COVID-19 has forced Mike McCarthy to lead Cowboys from the heart of Packers’ country
Never in his wildest dreams did Mike McCarthy envision he would be prepping for his first year as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys from his home in the heart of Green Bay Packers’ country.
Following his hiring by the Cowboys in January, McCarthy initially traveled back and forth from his new home in Frisco to see his family in Green Bay, Wis., where he coached for 13 years before being let go in 2018.
But with the NFL shutting down in-person operations in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, McCarthy has done his work from Green Bay, including holding his first team meeting to start the virtual offseason program, the 2020 NFL draft and continued meetings with coaches and planning for training camp.
Suffice it to say, McCarthy is ready to come home to Dallas and get together with his team, as well as move his family to Texas.
“I don’t think any of us envisioned what’s going on in our society,” McCarthy said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “I think this just puts things in perspective. I have been with my family the whole time, except for maybe the first 10 days of the pandemic. But I am anxiously preparing, frankly, to get back to Frisco as soon as possible. It’s time for me to get back. We’re still in the planning stages as far as what we’re going to do as a family.”
As far as football is concerned, McCarthy still doesn’t know when and if he will be able to meet with the team before training camp. The NFL is expected to allow coaches and players to return to their headquarters in June, though there has no been determination if they will be allowed to do on-field work or a mini camp.
McCarthy said his focus has been to work within the current climate as best they can. That includes holding frequent video conferencing sessions and making two sets of plans for training camp, one if they’re forced to stay at team headquarters at The Star in Frisco and another if they’re able to go to their usual spot in Oxnard, Calif.
“The next step for me personally and the coaching staff is when are we going to be able to get back to the facility,” McCarthy said. “I don’t see a decision on training camp happening before that. And really, I don’t have control of the factors that are involved or even a part of those factors involved to finalize that decision. My time has best been served in just the preparation. I clearly understand what training camp needs to look like. Now, I’ve just got to make sure we’re ready to do it at either Oxnard or Frisco.”
Part of controlling what he can control for McCarthy is not getting caught up in the contract negotiations with quarterback Dak Prescott, who remains at an impasse with the front office. He has yet to sign his exclusive franchise tag of $31.4 million and is boycotting the voluntary offseason program.
“He’s involved in a business situation and I have full confidence that he’ll be ready to go,” McCarthy said. “There has been communication. I mean this is the way these business situations go sometimes. You respect that. I have all the confidence it will work out.”
While McCarthy doesn’t want to say they are behind in their preparation, he couldn’t deny the obvious.
But he said his coaches have made the most of the situation and have been creative in communication with a veteran corps of players, who have been responsive to the teachings of the new schemes and terminology.
“I think it’s obvious to think if we started April 6 like we normally would as a first-year program we would be in a different spot than we are here today,” McCarthy said. “I am pleased with the amount of work that we have been able to accomplish. I think our coaches have been very creative. I think the communication and correspondence with players have been excellent. The questions have been intuitive. I think it leans toward the veteran experience of our football team that we are able to get this much work done.”
McCarthy said the challenge for the COVID-19 shut down has made everyone take a step back and not react as fast as in normal times
And those lessons began with the first team meeting on Webex when he couldn’t get a visual of all 90 players on his computer set up at one time.
“So that was the disappointing part for me, I really couldn’t see everybody’s face,” McCarthy said. “Just the way my particular setup is. But it was different. No doubt. I felt like I covered the things that I wanted them to know about me as a person and the direction. It was really just trying to keep things focused on the priorities of what we’re trying to accomplish through the month of May and now going into the month of June.”
A detail-oriented task master, McCarthy said they have been taught a whole different level of patience. He understands what they usually do in 60 days they have to do in 30 days and that goes for everyone in the league.
It has caused him to prepare even more, while likely causing his family in Green Bay to lose a little patience with his presence.
“I’m anxious to get back, frankly,” McCarthy said. “My family is probably anxious for me to get back. They’re not used to having me around as much.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 6:54 PM.
