According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mike McCarthy’s head coach job is on the line as the playoffs get under way.
One would think that three-straight 12-5 seasons – with three consecutive playoff appearances – would equal job security.
But this is Dallas and Jerry Jones is still the Owner/GM of the franchise. And there is that nagging little issue of not advancing past the Divisional round since 1995.
So, yes, Mike McCarthy’s seat is a little warm. So are a lot of other seat’s including the owner and the starting quarterback and rightfully so.
McCarthy Now Third-best Cowboys’ Head Coach
Becoming the first Cowboys’ coach to win 12 games three years in a row has put McCarthy into the top tier of the team’s head coaches.
Tom Landry won 12 games two years in a row on two different occasions – 1977-78 and 1980-81. He also had 10 wins or more from 1968-73 and again from 1975-1981.
Jimmy Johnson won 11 in 1991, 13 in 1992, and 12 in 1993 before Jones stupidly fired him.
Barry Switzer road Johnson’s coattails to win 12 games in 1994-95 and 10 more in 1996. All of Switzer’s NFL accomplishments really belong to Johnson.
But since the 1995 season the Cowboys have never returned to the NFC Championship game, much less a Super Bowl.
They are 254-207 (.563) in the regular season since beating Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX. They are a dismal 5-12 (.294) in the playoffs since that win.
And there’s where the heat on McCarthy’s seat is coming from.
He is 1-2 in the playoffs coming into Sunday’s game against the Packers and 0-1 in the divisional round.
McCarthy’s Impressive Regular Season Numbers
After a 6-10 season in his first year in Dallas in 2020 – with Dak Prescott missing 11 games to an ankle injury – McCarthy is now 42-25 (.737) overall.
A far cry better than Jason “Clapping Hands” Garrett’s tenure. Garrett went 85-67 (.559) in nine-plus seasons as the Cowboys’ leader.
He won three division titles and was just 2-3 (.400) in the playoffs. Both of his wins were in the wild card round. Garrett’s teams consistently underperformed.
His tenure followed a pattern set by his predecessors – Bill Parcells and Wade Phillips. Parcells (34-30) never won an NFC East title and lost both wild card games in his four years in Dallas.
Phillips won two division titles in three-plus seasons in Dallas with a 34-22 (.607) mark. But he was also 1-2 in the playoffs with just a Wild Card game win.
McCarthy Needs To Make The NFC Title Game
And that’s the bane of the Cowboys’ existence since 1995. They’ve had solid rosters with promising seasons that died no later than the Divisional round of the playoffs.
McCarthy is now 0-1 in that round after last year’s disappointing loss to the 49ers in San Francisco.
Another early exit, either this Sunday against McCarthy’s former team, or the following week against the Rams, Lions, Eagles, or Tampa Bay?
Yeah, you could make the case that McCarthy isn’t the man to get the Cowboys past the finish line. Which is why Jones originally hedged his bets when asked about McCarthy.
Bum Phillips found himself in a situation when his team couldn’t quite get far in the playoffs.
“Last year we knocked on the door. This year we beat on it. Next year we’re going to kick the son of a bitch in!” he promised after another disappointing loss.
It may be “next year” this post season for McCarthy. Anything less than the NFC Championship game and he may be updating his resume.
Is it fair? No.
But nearly three decades of wandering in the desert has left the Cowboys’ front office, and their fans, very impatient.
We’re tired of waiting. It’s time to go kick that door in or go find someone who can.
Who Would Be The Next Man Up?
Here’s where a lot of intrigue is building in the “fire McCarthy if they have another early exit” camp.
Dallas wouldn’t have to go outside the building to get their next head coach and defensive coordinator.
Dan Quinn would be the logical choice to move up to the head coach slot. He also has led a team to the Super Bowl.
Yes, said team suffered an epic collapse against the Patriots when they got pass happy instead of running the ball.
Still, Quinn has won an NFC Championship and made it to a Super Bowl.
And Al Harris would be a natural choice to move up from his assistant coach position to the team’s defensive coordinator.
Then, unless Brian Schottenheimer is more than McCarthy’s yes man, it’s just a matter of finding a young coach with some fresh approaches to offense to become the offensive coordinator and we’re off.
Could McCarthy Survive Even With An Early Exit?
Yes.
