Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy wanted the job so badly that he watched every Cowboys play during the 2019 season.
While that claim is tough to confirm or debunk, that’s what he admitted during his introductory press conference as the ninth head coach in Cowboys history.
Sounds like a desperate move from a guy who was one year removed from being the top mentor for the Green Bay Packers.
During his time in Wisconsin, McCarthy brought a Super Bowl victory and nine playoff appearances to the Packers.
After defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, the Packers made the postseason six more times but never returned to the big game.
#Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that Dak Prescott will be limited in practice today.
“There’s a good chance he probably won’t play” vs the #Texans.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 18, 2021
Then, McCarthy’s fall from grace started when Green Bay finished 7-9 in 2017.
Finally, he got fired after a 4-7-1 record in 2018.
Aside from tensions stemming from who got the credit for Green Bay’s unstoppable offense, quarterback Aaron Rodgers played hurt during both seasons.
In 2017, he injured his collarbone which caused him to miss nine games.
The following year, Rodgers’ knee issues dogged him throughout the season.
Deep down, McCarthy knew that he wouldn’t have any success without a talented quarterback like Rodgers.
This could be the reason he and the Cowboys are cautious in bringing Dak Prescott back to action.
Prescott Is Getting Healed
A recent tweet by the Cowboys said that Prescott’s MRI shouldn’t be a cause of concern.
After that scan, the organization can have a sigh of relief after confirming that his latissimus strain is healing.
However, it’s not yet certain whether he will participate in practice or even play a preseason game.
If Prescott had the final say, he will surely want to wear pads and battle in the trenches.
Unfortunately, it’s not his decision to make.
The Cowboys trainers are the ones who can clear him to get back into action.
But if he were to have a vote, McCarthy would like to be cautious about his starting quarterback’s condition.
After all, it wasn’t long ago when an injury caused their campaign to collapse.
Six games into the season, Prescott injured his right ankle after a tackle by New York Giants safety Logan Ryan.
The condition looked severe as he went down and he was carted off the field.
It must have been a frustrating time for McCarthy because Prescott was on a roll at that time and the NFC East was up for grabs.
Had Prescott played all 16 regular season games, the Cowboys had a good chance of winning the division.
Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.
But now that Prescott is back in the fold without any serious injuries, McCarthy is exercising his patience until his star quarterback gets cleared by the doctors.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 12, 2021
Without Dak, there’s simply no conceivable way that the Cowboys can enjoy any success in 2021.
He’s the play-caller that can activate their talented skill players in CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper.
Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert haven’t done anything to unseat Prescott as the starter.
Therefore, McCarthy is praying to the football gods that Prescott can stay healthy.
Likewise, he and Prescott must be on the same page in leading the team back to the postseason.
Otherwise, it would be hard to conceive any glimmer of success for the Cowboys without him.
Once that happens, that head coaching seat wherein McCarthy currently is will suddenly get hot.
