Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy hope return to normal offseason leads to improved play
When Mike McCarthy was hired by the Dallas Cowboys in January 2020, he talked about his excitement of being able to coach football again after being away for a year following his firing from the Green Bay Packers late in the 2018 season.
He was eager to get back to his roots coaching the fundamentals of football.
But that was before his ability to prepare for his first season was stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown across the league of all offseason programs
More than year later, the gleam has finally returned to McCarthy’s eyes. He has a bounce in his step and his passion and excitement are on full tilt.
McCarthy is back at a happy place and excited to be back to a football normal again with a full offseason of organized team activities (OTAs), a minicamp in June and training camp in July.
“I’m loving normal, there’s no doubt about it,” McCarthy said. “It’s great to be out on the field with your players.”
Being able to teach schemes and fundamentals is just what the doctor ordered for McCarthy and the Cowboys, who finished a disappointing 6-10 last season — prompting changes in the coaching staff, new strategy and an overhauled defensive roster for the 2021 season.
“It’s a lot of fun to see the coaches and you know how much time they put into the planning of practices, the drill work. We started back with the rookies, with a couple of new ideas of different drills and we had a chance to work those to make sure they’re ready for training camp.
“It’s been great. This is what we need. This is what I’ve always felt you did need, especially being a young team, especially being a team that’s new in a lot of phases.”
Players never considered boycotting offseason
The Cowboys are in full participation as a team after navigating directives by the players’ union that resulted in players from a host of NFL teams sitting out voluntary offseason workouts and OTAs.
Because the Cowboys have a number of players with de-escalator clauses in their contracts that would cost them money for missing workouts, the union released them from any obligation to join the boycotts.
More important, Cowboys players still have a bad taste in their mouths from 2020 and they wanted to practice together.
“The conversations have been ongoing,” said tight end Dalton Schultz, the Cowboys’ player representative. “Even still we’ve got a lot of teams that are not participating. I think as a team, we came together and we realize we need this kind of work in the offseason. We support everything the NFLPA is doing. But I think we’re a very young team and we can benefit very highly from this work that we’re doing now.”
Quarterback Dak Prescott has led the way. He said the Cowboys didn’t have much conversation about not showing up.
“I mean it’s just been great, getting around the team, having pretty much the whole team here for OTAs,” he said. “It’s great. You just see all the guys that want to work, they want to get better. Obviously, coming off a season like we had last year without a lot of wins and with a lot of injuries, guys are just hungry. Just to be able to come back and have that sense of urgency.
“It’s been fun to lead the guys and as you said build that camaraderie on the field and off the field when we get the chance.”
Prescott and many of the players have been a constant presence at the team’s headquarters at The Star in Frisco since the end of the season. It helps that most of them make their permanent homes in the area.
“I can’t say enough about the participation that we have had here,” McCarthy said. “It started a couple of weeks after the season concluded. We have had a pretty steady flow of players working out here. We are fortunate to have this great facility, the resources in place. Our players live here in town. It’s a great asset to have, especially as a coach.”
Cowboys taking cautious approach
McCarthy is doing his part to help ease their burden by only using eight of the 10 allowable OTA practices. He said he will let veteran players depart on the last day of the mandatory three-day veteran minicamp on June 10.
McCarthy and the Cowboys are also being cautious with players coming off surgeries.
Prescott, who missed the final 11 games last season fractured ankle, is being held out of team drills.
The team is also limiting the work and exposure of tackle La’el Collins (hip), tackle Tyron Smith (neck), tight end Dalton Schultz (knee), guard Zack Martin (ankle), linebacker Jaylon Smith (wrist), receiver Amari Cooper (ankle) and defensive tackle Trysten Hill (knee).
All expected to be full participants in training camp.
“Obviously we’re a month or two out from camp, so the Cowboys want to be smart with all of their guys on just making sure that we’re not doing anything unnecessary until needed,” Smith said. “I’m feeling great. I’m in the best shape of my life. The wrist is running its course. It’s all a matter of time.”
