McCarthy to Dallas

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Cowboys have hired McCarthy. I mentioned a month ago or so that if I'm him, that's the job I want. Wow, definitely back under the bright lights. I'm happy for the guy.

[pacopete4]

Good for Mike! Plenty of talent there to win right away.

[homer]

Zeke Elliot dynasty owners won't be happy

[HarveysWBs]

This move does not concern me terribly as defense was and is Dallas’ big problem, and MM has a generally poor track record when it comes to staff on that side of the ball.

 

That being said, I wish him the best, though I won’t go so far as to wish the Cowboys any success. I was kind of hoping he went to someone like the Browns or Giants so I could pull for his team more enthusiastically, but for an offensive guy like him, there’s no better opportunity out there, so I can’t fault him.

[JosephC]

Maybe I'm wrong about this? But wasn't the whole McCarthy and Gutekunst reporting directly to Murphy setup was so McCarthy could have more power? If so, I can't understand why he would want to be in Dallas (other than Jerry will pay him the most money, which could very well be the case)?

 

He better be ready to take a lot of orders. People wonder why Garrett lasted so long in Dallas...it's because he was a total yes-man who dealt with Jerry's meddling because he just accepted it as part of the job. All I can say about McCarthy is (1) he better expect to have ZERO input on player personnel (2) he should only expect to hire about half of his coaching staff and the boss will dictate the rest (3) getting weekly feedback on his playcalling with "suggestions" for the next game (4) be a willing scapegoat after every loss because blame can't go any higher than that (can't fire the boss or his son).

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I think your first point is flat wrong. McCarthy had no influence on personnel in Green Bay and that was his biggest frustration: TT doing nothing when help was available. There were multiple instances of MM vocally wanting players retained and TT saying no. In Dallas, if he tells Jones that player X is a FA and he needs him, Jerry is going to go get him at any cost.

 

Second point seems like conjecture and I don't know how anyone would know that.

 

Same thing with the third, I don't think Jones has any influence on playcalling. I can't see any way that Bill Parcells would last 4 years with Jerry Jones second guessing his plays.

 

Fourth, well, maybe, but not really different than any other team. The owners don't typically get fired.

 

Jones gets flack because of his playboy image in the 90s but he really has toned down the way he's run the team for the last couple decades. They've drafted fairly well. The sideline waltzing and media involvement is very un-McCarthy, but I think Jones is one of the most underrated owners in sports. He loves that team and will do anything to win. If people are going to complain about owners prioritizing profit over the fans, that's one thing you can never say he does.

[wildcat83]

He's walking into probably the best win now situation available, but it sure seems like the window is going to be a pretty short one. They have a ton of money tied up into long term deals, and have a group of high value players coming due on top of it. They aren't going to be able to pay everyone. It sure seems like they will have a 1-2 year window and then may be in some serious salary cap trouble.

 

I'm glad to see he is getting another chance, but he sure backed himself into a corner for immediate success.

[bjkrautk]

I have to assume Mike went with his "I'm a highly successful NFL Coach" line during his interview, since that's what Jerry Jones is looking for.

 

I also have to assume Randall Cobb will be re-signed by the Cowboys, as he already knows the offense & can help the other WRs learn it. The Cowboys have a solid O-Line and a franchise running back, whose already established to the point MM can't neglect to give him the ball (see Jones, Aaron) without it being noticed.

 

The problem I have with the hire is that Cobb is one of the players who struggled to get open in the MM system. Either they start drafting WR for elite speed, or they're counting on Prescott to make big plays &/or the kinds of tight throws Aaron Rodgers preferred not to attempt (to avoid INTs). I also don't know what he's going to do to address the defense, particularly if he sticks to his previous coaching tree for answers.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Even if Cooper leaves, which who knows, the Cowboys still have a nice player in Gallup. Cobb was a 3rd target who had 800 yards. McCarthy is probably salivating at getting to work with that offense, it was likely a big draw to the job for him. I'm also not sure where this idea that Cobb struggled to get open in the system comes from. He had a monster year, got paid, and then continually got hurt. But he was rarely unproductive when actually playing and healthy. That just became super rare.

 

We'll never know exactly how much of McCarthy ignoring the RBs was on Rodgers, but I think a decent amount of it was. I think at one point, he called out on Rodgers saying something like the runs were called but he opts out of them. But Zeke is an elite back, he's not going to ignore him. McCarthy loves running the ball. The defense is a valid concern, if I'm a Cowboys fan that's my worry.

[pacopete4]

I don't get the McCarthy hates RB's crowd? Other than not trusting Jones in the backfield at times, he's shown plenty in regards to developing a running game. And it usually occurred with just okay backs. He will do fine for Dallas. He's a good head coach that doesn't get his due from a lot of Packer fans.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Rodgers used the P in a lot of RPOs and when it didn't work it was McCarthy's fault is basically my view of it. McCarthy's was long known to love running the ball. He was damned either way. He was taking the ball out of Rodgers' hands and too conservative or he never got them going.

