Listening to our 78 year old owner GM cry and drop F bombs the other day at his “State of the Cowboys” presser, I was struck by three things: 1. Jerry is old and is running out of time to play fantasy football GM and he knows it. 2. He isn’t really willing to “do anything to win another SB” or he would have already done it. 3. True or not- JJ believes he has enough talent to win the big one now.
Which leads me to this simple point- Mike McCarthy is not on a Jason Garrett-like long leash that gives him a decade to win something. In fact, IMO Big Mac is in a position very similar to the one Wade Phillips was in over a decade ago- Win now or else.
Here are some reasons I believe this:
- Jerry hired Big Mac as a “win now” coach. Not a developmental project.
- JJ prefers having a coach he can take some credit for developing into a winner- like Garrett was. (His current pet project and HC in waiting may be Kellen Moore)
- Big Mac fits a very narrow expectation Jerry has for his HCs-
- They must be able to tolerate his intrusions. (Most HCs wouldn’t)
- They must NOT be seen as stronger or more in control than him.
- If this team doesn’t at least win a couple of playoff games, I think Big Mac is in danger of a firing.
I hope Mike McCarthy is successful because I want the Cowboys to finally crawl from their qtr century of playoff irrelevance. He better win because I think he’s on the shortest of HC leashes. Another year of not making the playoffs or even a first round exit is probably an exit sign for the Mike McCarthy era.