The Dallas Cowboys got off to an impressive start to the season, nearly taking down the reigning Super Bowl champions. They followed that effort with some solid performances but eventually fell off a cliff in the second half of the campaign.
Dak Prescott struggled to move the chains, the offensive line ranked among the league's worst, and not even the defensive unit of Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, and Trevon Diggs was enough to keep them afloat.
But even despite their home loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the poor clock management, and erratic decision-making, the Cowboys still decided to bring Mike McCarthy back for the upcoming campaign, per USA TODAY Sports.
Cowboys Bring Back Mike McCarthy After Disappointing End To The Season
(via USA TODAY Sports)
“The assurance came as early as in conversations after the Cowboys’ 23-17 wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers and as recently as this week after Saints coach Sean Payton announced he was stepping down, a person with knowledge of the conversations told USA TODAY Sports.”
Jerry Jones Wants A Proactive Approach From Mike McCarthy And His Staff
While it was never in doubt, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still wants his staff to do better. Recently, he claimed that he wanted to see them making adjustments mid-season rather than waiting to the offseason to work on the team's flaws:
“I’m not going to get into any conversations that I’ve had with anybody, relative to do with anything with the staff,” Jones said, per the Dallas Morning News. “I understand the interest in it, but there is nothing compelling me. I’ve got everyone under contract that I want to have under contract, so that’s where we are. At the extent that some of these other clubs, under our rules, have a right to talk to somebody, do I even have to address that? You spend a lot of time."
“Now, let me be real clear: One of the pet peeves I have is that I don’t like this, ‘Well, we’ve got to work on this in the offseason; we’ve got to work on this.’ I don’t go for that. I’ve been trying to push that," the owner added. "I want those things recognized and addressed after we play Tampa, after the first game, or after we play the sixth game. I don’t want to wait until we’re sitting here with no season left to address these things we’re doing or not doing. And so, all of that is in the mix here and a part of what I do.”
McCarthy's team lacked discipline and struggled with penalties all season long, and the offensive line miserably failed to open up any sort of space for the running game. They have the core and foundation of a legit Super Bowl contender, but whether McCarthy will be the guy who can make the most of that remains to be seen.