 

I agree with you on MM. It was time to fire him, but he got a raw deal at the end. And that offense doesn't look any better.

[thebruce44]

This move does not concern me terribly as defense was and is Dallas’ big problem, and MM has a generally poor track record when it comes to staff on that side of the ball.

 

Introducing Dallas' new DC, Ron Zook!

[homer]

I don't get the McCarthy hates RB's crowd? Other than not trusting Jones in the backfield at times, he's shown plenty in regards to developing a running game. And it usually occurred with just okay backs. He will do fine for Dallas. He's a good head coach that doesn't get his due from a lot of Packer fans.

 

That's kind of a strawman if you are replying to my one tongue in cheek post.

[PeaveyFury]

The logical, correct choice for McCarthy, who ended up in a good situation by sitting out the year.

 

One not-so-bold prediction: Prescott will determine McCarthy's length of stay in Dallas, not McCarthy. Dak doesn't seem like the most McCarthy-esque QB, so it will be interesting if he adapts and develops within McCarthy's offense, or gets him fired.

[patrickgpe]

from walterfootball: (sums up my thoughts pretty well), Coach Mac did well here but I thought it was more about who he had under center than his great coaching abilities.

 

Cowboys hire Mike McCarthy: LOL Grade

I'm grading this as an "LOL" because I literally laughed out loud so hard that I nearly threw out my back when I first saw this news.

 

If there's been a coach who has been nearly as bad as Jason Garrett in the previous decade, it was Mike McCarthy. In fact, I saw someone describe McCarthy as a "fatter Jason Garrett," and I thought it was brilliantly accurate.

 

People will point to the fact that McCarthy won the Super Bowl, but that was Aaron Rodgers winning in spite of McCarthy. If the Packers had a coach better than McCarthy, they would've claimed multiple Lombardi Trophies with Rodgers. As everyone learned this year, McCarthy held back the Packers from reaching their full potential. He utilized archaic and predictable schemes, showed no feel for the game, and constantly clashed with his future Hall of Fame quarterback. In fact, Rodgers even lost on purpose to Arizona in 2018 because he despised McCarthy so much.

 

McCarthy did such a poor job in Green Bay that I would've shocked if he earned another head-coaching gig in the NFL prior to seeing this news. Yet, here we are. The Cowboys, for some strange reason, have decided to hire McCarthy in what is an utterly embarrassing move. Almost anyone would've been a major upgrade over Garrett, but McCarthy was one of the few exceptions.

 

It took the Cowboys six years too long to fire Garrett, yet they're stuck with the same trash coaching them. This is the easiest "F" grade I've ever posted. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fetch my heating pad.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

from walterfootball: (sums up my thoughts pretty well), Coach Mac did well here but I thought it was more about who he had under center than his great coaching abilities.

 

Cowboys hire Mike McCarthy: LOL Grade

I'm grading this as an "LOL" because I literally laughed out loud so hard that I nearly threw out my back when I first saw this news.

 

If there's been a coach who has been nearly as bad as Jason Garrett in the previous decade, it was Mike McCarthy. In fact, I saw someone describe McCarthy as a "fatter Jason Garrett," and I thought it was brilliantly accurate.

 

People will point to the fact that McCarthy won the Super Bowl, but that was Aaron Rodgers winning in spite of McCarthy. If the Packers had a coach better than McCarthy, they would've claimed multiple Lombardi Trophies with Rodgers. As everyone learned this year, McCarthy held back the Packers from reaching their full potential. He utilized archaic and predictable schemes, showed no feel for the game, and constantly clashed with his future Hall of Fame quarterback. In fact, Rodgers even lost on purpose to Arizona in 2018 because he despised McCarthy so much.

 

McCarthy did such a poor job in Green Bay that I would've shocked if he earned another head-coaching gig in the NFL prior to seeing this news. Yet, here we are. The Cowboys, for some strange reason, have decided to hire McCarthy in what is an utterly embarrassing move. Almost anyone would've been a major upgrade over Garrett, but McCarthy was one of the few exceptions.

 

It took the Cowboys six years too long to fire Garrett, yet they're stuck with the same trash coaching them. This is the easiest "F" grade I've ever posted. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fetch my heating pad.

 

I don't know if I've ever read so much hyperbole in a 300-word article before. Wow. Saying that McCarthy deserves no credit for the SB win drives it home for me as a simply terrible set of ideas mashed together.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The lame and too popular take ignores the fact that McCarthy revived a dead Packers team in 2006 that had just won 4 games with the fantastic Brett Favre and had them within a game of the Super Bowl in two years. For how wonderful Rodgers is, he's been pretty unspectacular for a few years and has continued to look that way this season.

 

Obviously having that QB makes your life easier but McCarthy had his hands on their success too. You can't appear in four NFCCGs in 13 years and be a bad football coach. That just doesn't happen.

