Can Mike McCarthy copy Andy Reid and be ‘super’ good in new start with Dallas Cowboys
When Dallas Cowboys owner hired Mike McCarthy to replace Jason Garrett as the ninth head coach in franchise history, he had one rather large image in mind: Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
Their similar stature’s aside, Jones was betting on McCarthy to have a Reid-like revival and impact on the Cowboys.
That was before Reid led the Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, in which he hopes to win his first title, and the first for the Chiefs’ franchise in 50 years.
Yes, Jones, whose Cowboys have won just four playoff games since their last title in 1996 — a ring-less streak of 24 godforsaken seasons for fans of America’s Team — still wants some of that old glory again.
It’s why he fired Garrett after 9½ season and went searching for an experienced and proven coach with a fire in his belly.
Reid was the perfect prototype for McCarthy.
Consider the resumes.
Reid came to Kansas City after 14 largely successful seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had 130-93-1 record there with six division titles, a 10-9 record in nine trips to the playoffs, five trips to the NFC title game and one Super Bowl appearance, but no ring.
He was fired by the Eagles after going 12-20 his final two seasons.
At least, McCarthy won a ring in his previous stop, leading the Green Bay Packers to his one Super Bowl appearance in 2011.
Of course, that didn’t matter when he fired during the 2018 season after 13 years with Packers, including a 125-77-2 record with six division titles, a 10-8 record in nine trips to the playoffs, four trips to the NFC title game.
McCarthy had an 11-16 record his final two years and was 4-7 when he was let go in 2018.
Reid was let go because his offense had allegedly grown stale and he went to Kansas City the very next season looking for a fresh start and opportunity to prove his detractors wrong.
McCarthy’s offense, considered to have become stagnant, and a falling out with quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the basis for his departure in Green Bay.
But look at Reid now.
While the Chiefs’ sensational quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the biggest star at Super Bowl LIV, no one is having a better time or engendering more good feelings than Reid.
“We understand that we want to win a Super Bowl, we want to get one for him, and put that on his résumé ’cause he deserves it,” Mahomes said.
From his Tommy Bahama floral shirts to his love of cheeseburgers, Reid has been asked it all by the media this week leading up to Sunday’s game and has answered with flair.
Here are just a couple:
“I like dress codes, as long as it’s Tommy Bahama ... No Speedos!”
Reid describing his nine grandchildren: “They keep you young and at the same time make you feel old. It’s kind of like sweet-and-sour pork.”
So naturally I asked Reid about McCarthy and his similarly fresh start with the Cowboys.
“Mike’s had a lot of success in this league,” Reid said. “Sometimes it’s good for both places. Good for Green Bay and good for Mike. And that was my case. I think it was great for Philadelphia to have a change, and it was good for me to have a change. And it worked out good for both places. ... I think he’ll do a hell of a job in Dallas.”
Most people believe the same thing and Jones is betting as much.
But there is a key difference.
It took Reid seven years to get the Chiefs to the Super Bowl after being hired in 2013. He had to endure some embarrassing home playoff setbacks in 2016 and 2017, including blowing a 21-3 halftime lead in a 22-21 wild-card loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Jones went with an experienced veteran with something to prove over a rising young prospect because he wants to win now.
The Cowboys believe they had the talent in 2019 to be in Super Bowl LIV. They just didn’t have proper direction or leadership at the top.
So unlike Reid in Kansas City, there will be no honeymoon and very little patience.
But with McCarthy there is a hope for a similarly large result.
