently told McCarthy he wants him running the Cowboys as long as Tom Landry did, and there's no doubting his resume; he's now led 10 different double-digit winning seasons dating back to his days in Green Bay," CBS Sports writes. "He's also found just one playoff victory in Dallas, upending elite offensive weaponry with curious late-game calls in consecutive season-ending losses. With (coordinator) Kellen Moore discarded, it's all on him as a play-caller to secure the Cowboys' first title bid since the 1990s."
Let's pick through that. ...
*Owner Jones didn't "apparently'' say that. It's no apocryphal story. Jerry literally told that "Landry wish'' to McCarthy this offseason. (Story here.) But while it's not apocryphal, it is hyperbolic. Landry coached the Cowboys for almost 30 years.
Mike McCarthy is 59. He will not be coaching the Dallas Cowboys when he's 89.
Oh, and Jerry Jones is 80. He will not be serving as McCarthy's GM when he's 110.
*We agree with the take on McCarthy's resume, so much that we're willing to present - much to the ire of Mike-haters - "what-if?'' takes at his Hall of Fame chances.
*We think it is interesting to cite the company McCarthy is keeping on this list. Of the seven other coaching "hot seat'' candidates, only two have winning records. Brandon Staley is 19-15 with the Chargers and Kevin Stefanski is 26-24 with the Browns and they've accomplished nothing ... while accomplishing more than every other coach on this goofy list, all of whom are under .500.
Seriously, though, why is "Big Mike" on the list?
He is coming off 24 wins in the past two seasons. Maybe gives him more time than most to show what he can do as the offensive play-caller ... but the playoff failures are what have likely put McCarthy on the list, and with the NFC Championship drought hanging over the franchise's head, many feel the time is now.
It is now all McCarthy's show in Dallas, but does he deserve to be coaching for his job next season? With a loaded football team and perhaps the best chance to win that elusive Super Bowl, we will agree with this, based on our tea-leaves reading of Jones family expectations: It does feel like McCarthy has to deliver in a big way in 2023. Because while the "hot seat'' is dopey in June, it gets pretty serious around here in January.
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