After defeating the Commanders to claim the NFC East title and the No. 2 seed, he said, “I think you're going to love this show, but I'm not going to be a part of it this year.” “It's playoff time. Honestly, it doesn't matter who we play. … We need to play our best football.
“It doesn't matter who we play or where we play. That has to be our mindset.”
That's fair, but the media and fans can talk about it, so let's do that.
This is just a perfect product of coincidence, or karma, depending on your belief system, but seeing or hearing McCarthy play in a matchup, regardless of which one the actual driver is there is no. That's because of the outcome of the previous matchup, in which Aaron Rodgers planned a come-from-behind victory at Lambeau Field in 2022.
The Cowboys held a solid 28-14 lead in the third quarter, but lost 31-28 in overtime.
After that fight, McCarthy was physically shaken, not only because of the way the Cowboys lost, but also because it was so obvious who they lost to, that he torpedoed McCarthy's return home. Ta. Although he now wonders if his own pre-game approach to that game may have been a disservice to his players, he believed in that moment it could have been the other way around.
“Last year, I thought it was important to talk to the team about Green Bay at the beginning of the week, and I regret that,” McCarthy admitted Monday. “It doesn't even have to go into our energy base, but you live and learn. This game is about our commitment. It doesn't matter who we play.”
“…That's where I am. I don't have time for that….It doesn't help us win. And if it doesn't help us win games, I'm not interested.”
But Dak Prescott and the locker room haven't forgotten what happened that fateful November night in Wisconsin.
The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback said there was more to this game than a rematch with the head coach's Packers, considering it was McCarthy's Packers that slammed the door on Prescott's record-setting rookie season. I agree with McCarthy that there are many implications. 2016 — Marched into AT&T Stadium with Aaron Rodgers and lost 34-31 in the NFC divisional round (side note in case you need to consider yet another disturbing layer).
However, given the outcome between the two teams in 2022, Prescott is not holding back.
“We're excited about his game,” he said. “We all know what this game means to the Dallas Cowboys, but there's also something a little bit special about this game. It's important that we get it as our own, but the way we do it. It will be a breaking point for him.”
Jaylon Kearse echoed Prescott's sentiments, saying the defensive end was also signing to try to make amends for McCarthy.
“I'm sure there's a lot of emotion for Coach McCarthy, but it makes sense because he was there, won a Super Bowl and had a great few years there,” veteran safety said. said. “So it's going to mean a lot to him to play them in this wild-card game.”
But what the Cowboys can't afford to do, McCarthy points out, is play outside their bounds and lack execution with added emotion. If that happens, no one's goal in Dallas will be achieved and it will likely be a repeat of last year's matchup anyway. The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing but expecting a different result.
Kearse acknowledges the general headlines, but more important things include winning and advancing to the NFC divisional round.
“I'm confident he's not going to get in the way of what we need to do because he understands that we're here for one reason,” Kearse said. “This isn't Mike McCarthy vs. Green Bay. It's the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay, and that's something the players need to understand.
“We want to go out and win games for the coach, but let's understand that this is a team that stands in our way. Let's not make it any bigger than it is. The playoffs are already big enough, so let's not put anything down. Let’s leave it there.’ Everything else is on top of that.
“Let’s just go out there and win, because that’s what we have to do to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish.” [at the start] This year's. ”
The reality is that McCarthy is a far cry from his Green Bay days at this point. He left after the 2018 season, opted to take a year off from football in 2019, and signed with the Cowboys in 2020. He played in 12 games for the third year in a row while battling the coronavirus pandemic and major changes to the roster and staff. He won the season and qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
And as it stands, he's not very familiar with the Green Bay side anyway, with only four players on the entire roster (including practice squad and injured reserve) filling in for McCarthy in Green Bay, including Aaron.・It's Jones. Jaire Alexander, Kenny Clark, David Bakhtiari.
It's not the same team McCarthy knew, and it's not the same McCarthy the Packers knew, at least not from a football standpoint.
It doesn't matter that Green Bay has a street named after him. Hell, if he can end his nearly 30-year drought in Dallas, it's not impossible for him to score one in the Metroplex as well.
The first obstacle in his 2023 postseason journey will be his former team, the Packers.
“At the end of the day, this is my team. I'm a Dallas Cowboy,” McCarthy said. “This is our opportunity and I'm just making sure I do my part and that's what it's all about.” [I can] To contribute to winning this match. ”
It's called a mic drop.
