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Where’s Cowboys McCarthy Rank Among 32 NFL Coaches?

Mike McCarthy enters his second season with the Dallas Cowboys. Where does he rank among the other current head coaches in the NFL?
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FRISCO - While we're right in the middle of off-season projections for players and position groups, it's time to rank the current coaches, as NBC Sports Edge does every year.

To no one's surprise, Bill Belichick is still the head of the class, despite an off-year by Patriots standards.

The top three coaches are no surprise here either, with Andy Reid and Sean Payton coming in at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. 

READ MORE: What Are Cowboys Expectations For Randy Gregory?

Where does Mike McCarthy stand in this list, as described by Patrick Daugherty?

You'll have to read all the way down to the bottom half of the list to No. 20 to see McCarthy's name.

Patrick's explanation in the article is this:

"Mike McCarthy returned from his coaching gap year having rebranded himself as an analytics maven. To say he was an unconvincing salesman would be putting it mildly. The coach whose picture belonged by “uptight” in the dictionary during his Packers days becoming a numbers guru seemed too great a stretch even for 2020. But McCarthy did his damndest. … how long will this old dog be able to stick with his new tricks if this season gets off to another poor start? Which brings us back to the central question of the McCarthy era: Why him? Why count on reinvention instead of creating something new? A culture as stale as the Cowboys’ needed a big bang. McCarthy was a blank stare. Sometimes that gets the job done. Most others, it keeps the seat warm for the next guy."

A possible positive note for Cowboys fans here? McCarthy ranks No. 2 in the division, three spots behind WFT's Ron Rivera, and three spots ahead of the Giants' Joe Judge.  Philadelphia's Nick Sirianni is appropriately listed in the "New Hires" section, unranked.

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The Cowboys are coming off a disappointing 6-10 season in 2020. Was that all McCarthy's fault? Not necessarily, but the defense was a big problem, and the Mike Nolan hire is all on Mike McCarthy.

If McCarthy wants to be ranked higher (or keep his job, for that matter) in 2022, a playoff run may be necessary. Is that possible? Absolutely.