What the Dallas Cowboys saw in Mike McCarthy — and why they moved quickly to hire him
The Dallas Cowboys wasted no time in identifying Mike McCarthy to replace Jason Garrett as head coach. That much is clear.
The team moved too quickly and too adeptly in making the hire less than 24 hours after officially moving on from Garrett. And they did so after only two candidate interviews, both of which took place during a whirlwind 24-48 hour span.
Owner Jerry Jones was not just smitten by McCarthy’s overall record of success — a 125-77-2 record with six division titles, four trips to the NFC Championship Game and one Super Bowl title during his career with the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018 — but by his success against the Cowboys specifically.
McCarthy went 7-3 against Dallas during his time with Green Bay, and he did it, at times, with what Jones thought was a squad that was inferior to his Cowboys. That success included a 45-7 romp in 2010 that proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Wade Phillips’ three-and-a-half-season run as coach. Jones fired him after that Nov. 7 game and ushered in the failed Garrett era by promoting him to head coach.
And who can forget the two big divisional playoff losses to the Packers — the controversial, infamous and still hurtful “Dez caught it” game in 2014 and the 2016 heart-breaker in which quarterback Aaron Rodgers incredulously completed a pass on 3rd-and-30 to set up a game-winning field goal.
A win in either game would have put the Cowboys in the NFC title game for the first time since the 1995 season, which is also the last time they played in a Super Bowl.
And, of course, McCarthy’s greatest victory came against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, which took place at AT&T Stadium no less. As host, Jones had a prime seat for another team’s celebration in his own house.
These were all factors in Jones’ decision to select McCarthy as Garrett’s replacement. He wanted an experienced coach, and a proven winner.
But Jones and the Cowboys were also impressed by what McCarthy did during his year away from football after being fired by the Packers in 2018.
A year away
McCarthy stayed in Green Bay and became a football hermit. He deconstructed what went wrong with the Packers by examining why the team’s offense went stale. He also revamped his approach to the game.
He renovated his barn and turned it into a lab. He spent the past year with a group of coaches, including former New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Haslett, studying all things football.
It was all documented by NBC Sports and NFL.com in what proved to be perfect resume tapes for McCarthy. It’s an intriguing way to let teams know that you’re looking for another shot.
McCarthy built a football operations staff that dissected formations and play calls of the best offenses and broke down quarterback footage. The staff included a six-person video unit and an eight-person analytics team.
His embrace of analytics was key. It showed Jones that the team was not only getting an experienced and proven coach, but also someone who was willing to evolve and innovate, so he could be even more successful in the future.
The Cowboys are hoping it’s a future that pays dividends.
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 11:08 AM.
