There is a scene in the film, Moneyball, between Oakland’s A’s General Manager Billy Beane and Manager Art Howe. In 2001, the A’s had made the playoffs only to lose to the Yankees in the division series, 3-2. The 2002 season nears but there’s a problem.
Oakland’s ownership was not going to spend a lot of money on player salaries. The 2001 roster had been pillaged by the league’s big market teams with their larger checkbooks.
So Beane was going to have to cobble together a roster of lesser talent and Howe was expected to win with it.
In the film, Howe is resistant to playing the players Beane wants to see on the field. When asked why, Howe gives this reply.
“I have to justify how I managed this team at next year’s winter meetings.”
Howe hadn’t been given an extension on his contract. He was managing on what he believed to be his last year. Even though the 2002 season hadn’t begun, he was already looking ahead to interview for his next job with another team in 2003.
Sound familiar?
As it turned out Howe’s seventh season in Oakland would be his final one with the A’s after all, but Howe and the A’s won the division in 2002 with an MLB-high 103 wins. Only to get knocked out in the divisional round by the Twins in the playoffs.
Howe moved on to manage the Mets in 2003.
Mike McCarthy’s Last Stand
Enter Mike McCarthy and the approaching 2024 season.
Like Howe, McCarthy didn’t get a contract extension this offseason. So he too is coaching on his final contract year.
He too is being asked to improve on what he has already done, despite a front office that hasn’t exactly impressed this offseason with its roster moves.
McCarthy’s short-term goal this year is going to be trying to find a way to win with the team he has been handed.
His quarterback wants to be paid more than a younger quarterback with three Super Bowl rings already to his name.
Mike McCarthy’s best wide receiver is holding out and may demand a trade.
His starting running back is trying to prove he can still be the starter.
His offensive line has much to prove after being re-tooled.
The defensive line’s interior may be non-existent.
He’s hoping a free-agent veteran linebacker can provide desperately needed leadership while his star linebacker seems more devoted to his podcast than his team.
And then there’s the question of whether his shutdown cornerback can return to his pre-knee injury levels.
Piece of cake, Mike, you got this.
The 2024 Goal
For McCarthy, his three straight 12-5 seasons will not be enough to save him if Dallas misses the playoffs. It may not even be enough unless he at least makes the Conference title game in January.
So he, like Howe, has to find a way to make all the right moves, at the right time. He has to hope this team gels, and he has to pray they get some timely breaks. Otherwise, his time as the Dallas Cowboys’ Head Coach will come to an end, likely before the next Super Bowl is played.
The good news is that Howe found a way to win despite the hurdles, and Mike McCarthy could find a way too.
McCarthy clearly wants to become the sixth head coach to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl. More so, he wants to be the first to win one with two different teams.
It is also clear that if he wants to add another ring to his Super Bowl XLV victory with Green Bay while in Dallas, he needs to do it this year.
If for some reason the team falls short, McCarthy is going to want to emulate Howe in another way.
He’s going to have to coach in a way that he can defend at his next job interview.
The 2025 Goal
The one thing Mike McCarthy cannot afford is for the 2024 season to go so thoroughly off the rails that he gets fired before the season ends.
The next worse outcome would be a season with seven wins or fewer. That would hurt his chances elsewhere.
Assuming a scenario where he isn’t given a new contract in Dallas, McCarthy, at a minimum, needs a winning record at the end of the year.
Even another early playoff exit, which would make him 1-4 or 2-4 with Dallas depending on how the tournament plays out, wouldn’t cause his phone to remain silent.
Most owners would look at his overall record and factor in having to operate in the chaos of JerryWorld. He’d get another interview. He might even get another head coaching gig if those factors are taken into account.
It will be an interesting tightrope for Mike McCarthy. How he makes his decisions every day knowing he has to do so with two completely different goals in mind. All while trying to lead his team to the Super Bowl and a chance at history.
Howe managed to pull it off, at least enough to extend his coaching career. Mike McCarthy may have to as well.