Coach Mike McCarthy is getting more from Dallas Cowboys by asking them to do less
When Jerry Jones brought Mike McCarthy onboard, now nearly two years ago, the best selling points of the Dallas Cowboys’ latest hire he was a veteran head coach and proven winner.
Jones didn’t want to go through the growing pains of on-the-job training with a new young coach, especially late in seasons when things matter most.
McCarthy’s resume with the Green Bay Packers included a Super Bowl championship, four conference title game appearances and nine trips to the playoffs before he was fired toward the end of his 10th season late in 2018.
But the one thing McCarthy did best was win in December. And he has brought that gift to Dallas.
Even during last year’s disappointing 6-10 campaign, the Cowboys were 3-1 in December and nearly played their way back into playoff contention in a bad NFC East.
In 2021, McCarthy’s knack for December success came at just the right time. The Cowboys had just completed a 1-3 November, including a 1-2 mark at home, and they were about to enter the month with three straight road games.
With one game before December is in the books, the Cowboys (10-4) are on the verge of an NFC East title and a 4-0 month if they can defeat the Washington Football Team (6-8) at AT&T Stadium Sunday night.
“This is what it’s all about,” McCarthy said. “You always want to be playing for something. I think that you learn over the years what it takes from a commitment, and it takes a lot out of you. And that’s the joy of it all, to be competing in December. I like the way this thing lays up; we’re fighting for a division title Sunday night. What else can you ask for?”
Decembers to remember
McCarthy, who 6-1 in December with the Cowboys, has a 41-18 career record in the month. His .695 winning percentage is the fourth-highest winning percentage in the month in NFL history, trailing only Hall of Fame coaches Bill Walsh (.735), Andy Reid (.711) and Joe Gibbs (.705).
And he might be just what the doctor ordered for a Cowboys team seeking it’s first trip to the Super Bowl in 26 years.
Since their last trip to the Super Bowl after the 1995 season, the Cowboys are 51-53 in the month of December. That mark was 45-52 before McCarthy’s arrival.
McCarthy said the foundation of his philosophies on the importance of December success came from when he worked under Marty Schottenheimer with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1990s, long before he became a head coach.
“The ‘90s was a different era. You didn’t play as many division games that late, but the importance of really the fundamental part of your football team has to be heightened, and execution is everything,” McCarthy said. “We talk about that now more than ever just because you should be very good in your routines and process through your game planning, the things that you’re doing weekly. So, the ability to beat the guy across from you consistently this time of year has to be heightened because you’re not going to get to where you want to go if it doesn’t flow through your whole football team.”
Less is more
Of course, McCarthy added his own twist by easing up on the physical responsibilities of his team late in the season.
The Cowboys are actually practicing less now than they did in September. He believes that the pressures on players mount the deeper into the season you go.
“If you took our schedule from Week 1 to this week, it would be 90 minutes shorter,” McCarthy said. “Physical, mental and emotional stress is additive. So, being in tune with that and just stress that the players go through later in the year is higher.
“You got to recognize the holiday season and handling success,” McCarthy continued. “I mean, we’re having success as a football team. We’re having individuals that are having success probably higher than they may have in the past. So, you have to handle those things and it’s not just a PowerPoint presentation. So, the ability to make it flow as part of your workday, I think is real important.”
McCarthy begins his focus on getting his team ready to play its best football in the month of December as far back as training camp, and then he reinforces that all season long.
But he will also tell you his approach is the result of trial and error, going all the way back to his rookie head coaching season in 2006. He believes he ran his team into the ground in training camp.
The Packers started 1-4 and were 3-5 before finishing the season 8-8, thanks to a strong December.
He added the STAA [soft-tissue activation and acceleration] program on Friday’s to his team’s schedule to get the players off their feet and focusing on their own mental and emotional well being.
And it has worked.
Receiver Amari Cooper said the season-long focus on December and the schedule change has helped a lot by easing the stress on the body.
“He’s coached some pretty good teams,” Cooper said. “He knows the importance of changing the schedule. He’s mentioned before that he has run a team into the ground before. He is very cognizant about not doing it again.”
Humility is key
As an old school coach, McCarthy acknowledges that his schedule is counterintuitive to his upbringing.
But, thanks to a book from John Dickson called Humilitas: A Lost Key to Love, Life and Leadership, McCarthy said he learned the importance of humility and was able to change his way of thinking.
“I think it’s really the commitment to humility in your personal and professional life, because when you study humility, counterintuition is a key filter to utilize your thought process and your actions of how you do everything,” McCarthy said. “It makes you check the way you did things as a young man. Not everything is absolute. But I think you have to use counterintuition all the time. It’s something that I rely on a lot.”
It’s ultimately the foundation of his December success that the Cowboys hope will result in super success for the first time in 26 years.
What else can you ask for?
