“We have a thing called PCP,” Mike McCarthy told media members on Thursday. He continued his explanation quickly enough to avoid any substance-related questions.
“It's just really the purpose of the play call,” he said, “Play call purpose. PCP.”
While the acronym might cause raised eyebrows and perked ears, the idea itself is based on solid, logical principles.
Even outside of athletic settings, educational experts agree that when learning new information, having context can heighten motivation, and increase engagement. It can even encourage a more disciplined approach to the acquisition of knowledge and skills.
And when it comes to communication, context is necessary to prevent misunderstandings and miscommunication. When parties are in alignment in terms of context, communication flows easier and more effectively.
There is also better understanding of the weight of importance for each bit of communicated information.
“It's one thing to learn to play and the intricacies of a play,” McCarthy explained, “but I think when… you're continuing to anticipate when and where it's going to be called, I think that's stronger communication and connection that the quarterback and the play caller need to have.”
DAK PRESCOTT'S PURPOSE
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott seems to agree. He expanded on McCarthy's explanation to include not only his connection with the play caller but also his connection with other players on the field.
Purpose was practically a theme of Prescott's conversation with the media.
“You can see it and you can feel it and you understand that everybody is is locked in,” he said.
“Everybody is buying into the purpose of it and the purpose of their role which overall allows us to play faster and play cleaner.”
AVOIDING PAST MISTAKES
The topic of purpose even came up when Dak discussed interceptions that occurred last season.
He was asked about the time he spent with Coach McCarthy reviewing some of his in-game missteps
In March, Mike McCarthy told reporters, “[Dak Prescott] came up and spent about four hours with Scott [Tolzien] and I. And we went back and looked at the decision making opportunities of interceptions and potential interceptions.”
When asked what he learned from the time spent going over past situations, Dak explained how a common understanding between everyone on the field could have prevented a few interceptions or botched plays.
“That's why I'm saying purpose,” Prescott explained, “When you went back and you looked at that tape, you could see that guys weren't necessarily thinking what I was thinking, and we weren't on the same page.”
As he continued, he described what he thinks will be different moving forward. “When all 11 are on the same page, and we understand why, the whole passing game is gonna be cleaner.”
With it being that the 2022 season was Prescott's worst year in terms of interceptions, it's expected for him to be cleaner moving forward. That type of performance isn't typical for the quarterback.
The 2023 season will be Dak's first time in four years having someone besides Kellen Moore calling the plays.
As the team adjusts to new coaches and a new offensive philosophy, Mike McCarthy seems to be taking a synergetic approach.
“We're still in Dak's language,” he said, “I'm not really worried about the football part of it, drills and scheme. More the collaboration of calling the game.”
That type of collaboration could be exactly what the Dallas Cowboys need in order to achieve even more success than they've seen during their past couple of seasons.
