Dallas Cowboys fans have not been happy about their head coach since the Jimmy Johnson era that won Super Bowl Championships.
#SuperBowl Photo of the Day:
The @dallascowboys were back-to-back Champions under Coach Jimmy Johnson and the Triplets! pic.twitter.com/Vz3fzp6Vsp
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) February 2, 2019
Since then, owner Jerry Jones has made one mistake after another with the coaches.
In recent years, the biggest error was allowing Jason Garrett to stay as long as he did without delivering more postseason success.
Once Jason Garrett was gone, the Mike McCarthy era began.
McCarthy has fallen below expectations but does have an excellent staff working for him.
That leads to the obvious question of whether the Cowboys should have fired McCarthy and hired either Kellen Moore or Dan Quinn as the team’s head coach for the 2022 season.
The Cowboys did not make a mistake yet but 2022 has to be the last run for McCarthy if he does not get this team to the NFC Championship at a minimum.
Here are the reasons why McCarthy deserves one more year despite having potential coaches-in-waiting working for him.
2. McCarthy Started As Cowboys HC In A Pandemic
The fact that McCarthy took over as the Cowboys’ HC for the 2020 season buys him a little extra time.
Taking the reins of a new team while there were virtual meetings, no preseason, and a strange set of circumstances had to be difficult.
On top of that, quarterback Dak Prescott got injured during the season which did not help McCarthy’s cause at all.
You may be thinking that all of that happened in 2020, and McCarthy’s grace period for these issues was 2021.
Some would view that as true, but there are other reasons to keep McCarthy around for another year.
He is also still probably dealing with the transition from a fan-owned team like the Green Bay Packers to a very involved owner in Jerry Jones with the Cowboys.
If Cowboy coach Mike McCarthy is surprised by his current situation and the circus in big D, he didn’t do his research ahead of time and was unrealistic about that environment. 🤷♂️
— Randy Mueller (@RandyMueller_) February 17, 2022
Though Cowboys fans have not seen McCarthy’s true genius yet, he is a Super Bowl Champion coach with the Green Bay Packers so that fact alone should buy him extra time.
Mike McCarthy‘s #Packers career:
Super Bowl champion
125 wins (2nd most in team history)
.621% (4th)
Made the playoffs 8 straight seasonsHe’ll be a #Packers Hall of Famer and he absolutely should be but his legacy will always be marred with the potential of what could have been pic.twitter.com/1hLB3dGYnx
— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) December 3, 2018
1. Moore Is Not Quite Ready
Don’t believe everything you see or hear in the media.
They crowned Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as the next great NFL head coach.
He could be a great NFL coach, but he is not quite ready to assume the role just yet.
He's still a very young coach. There's a lot to like about Kellen Moore, and I think some of the issues that exist are about how he's still growing as a coach. https://t.co/Uh9wUHrEUY
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) February 7, 2022
If he were ready, the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, or Jacksonville Jaguars would have hired him for 2022.
He interviewed for all of these positions.
As for Dan Quinn, he is a great defensive mind, but his tenure as the head coach in Atlanta was mediocre at best.
His skill set may be more suited to being a DC.
Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn was named the AP Assistant Coach of the Year. Quinn is the first person in franchise history to win AP Assistant Coach of the Year since the award was introduced in 2014.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) February 11, 2022
Conclusion
If the Cowboys do not advance far into the 2022 postseason, Mike McCarthy has to go.
The team cannot allow him to hang on while delivering disappointing results year after year as they did with Jason Garrett.
Kellen Moore likely will be ready in 2023 so the timing is much better should the Cowboys choose to go that direction.
NEXT: Cowboys Get Good News On Kellen Moore