On Wednesday night, the Dallas Cowboys announced that Mike McCarthy, fresh off a disappointing loss to the Green Bay Packers, will return as head coach for the 2024 season.
This move was surprising. After all, it was Dallas' third consecutive season that ended with a shocking loss in the playoffs. The 2021-2022 season ended with a home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild card round, and last year ended with another loss to San Francisco in the divisional round.
Since this publication, many commentators have pointed to the idea that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So we took the issue to the football court to determine whether this decision was wise or unwise. Mark Schofield insists it was the right move, James Deiter insists the Cowboys should have moved, and JP Acosta will make the decision.
Bringing back Mike McCarthy was the right choice — Mark Schofield
Ladies and gentlemen, there was really only one choice for Jerry Jones. And it was the right choice.
And it was his choice.
Before I explain why, I need to provide a little background. I make this statement as one of the many people who were probably looking at the possibility of a Bill Belichick-to-Dallas scenario back in October. Now you can check your receipts, as the kids like to say.
But the path was clear, wasn't it? The New England Patriots were headed for their worst finish in recent memory, and it looked as if the window for the Belichick era in Foxboro was closing. While the Cowboys were playing well, the idea of another embarrassing loss in the playoffs was certainly looming, and if that happened – and Belichick was indeed available – Jones It seemed like a kind of hasty move made out of a bit of frustration.
He will argue that the team has plateaued under McCarthy and, with perhaps the greatest head coach in history, now is the time to make a move.
And luckily…the path was certainly set for Jones to do just that. The Patriots and Belichick have parted ways, and Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers was as embarrassing as it gets.
Just… Jones didn't do it.
he didn't do that.
He hasn't done so because he recognizes that under McCarthy they are poised for a playoff berth, even if it hasn't actually happened yet. Under his leadership, the team won 12 games for three consecutive seasons, something that only happened once in the team's history during the Jimmie Johnson and Barry Switzer eras. Sure, that stretch produced Super Bowl titles in two of those three seasons, something that never happened under McCarthy, but Jones went against form here and practiced patience.
Consider some of the words Jones had to say when announcing his decision to stay with McCarthy.
“There are significant benefits to continuing the team's progress under Mike's leadership as head coach. This season has been filled with success. Mike has the highest regular season winning percentage in Cowboys history, and we are committed to working with him to translate that into postseason goals. Certainly, Mike's career has demonstrated a high level of success in the postseason, and we have great confidence that that can continue.”
A few things jump out, but Jones mentions not only the “progress” made under McCarthy, but also the success of individual players. Perhaps that part of the statement sheds some light on what we've seen from Dak Prescott this season.
Dare I say it, this is a mature approach from Jones. It feels strange to say this about an 81-year-old man, but let's look at the bigger picture. The move also comes during a year in which Jones and Johnson repaired a rift in their relationship as the head coach, a friend of Jones, was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor. Despite his form and expectations, Jones is learning patience instead of wildly overreacting.
This practice may pay off for him in the end.
The Cowboys should have moved on — James Deiter
Dallas Cowboys. I am proud. historic. Poor performance. If your team is not achieving their goals, you need to examine the variables. The remaining variable that needs to be adjusted is the head coach.
Mike McCarthy is a good coach.he Fuck good coach. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't understand the ball. That being said, McCarthy has a very specific Achilles heel that happens to align with what the Cowboys are trying to accomplish: He struggles in the playoffs.
This was a problem for most of his career. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better coach in the regular season. He's great at adjusting to injuries, changing his approach from week to week to win games, and the macro management needed to get through the season and make the playoffs.
But when it comes to actually making the playoffs, micromanagement becomes important, and this is where McCarthy struggles. He is 11-11 in his postseason career. Of the 12 times he led his team to the playoffs, only two times did he win at least one game: in 2010, when the Packers won the Super Bowl, and in 2016, when they lost to the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.
McCarthy's teams routinely get outcoached in games when he spends time planning against known opponents and they have time to do the same. This is why McCarthy's teams look so good in the regular season, but so bad in the playoffs that it is always perceived as a disappointment, as if they were two separate entities.
That's why I don't think firing McCarthy was an overreaction. For me, I would say there is an emotional component to this. The reality is that Dallas is a team that wants not just a playoff spot, but a spot in the Super Bowl bracket. And as it stands, McCarthy has proven for almost two decades that he is not a coach who can dominate in the postseason.
This is a team that has done everything it can with Mike McCarthy. He's arguably the best coach in this organization since Jimmie Johnson and Barry Switzer, but he has a worse playoff record than Jason Garrett.
The Cowboys needed a fresh approach. In fact, I fear they will settle for more of the same.
Verdict by Judge JP Acosta
Ladies and gentlemen, lawyers and jurors, could you please tell me the definition of insanity?
Insanity, as defined by the great scientist Albert Einstein, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Both Schofield and Deiter make very strong arguments, but I couldn't help but be moved by the evidence of Mr. McCarthy's tenure on display Sunday afternoon.Simply put, the Dallas Cowboys did do not have I want to be there.
For the home playoff game.
A match against the 7th seed.
WR CeeDee Lamb was clearly frustrated and was floundering around…After the first drive of the game. The vaunted Cowboys defense looked like no play action we had ever seen. Most of all, the Cowboys didn't seem ready to play football. It all comes down to coaching. I rule in favor of attorney Data. That may be due to the simple fact that for the Cowboys to do everything they want to do, someone has to get them over the McCarthy hump. As Attorney Schofield said, it is true that the Dallas Cowboys have won 12 or more games in three consecutive seasons. That's true, but according to ESPN's Ed Werder, the Cowboys are the only team to accomplish that and not finish the season with a conference championship.
Forget the Super Bowl, the Cowboys can't even make it past the divisional round.
At some point, you'll need to make changes. You can't go back and keep expecting a different result. Otherwise, you'll be stuck under a glass ceiling. Dallas has been there since before I was born. By committing to McCarthy, the Cowboys will be stuck under a glass ceiling and staring down a disappointing divisional round exit for years to come.
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