 

If McCarthy wasn't fat he would be a more respected coach. I really believe that. Sean Payton gets deified for having less success under almost the same circumstances.

[CheezWizHed]

I'd give MM much more credit for the early part of his tenure than what was stated, but things really went off the rails the last 5 years or so. The offense really stagnated and he stuck with coaches (i.e. Capers) far too long. He also promoted guys to odd positions (i.e. Bennett to WR coach) that didn't really benefit the team.

 

I also agree that Dak doesn't seem like a MM QB. I guess we will see if MM is a QB coach or not--[sarcasm]granted, he never came up with a cool warm-up dance like Dak does now, so how good of a coach can he really be?[/sarcasm]

[CheezWizHed]

If McCarthy wasn't fat he would be a more respected coach. I really believe that. Sean Payton gets deified for having less success under almost the same circumstances.

 

I'm not sure if its MM's weight or not (see Holmgren, Reid, and a million other fat coaches), but there is truth in this.

 

[sarcasm]Perhaps MM just needs to develop that pursed lip scowl that Payton does so well.[/sarcasm]

[sveumrules]

The lame and too popular take ignores the fact that McCarthy revived a dead Packers team in 2006 that had just won 4 games with the fantastic Brett Favre and had them within a game of the Super Bowl in two years.

 

It doesn't really ignore it so much as it places more emphasis on MM's more recent teams.

 

From 2007 to 2011 it seemed like MM was maybe ahead of the curve relative to other NFL coaches.

 

From 2012 onward, I'd say he started to get passed up & left farther & farther behind.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Holmgren achieved the rare feat of taking 2 teams in the Super Bowl. Reid gets pretty mercilessly mocked nationally. I don't know that it's necessarily BECAUSE MM is fat, but I think his overall appearance is a factor. He's fat but also has that local pub patron look going on, and speaks with a touch of country drawl. All to say I never felt like he got the credit he deserved but now he'll get another chance.

[DuWayne Steurer]

The lame and too popular take ignores the fact that McCarthy revived a dead Packers team in 2006 that had just won 4 games with the fantastic Brett Favre and had them within a game of the Super Bowl in two years.

 

It doesn't really ignore it so much as it places more emphasis on MM's more recent teams.

 

From 2007 to 2011 it seemed like MM was maybe ahead of the curve relative to other NFL coaches.

 

From 2012 onward, I'd say he started to get passed up & left farther & farther behind.

 

 

I think McCarthy is emblematic of a lot of NFL (and pro sports) coaches in that he's slow (or just plain refuses) to adapt when the game starts to change and pass him by. He had a system, it worked, and when it started to not work... when the game evolved he got left behind. I'll be curious to see how he's changed, or if he hasn't, in his new tenure in Dallas.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The lame and too popular take ignores the fact that McCarthy revived a dead Packers team in 2006 that had just won 4 games with the fantastic Brett Favre and had them within a game of the Super Bowl in two years.

 

It doesn't really ignore it so much as it places more emphasis on MM's more recent teams.

 

From 2007 to 2011 it seemed like MM was maybe ahead of the curve relative to other NFL coaches.

 

From 2012 onward, I'd say he started to get passed up & left farther & farther behind.

 

From 2014-2018 the Packers appeared in two NFCCGs. If that's getting passed up by the league there are a lot of coaches out who'd love to get passed up. Now we can relive the horror of that the 2014 game all we want and talk about his conservative nature within it, but that onside kick was headed right for Jordy Nelson's chest and that was at worst a Super Bowl losing team 99% of the time.

 

I think people downplay the relevance of luck. I don't buy the argument of him being dated though, if anything his absence has shown that there is plenty of blame to go around on that offense. I tend to place more of the Packers failures at the feet of the guy running the show who had early onset dementia and the "team president" who let this go on for 5 years too long.

 

In the end MM was the fall guy. Everyone had a part in their shortcoming but he is 3rd in that line behind Murphy and TT.

[pacopete4]

I don't get the McCarthy hates RB's crowd? Other than not trusting Jones in the backfield at times, he's shown plenty in regards to developing a running game. And it usually occurred with just okay backs. He will do fine for Dallas. He's a good head coach that doesn't get his due from a lot of Packer fans.

 

That's kind of a strawman if you are replying to my one tongue in cheek post.

It wasn't. Just a general statement towards the RB/MM situation during his time in GB.

[pacopete4]

The lame and too popular take ignores the fact that McCarthy revived a dead Packers team in 2006 that had just won 4 games with the fantastic Brett Favre and had them within a game of the Super Bowl in two years.

 

It doesn't really ignore it so much as it places more emphasis on MM's more recent teams.

 

From 2007 to 2011 it seemed like MM was maybe ahead of the curve relative to other NFL coaches.

 

From 2012 onward, I'd say he started to get passed up & left farther & farther behind.

 

From 2012 onward they won the division 4 out of 5 seasons and made 2 NFC Championship games. All while Ted Thompson fell asleep at the wheel.