It sure seems the Dallas Cowboys didn’t waste much time finding their next man. Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy will be taking over the reins under arguably the biggest spotlight in American sports. After looking into multiple prospects including longtime Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, Jerry Jones and the ‘Boys landed with someone who not only has a wealth of experience but a Super Bowl ring as well.
Does Mike McCarthy Fit the Dallas Cowboys?
Road to Super Bowl
Mike McCarthy is entering his fifth different decade in which he will be coaching in some capacity. The career began as a graduate assistant in Fort Hays State back in 1987. His time in college football gravitated towards the University of Pittsburgh where he learned his philosophical roots. In the NFL, he played a part in managing many offenses for teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Packers (first term), New Orleans Saints, and landed his first job as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers in 2005. From there, it’s a more clear story, as he went on a thirteen-year run with the Green Bay Packers, winning 62% of his regular-season games, making the playoffs in nine of those years, while capping off the 2010-2011 season with a Super Bowl victory.
McCarthyism
The resumé that Mike McCarthy brings to the table is extensive. But moving forward, what will we see on the field? McCarthy is a descendant of the Bill Walsh West Coast Offense philosophy. That is to say, he puts an emphasis on quick, short passes along with the zone-blocking run approach. This, on the other side of the classic Air Coryell scheme that Jason Garrett had instilled over the year. Don’t worry Cowboy fans, you’re still going to see plenty of vertical of shots down the field, especially with guys like Michael Gallup and speedster Tavon Austin in the mix. It’s just that setting the tone with passes beneath the sticks will be a priority as far as what we’ve seen from McCarthy in the past. But will there be a shift in the future?
There are a couple of key factors to consider. Kellen Moore, the offensive coordinator for Dallas in 2019 looks to be coming back. Despite missing the playoffs, Moore had the Cowboys offense at the top of the league averaging nearly 432 total yards per game. Coupling his youthful approach along with the wisdom that McCarthy brings in, things could get pretty interesting in Dallas. That wisdom is something McCarthy is always trying to build on. The 56-year-old family man spent his off-year in 2019 studying league trends and analytics and did so with a group of other coaches who are always looking to stay in shape mentally with the ever-evolving game of football.
A New Regime
Mike McCarthy is not the flashy and noisy hire that we would have seen if the Cowboys went in the direction of an Urban Meyer or Lincoln Riley. There’s also a lot of speculation based on the way he departed from Green Bay. Just how poor was the relationship between him and Aaron Rodgers? Had their time together just run its course or was there an underlying issue that could manifest in Dallas as well? We likely won’t ever get a straight answer. What we can say is Mike McCarthy has a passion for the game that every head coach in the NFL must have in order to succeed. A relentless, often exhausting approach that leaves little time for anything but sleep and football. It is being reported that McCarthy’s deal will be a five-year agreement that runs through 2024. That is, of course, if everything goes according to plan in Dallas.
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