‘We’ve got a good thing going.’ Kellen Moore on Dallas Cowboys offense, Mike McCarthy
The biggest surprise since Mike McCarthy was named coach of the Dallas Cowboys is the emergence of Kellen Moore.
One of the few holdovers from Jason Garrett’s staff, Moore will continue to call plays as the offensive coordinator for McCarthy.
Especially for McCarthy, who called the plays for much of his tenure with the Green Bay Packers, the decision could almost be called shocking.
Moore, who spoke to the media along with the rest of McCarthy’s staff on Monday, declined to say whether play-calling duties were a prerequisite for him to stay.
“We really didn’t even get down that road. I talked to Mike and we talked through everything and it became a great opportunity,” said Moore, who helped lead the Cowboys to a record 6,904 total yards in his first year as offensive coordinator. “I thought Mike and I would work really together however it turned out.”
Moore called the coaching change and the uncertainty surrounding Garrett’s departure “challenging times.”
“But I’m fortunate to still be here. I think we’ve got a good thing going and hopefully we can build on that,” he said. “I think, obviously, having Mike here is an awesome opportunity.”
The play-calling will be collaborative, Moore said, much the way it was with Garrett. But he and McCarthy are still working out the exact nature of their working dynamic.
“At the end of the day, it’s always collaborative. We’ll work through all of that. I think it will be really, really good,” he said.
Moore had other coaching options, including going back home to Seattle and working at the University of Washington.
Owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones see a bright future in Moore and exactly how McCarthy came to feel the same way is not yet clear.
“Having that opportunity to remain here, it worked out well,” Moore said.
Moore dismissed the popular notion that McCarthy prefers a pass-first offense. The trick, he said, will be merging what has worked well for the current Cowboys roster with any predilections McCarthy brings.
Moore said McCarthy’s offensive philosophy is “get the best players the ball.” McCarthy passed a lot in Green Bay because his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, was by far his most effective option. The Cowboys’ offense has more viable options, Moore said.
“We see the game in a lot of the same ways. We want to attack people in a lot of different ways,” said Moore, who is 31. “Making sure the run game and the actions that go off of it, that those all complement and they’re all tied together. I think that’s the biggest thing. I think we need to take our time, as much time as we have, to go through that process to make sure everything connects.”
The whole process, he said, will take some time. Moore said he’s excited about molding a potentially new offense.
“Obviously they had a ton of a success [in Green Bay],” he said. I think it’s a great process for us to go through now molding this thing how we want to mold it. We have the ability to mold it however we want. That’s the fun part.”