He has posted a 36-15 record over the last three years. So he’s clearly doing something right.
So, assuming another early loss, what would need to happen next year? First, Dallas needs to shore up the lines.
The offensive line is banged up. It may be time for Tyron Smith to hang it up as he can’t stay healthy.
The interior of the defensive line – as well as middle linebacker – needs help too.
Tony Pollard is not an RB1, nor is Rico Dowdle. Getting a power back – hello Derrick Henry – without breaking the bank might be a good idea.
But if McCarthy does survive an early exit to coach next year, his seat will be red-hot starting the day after said loss.
A fifth year of not making the NFC title game would likely be the end of McCarthy’s run in Dallas.
There are better things to talk about right now! Go Cowboys!
No good owner fires a coach who has led the organization to three consecutive 12+ win seasons.
Stop. Just stop.
I hope so. Send Dak with him.
Yes, Anything less than making it to NFC title losing ONLY to the 49ers.
Winning in the regular season is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to be the Dallas Cowboys head coach.
It never has been. The Cowboys demand playoff success and they haven’t had that since the 95-96 season (SB 30).
How original, said no one!!! All of you keep writing the same piece.
Now you know why…
I hope so.
Probably, as long JJ runs the show, no SB
The only coach in Cowboys history,that has three straight 12-5 seasons,not even the late great Tom Landry,the great Jimmy Johnson,and the great Bill Parcells,never managed to have done it. If Jerry Jones fires Mike McCarthy,he needs to have his head examined for brain damage.
Some people just don’t know football
You were saying?
No cause they winning the Super Bowl let’s go
Going 8-8 three years in a row does not guarantee that a Cowboys coach loses his job.
Winning two Super Bowls in a row does not guarantee that a Cowboys coach keeps his job.
Predicting whether the Cowboys coach will be fired based solely on the win-loss record is nonsense.
Hire Bill Beliche As The New Head Coaching Job
Marcus Silverback Please! No.
keep Dan Quinn make him head coach
Cowboys need new head coach and new QB and offensive coach that will make different QB from Michigan and coach from Michigan too
I was with you until you said the “M” word – Michigan. After Mazi Smith and Luke Schoonmaker’s rookie years I don’t want anything from Michigan anywhere near the Cowboys.
Yes
I hate to say this but in big games we are just not ready to play! The niners , the Bills, and now the Packers have revealed the recipe on how to beat us! MM is a good coach but as a team we are not disciplined , we get out coached and our game schemes does not match the opponents in a way to counter what they are doing against us! In my opinion I also think that DQ is a good DC but I think he is not an head coach!! He also can’t close out wins in big games!! The bottom line is I hope Jerry will bring in BB but if he can’t land him I would stay with MM for now! ……… Unless we could get ole Jimmy back!!
A really bad article~! Dallas loses to Green Bay with poor defense and sub par play from Dak, but DQ is the logical choice to become the next head coach??? I sure hope not~! Dan Quinn, or Dairy Queen, as I refer to him, should be the one under the microscope~! Everybody’s an Edge Rusher or a DB and you can’t stop the RUSH. Hankins, at best, is an average NT, probably gone. Odighizuwa MIGHT be more effective as a DE in a 3-4 defense, and who exactly made the call on the Mazi “taco” Smith selection? Think about this: over the past 1/2 dozen years or so, who’s the best Cowboy’s DT? Oh yeah, the Mr Joneses didn’t see enough value in Maliek Collins to keep him out of free agency. But as we’ve seen now, for many years, since the Jimmy Johnson/Barry Switzer nonsense, maybe Dairy Queen is the logical choice to replace Big Mac . . . if your name is JONES~! GO TEXANS~!!!!!!!!!
Wow, a censored football site. I can fix that easy enough by DELETE. How ’bout not hiring imbeciles to write articles for an irrelevant blog???
Well, since you asked so nicely…
Well, since you replied; Yes, we remember that Dairy Queen took a team to the Super Bowl~! His Atlanta Falcons allowed one of the greatest comebacks by the Patriots in Super Bowl history~! Got any other endorsements for him? How ’bout the Cowboys being mediocre or worse against the run since DQ was hired, and I very much doubt that it was Big Mac’s decision to hire him. More genius from Jerrah~! Not to cover for Big Mac because he has a fullback he’s barely used while the run game worked better when he did. And had Luepke had gotten even the same number of carries as Deuce Vaughn, the deuce would be loose on the practice squad . . . or wavers~! Instead he got NO carries after the teamwork fumble on the goal-line in Miami on a play that looked like it hadn’t been run in practice.Maybe Schott should share some blame for that.
