Inside The Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott & Mike McCarthy Relationship: 'The Proof Is In The Numbers!'
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy's offseason decision to take the offensive play-calling duties as Kellen Moore departed for Los Angeles with the Chargers has proved to be a good one.
Fast forward 17 games and McCarthy's new "Texas Coast Offense'' is first in the league for scoring (29.9 points per) and his quarterback, Dak Prescott has had an MVP-caliber season, throwing for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions en route to yet another 12-5 record.
For McCarthy, the relationship between himself and Prescott has been integral to the offense's success this season.
Dak and McCarthy
“If you've asked any offensive play-caller, that relationship's imperative to success,” McCarthy said. “I think that's being 'Captain Obvious.' Everybody does it differently. I'm calling it and he's hauling it - that's what Dak likes to say and that's the way it has to go. That connection takes extra time, we put the time in early through camp. It's worked out well and I think the proof is in the numbers.”
At the end of the regular season, Dak led the NFL in touchdown passes (36), was third in pass yards (4,516), second in completion percentage (69.5), and second in QBR (72.6).
That's the proof right there as Prescott is one of the leading candidates for MVP, although the consensus is Lamar Jackson has two hands on the award.
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But while a play-caller and quarterback's relationship is mostly about football, perhaps what has made the duo of McCarthy and Prescott work so well is their ability to talk about things outside of football.
“I think the Thursday night meeting, we get together Thursdays at 5:00 and it usually goes to around seven," McCarthy said. "So say you got two-hour meeting, half an hour, 40 minutes is probably football, the other is about life and that's imperative, so that's a big part of it.”
With the regular season now completed, the focus turns to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium as the Cowboys look to continue their form after the 38-10 hammering of the Washington Commanders.
Prescott (31 of 36, 279 yards, 4 TDs, one interception), and McCarthy shredded the Commanders to secure the No. 2 seed and the NFC East.
With both quarterback and play-caller on the same page, McCarthy and Prescott will be tasked with leading Dallas to a place it hasn't been in three decades - a Super Bowl appearance.
And based on how well the two perform together, this feels like the Cowboys' best chance yet.
