Last year I postulated that anything less than an NFC Championship game appearance would spell the end of Mike McCarthy as Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas suffered another early playoff exit despite a third-straight 12-5 season. But McCarthy still has his job – for now.
He’s on the last year of his contract and Jerry Jones is not hinting at an extension, at least publicly.
We saw this happen twice before with McCarthy’s predecessor, Jason “Clappy” Garrett.
The first time Jones made Garrett coach on the final year of his contract, Garrett responded with a winning season – albeit with another early playoff loss as well.
The second time around Garrett headed up an 8-8 season and promptly headed out the door shortly after.
Would Jones sign McCarthy to another contract after another 12-5 season and early playoff exit? Maybe.
But if the Cowboys struggle, and miss the playoffs altogether? McCarthy has to be packing his bags.
And there is already a leader in the clubhouse for his job – and we haven’t even started OTAs yet.
The Hoodie In The House?
Bill Belichick was already being talked about in some circles prior to last season as coming to Dallas.
If McCarthy were to lose his job after this season, Belichick would probably be the first call Jones would make. And Belichick does have an impressive resume.
Despite only one winning season in five years in Cleveland – but hey, it’s the Browns and if you think our franchise is cursed, yikes look at the Browns’ history – Belichick was hired in New England in 2000.
Over the next 24 seasons all he did was win six Super Bowls and compile a 266-121 (.687) record.
While his last two years in New England were forgettable – he was saddled with Mac Jones at quarterback – he does know what he’s doing.
But there are some downsides.
No Spring Chicken
Belichick will be 73 when the 2025 season gets underway.
Does he have the drive – and the energy – to be a head coach in the NFL still?
More importantly, if he were to take over in Dallas, he’ll want to rebuild the team to his style. That’s a project of at least 2-3 more years.
Does he really want to commit to that time frame?
Remember the last time Jones tabbed a Super Bowl-winning head coach named Bill?
Bill Parcells was 62 when he took over as head coach for four years in Dallas.
Belichick would be 11 years older. And there’s one other downside to consider.
Do we really want to see Josh McDaniels wearing a visor on the sidelines with a blue star on it?
I think I’m going to be sick…
The Other Bill
Most NFL fans have an image of a gruff, glowering Belichick in their heads. And who could blame them?
That was the persona he projected on the sidelines.
He cranked that persona up to about 200% whenever he did media interviews.
So if that was all you saw of him, that was the only conclusion you could possibly draw. But, you’d be surprised to find out there’s another Bill Belichick in there.
I know I was.
First, if you haven’t caught the Tom Brady Roast on Netflix, do so. If only to watch Nikki Glaser put on a master class on how to do a celebrity roast.
Her double putdown of both Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski was chef’s kiss perfection.
Belichick attended and got in a few jabs at Brady’s expense – and took a few direct hits good-naturedly. Julian Edelman’s jokes about Belichick’s lack of job offers were the best.
And Belichick laughed just as much as everyone else.
Which probably shocked everyone outside of his players and family given his history.
But, as I said earlier, not me.
About a decade ago, while he was the Patriots’ Head Coach, I was researching for a book I wrote called: From The Fields.
It’s a history of high school football in Turlock, California – my home town. And I had discovered a connection between the high school’s football program and Belichick.
I reached out to the Patriots to see if I could arrange an interview with him – and why I was calling him about a football team 3,000 miles away.
I very much doubted I’d hear from him at all. In fact, I was expecting a polite “sorry, no can do” message from the Patriots media relations department.
I was shocked when he called me right back and spent about an hour talking about the Bulldogs’ alum, Ernie Jorge, who had coached with Belichick’s father at Navy.
Jorge was a Navy coach at the time when its quarterback was Roger Staubach. Just wanted to complete the Three Degrees of Belichick game there.
He was warm, friendly, and helpful.
During the Q&A, as I was writing down his responses, I kept thinking “Who is this guy? This is not the Belichick I’ve watched on TV.”
But I’m forever grateful for that one hour. It might not have made up a large segment of the book, but remains one of my favorite chapters in it.
Should He Be The Next Coach
I’d love to see it happen, but only if Jones Inc. agrees to shut up. Get out of the way, write the checks, and let the man cook.
Belichick could rebuild this team as quickly as he did the Patriots. And even if he only stuck it out for three years, he’d leave the team far better off than he’d find it.
Just as long as he takes McDaniels with him when he leaves…
But whether or not this scenario happens will depend on how the 2024 season plays out.
Like it or not, McCarthy – and a few players – are coaching and playing for their futures in Dallas this fall.
And all of them, including McCarthy, have to know their replacements are just a phone call – or a draft pick or trade – away.