Ok, first…
The post you are replying to was written before the disaster that took place on Sunday. You might want to check out my post written Monday morning after the debacle where I call for the entire coaching staff to be dismissed.
Second, I’m with you on Luepke. He was not used correctly and McCarthy just bailed on him after the handoff snafu in Miami. I blame both Hunter and Dak for that one but that shouldn’t be curtains on Luepke’s career – especially if we’re going to keep on excusing Prescott’s tendency to turn the ball over in the big games.
Third, I respect the passion, but dial it down a notch, brother. I think we’re on the same side here.
10-4. Just try to understand that this is the perspective of a 50+ year fan. One who grew up in Houston as a Cowboys fan, because the Oilers, before Bum and Earl, were not interested in anything but the TV revenue.
The Jones show since Jimmy Johnson has gotten beyond OLD. They get lucky in the past couple of drafts with Cee Dee, Parsons and Bland while they’ve drafted too many Tacos! When they drafted Mazi “taco” Smith last year, they passed on Brian Bresee, who without a single start gave a significantly greater contribution on a team that wasn’t exactly starving for DTs like the Cowboys, and under the coordination of DQ. The only thing they got right on that score was not hocking draft choices to move up for Jalen Carter. But there were several DTs drafted after Smith who would have been far greater contributors.
Being 6-3″ and 335# does not a Nose Tackle make. The very best are rare commodities: Wilfork and Saragosa come to mind.The Cowboys have 0 unless you want to count Hankins as 1/2, yet they don’t adjust the base D-Fense accordingly. And counting MP, you have a D with 5 DLineman, 1 LB and 5 DBs. And when there are no sacks or interceptions, the ball is getting run down their throats. And even when LVE was playing and making the rush D better, you could tell from his body language that DQ had him in a mindset of defend the pass first! Now the Cowboys need a couple of first and second round picks for DT and LBs, and I mean 4 picks in those 2 rounds. Getting retreads in Free Agency doesn’t improve anything. Not on D, not on offense. so look at that 2023 list as well. How about drafting another Randy White, Ray Childress or Aaron Donald? When you DON”T have a NT, stop acting like you do and get a couple of Russell Marylands. I like Odighizuwa. I’d like him better as a DE in a 3-4 defense. But even with somewhat limited production, he’s still the best DT they have.
Go ahead and count the number of DE/Edge rushers the Cowboys have, including Micah Parsons and a 2023 4th round pick who didn’t play a snap, compared to their DTs and particularly DT talent. How many LBs? That aren’t hybrid LB/DBs which even Overshown may turn out to be. At least they do have Damone Clark. Then there was Devon Achane, whom the Jones watched run all over Arkansas’ d-fense AT AT&T STADIUM before the 2023 draft, whom they could have had in the 2nd round. Would you draft Schoonmaker or Achane? Lots of hindsight now from GMs across the league, but Achane played in the Cowboys backyard at A&M, and right under their noses against Arkansas just prior to the draft. So, they got offended because he made their Alma Mater’s d-fense look like a Jr. High School d-fense? Now think about our consensus fullback (and free agent) blocking for Pollard and Achane~! Nothing against Dowdle either, but why was Malik Davis on the practice squad to that the Deuce could average less than 2 YPC? And we wonder why there’s problems in Big D~?
I don’t get paid to be an NFL GM, or even as an NFL beat writer. But I do think I could put a contender on the field if I only drafted from the Big 12 until now. I could still do it by drafting in the future from the SEC West, LOL~!
And better DCs? Lets see, Rivera, Staley are looking for work. Jack Del Rio go fired because he didn’t believe there was an Inseduction on Jan6th with his best talent sold in garage sale fashion. Mike Zimmer, what’s he doing these days. Last I heard, “Wink” Martindale needs a job. So how ’bout we all pitch in and buy DQ a plane ticket to Seattle? After the GBay loss, I’m afraid his stock has been seriously devalued. Nonetheless, maybe let Big Mac pick his own DC. He’s got one more shot before the contract expires.