Don’t forget that Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is a businessman.
Therefore, the bottom line is essential to him, which equates to wins for his head coach.
That’s why he fired Jason Garrett after a string of 8-8 seasons.
As for letting Jimmy Johnson walk away, that’s ego.
But enough of the reminiscing, let’s put current head coach Mike McCarthy front and center.
Ceedee LAMB is like THAT!
Dak Prescott is like THAT!
Trevon Diggs is like THAT!
The #Cowboys are like THAT!
Mike McCarthy is *not* like THAT!
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) October 17, 2021
Jones did play football at the University of Arkansas, which gave him some knowledge of the game.
Yet as he shuffles through multiple hats in running the team, the business cap dominates the other responsibilities.
He’s feeling good that his team is the most valuable NFL franchise, according to Forbes.
More importantly, he’s satisfied with the job McCarthy is doing because they’re at 5-1.
That said, it isn’t surprising that Jones praises his coach’s game management even if experts tell otherwise.
Mike McCarthy and clock management are not allies.
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) October 17, 2021
All he cares about are the wins, and they have plenty of those coming into Week 7.
Come to think of it, Dallas could also be undefeated if not for a few blunders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, they’ve managed to defeat their next five opponents, including the New England Patriots.
While the Cowboys hoped to win, did they have to resort to overtime to bury Bill Belichick’s squad?
There’s no way that the Patriots can match up with what the Cowboys have.
MIKE MCCARTHY STRIKES AGAIN. HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT HE'S DOING. JUST GOES BLIND UNDER PRESSURE DECISIONS.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 17, 2021
As a result, Dak Prescott threw for 445 yards and three touchdowns.
CeeDee Lamb also had a big day with 149 receiving yards and two scores.
Trevon Diggs also got an interception, his seventh in six games.
They should have won big with those performances.
Instead, they needed extra minutes to slay the six-time Super Bowl champions.
Unfortunately, McCarthy takes the blame for this.
The Two Sides Of Mike McCarthy
It’s easy to forget that he won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers.
You can’t win such a prestigious title if you don’t outwit the best football coaches in the world.
Therefore, he must be doing something good in Dallas because they have won five games by an average of 12.2 points and lost by only two in Week 1.
However, it’s tough to deny that his positive contributions to the Cowboys do not include calling plays.
Kellen Moore calls the shots on offense while Dan Quinn takes care of the defense.
Mike McCarthy’s fourth down decision making can’t hurt you anymore Packers fans
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) October 17, 2021
Despite that limited dynamic, he’s still responsible for what the Cowboys will ultimately do, and that’s where his flaws come out.
He’d get a reprimand if it were just a one-time blunder.
But it’s hard to forget his series of unfortunate decisions.
First, he kept the offense on the field on fourth-and-1 at their own 34.
It’s admirable that he trusted Prescott and the crew to pull it off.
Unfortunately, getting that one yard doesn’t guarantee they’d score because they’re still in their own territory.
The plan backfired, and the Patriots scored a touchdown.
In contrast, he decided not to go for a critical fourth-and-two with 2:42 left and down one, 21-20.
Dallas should clearly go for this but Mike McCarthy is calling the shots so they won’t.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) October 17, 2021
Had they converted that play, they could continue to call run plays before giving Greg Zuerlein a chance to win the game with a more manageable field goal.
But McCarthy’s not done because he called a useless timeout with 24 seconds left.
Zuerlein did make the field goal to tie the game at 29-29, but New England had time to gain enough yards for a game-winning field goal.
Luckily for Dallas, the Patriots couldn’t do anything, and the game went to overtime.
These Decisions Will Eventually Backfire
It’s like McCarthy makes these decisions to check that he’s still the head coach.
Instead, mismanaging the clock and going for fourth downs at wrong moments hurts his reputation further.
Mike McCarthy’s fourth down decision making can’t hurt you anymore Packers fans
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) October 17, 2021
For now, those choices are not derailing the Cowboys Express.
But if this train of thought from McCarthy continues, the team will eventually suffer the consequences during more critical games.
NEXT: Michael Irvin Has A Message For Cowboys Nation
Chuck French says
Cowboys are too predictable.
1st &10, hand-off up the middle to Zeke.
4th&short, hand-off up the middle to Zeke
Inside the red zone, hand-off up the middle to Zek after the pass to the corner of the end zone fails.
They should run a lot more bootlegs inside the red zone and on 4th down &shorts.