The Dallas Cowboys have high aspirations for their team. They have talent all over the roster and are the favorites to win their division. While some question some of their roster building, there is one big question that a lot of people. Is Mike McCarthy the right coach for this team? His first couple seasons in Dallas have been met with a lot of criticism of his play calling and his clock management. Pairing these struggles with a difficult schedule and improved division, I wrote a week ago about the risk of the Cowboys going first to worst in their division. All of these factors means that Mike McCarthy will be the first coach fired in 2022.
McCarthy’s Time Management
There are a slew of examples that one could point to but I want to focus on a couple from 2021. Week 2 against the Chargers saw the score tied late in the game. The Cowboys had the ball driving to score the game winning field goal. On 2nd & 6 from the LAC 41 yard line with 33 seconds left, the Cowboys ran for 3 yards getting to the LAC 38. They didn’t run another play. There would have been plenty of time to either get a play call in or call a timeout. I get not wanting to call your last timeout but not having any kind of plan is bad coaching. It left their kicker with a 56 yard field goal. While he did make it and the Cowboys ended up winning, McCarthy could’ve made the kick way easier. His excuse was also weak saying that the clock went out in the stadium. Seems like a really lame excuse.
The next week was against the Eagles. At the end of the first half, the Cowboys forced a 4th down with just over a minute left up 20-7. Rather call timeout, McCarthy let the clock run down to 20 seconds and the Cowboys took a knee going into the half. Why would you not try to score more point? The Cowboys had been torching the Eagles offensively and could’ve easily gotten into field goal range. McCarthy seemed fine going into the half up 13. In an age where offenses can put up points quickly no lead is ever safe. The Cowboys won this game as well but these are the types of gaffes that could lead to losing games.
An Improved NFC East
The Cowboys have been fortunate to be in the bad division. The Giants have been floundering for years. The Redskins have a flash in the pan year and then regress heavily the next. The Eagles have been the biggest competitor but they have had their problems recently as well. The Cowboys will not be able to walk all over this division this year. Both the Giants and the Redskins are better than last year. While I would still favor the Cowboys over them in games, they are not the automatic wins that they have been in past years. The Eagles pose a legitimate threat to usurping the Cowboys for NFC East king. They nailed the draft and also acquired star receiver AJ Brown. If Jalen Hurts can take a leap, this team will be good.
A Brutal Schedule
The scheduling gods were not kind to the Cowboys. Here are weeks 1-6.: vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Cincinnati, at NY Giants, vs. Washington, at LA Rams, at Philadelphia. There is a world where the Cowboys start the season 2-4 or 1-5 if things go really wrong. For the rest of the schedule, there are games against the Packers, Vikings, Titans, Colts and another against the Eagles. They also have a game against many improved teams where the Cowboys should be favored but it would not be a shock if they lost. It is an absolutely brutal schedule for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Jerry Jones is in Win Now Mode
Jerry Jones wants to win a championship. He turns 80 during the season and he wants to see the Cowboys back on top after so many years of not being able to get over the hump. If the Cowboys start the season off slow, especially if it is due to a McCarthy clock management faux pas, I don’t think Jones will hesitate to give McCarthy the axe. Kellen Moore is on staff and the vibe around many people is that he could be a head coach. In Jones’ mind it might be an easy transition that could save the season.
Mike McCarthy has shown that no matter how much talent is on his roster, his coaching decision are crippling to his team. Mike McCarthy is already on the chopping block and at some point the hammer will come down. Bet on it. Mike McCarthy will be fired during the 2022 season.