Mike McCarthy’s call failed Dallas Cowboys, but there could be a bigger payoff later
There could come a day when the questionable decision by Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy might be looked back as the antithesis of a Pyrrhic victory.
An effort to show trust in his team and give them confidence backfired in Sunday’s 20-17 season-opening loss the Los Angeles Rams, but it might sow seeds of trust and bonding with a new coach and his players that could lead to great triumphs down the road.
As of now, however, it’s being billed as a faulty decision that led to a bitter loss in his first game as head coach of a team that has not dressed on Super Bowl Sunday in 25 years.
With 11:46 seconds left and the Cowboys trailing 20-17, McCarthy shunned a potential game-tying field and went for it on 4th-and-3 from the Rams’ 11-yard line.
A pass from quarterback Dak Prescott to rookie receiver CeeDee Lamb came up one yard short and the Cowboys never truly threatened again.
“The conservative play there is to kick the field goal, but I just felt really good about how we were moving the football,” McCarthy said of a Cowboys offense that had driven 44 yards on eight plays to put themselves in position to take the lead with a touchdown.
“It was a mesh pattern type concept with criss-crosses, and you’ve got to give them credit,” McCarthy added. “They made a hell of a play on the throw and catch, and it was short.”
Rams safety Jordan Fuller stopped Lamb a yard shy of the first down.
Lamb, who had five catches for 59 yards and a 20-yard punt return in his NFL debut, blames himself for running the pattern too short.
‘’That’s definitely one of the plays I wish I had back, but live and learn. It’s not really a rookie mistake, but it’s definitely a mistake from a rookie,’‘ Lamb said. “At the end of the day it’s on me, my responsibility to make that conversion and make that play. And I didn’t. It’s not going to sit with me well at all.”
McCarthy defended the decision as well as the play call from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
He talked about analytics and how that played a role in his thought process. But more importantly, he said there was still plenty of time left and that he was trying to create more momentum as well as give his players confidence.
‘’Analytics gives you good structure and it would tell you to go for it. But you have to look at the variables and trust your players,’‘ McCarthy said. “I think especially the first time out going into a game I want our offensive guys to play wide open. We have that capability. I’ll pull back when I feel like it’s in the best interest of the team. I clearly recognize that it was a three-point game, but we still had a lot of time left and I just felt that would’ve been a huge momentum play for us at that particular time.”
While the play didn’t work, McCarthy got full buy-in from his players who appreciated the boldness of the move.
‘’I think it was a good play call. I think we had a chance of getting a first down,’‘ said running back Ezekiel Elliott, who had 127 total yards and two touchdowns. ‘‘We ended up coming up short, and that’s just one of those plays in the game where you’ve got to convert. That cost us the game.’‘
But might it sow seeds of trust, and confidence for other victories down the road?
“I love the aggressiveness,” Prescott said. “I think that was a point in the game that, if we get that first down and we’re able to punch it in the end zone, we’re looking at a whole different ball game. I think it was a momentum chance. I loved the play call, we just weren’t able to get it. The guy played it over the top and made a great tackle.
“I think that’s one of the good things that you can take out of this game. Our coach, he’s going to put it in our hands. He expects us to go make those plays, he trusts us to do that, he’s going to call the game aggressive and you’ve got to appreciate that. I know I do as a quarterback. I know I’m pretty sure the rest of the guys do as an offense.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 7:44 AM.
