CFZ Why it would've have been better to fire McCarthy than make him a lame duck

[NoLuv4Jerry]

The timing with Daks last year may figure heavily into Jerry’s decision. I’m sure Jerry was very disappointed to say the least. After the GB loss MM stated

“my message would be this, we've established a championship program, it's just not a world championship yet. We know how to win, we know how to train to win, we have the right people, but we have not crossed the threshold of winning playoff games. It's extremely disappointing to be sitting here talking about it, but I know how to win and we will get over that threshold," McCarthy said.

I don’t think Jerry likes paying someone to do nothing so I believe JJ is saying to both of the key people put up or shut up, and I think that’s the basis of the “all in” comment. The team core is there, so Jerry can’t lose, they do great he gets the credit they fail he cleans house and says I gave them a final chance but it didn’t work. Well if ever MM wants to prove that he can coach bows the time, me personally I think MM is a fraud as a HC. Jerry also knows that a new HC will want his stamp on the team going forward and not sure a new HC will want a QB who underperformed in playoff games, unless like MM he’s desperate for a job and will tell Jerry anything he wants and that’s not the guy you want

Here is the problem....we can win and both MM and Dak can say goodbye. So Jerry is basically saying he is fine with that. He is basically saying he just needs to win ONE time...and even if that means another 30-year losing streak...he is fine with that.

He thinks their lame duck status will create just enough pressure to produce a different result. That is NOT what will get us over the hump. Fielding a team that can stop the run and run when they want to will get us over the hump. MM is not good enough to outcoach the opposition 4 straight games in the postseason. And Dak is not good enough to be the best QB on the field for 4 straight games in the postseason. If that is truly Jerry's gut instinct (that neither are good enough) ...he should have ATTEMPTED to make the changes to give this edition of the Cowboys a REAL chance OR moved on from BOTH of them and start the next chapter in Dallas Cowboys football. Not have them twist in the wind with the hopes that will magically make them perform better!!!

 

[Brax]

Here is the problem....we can win and both MM and Dak can say goodbye. So Jerry is basically saying he is fine with that. He is basically saying he just needs to win ONE time...and even if that means another 30-year losing streak...he is fine with that.

He thinks their lame duck status will create just enough pressure to produce a different result. That is NOT what will get us over the hump. Fielding a team that can stop the run and run when they want to will get us over the hump. MM is not good enough to outcoach the opposition 4 straight games in the postseason. And Dak is not good enough to be the best QB on the field for 4 straight games in the postseason. If that is truly Jerry's gut instinct (that neither are good enough) ...he should have ATTEMPTED to make the changes to give this edition of the Cowboys a REAL chance OR moved on from BOTH of them and start the next chapter in Dallas Cowboys football. Not have them twist in the wind with the hopes that will magically make them perform better!!!

If they succeed (MM Dak) in helping get to the SB neither will walk away, fail to get to the playoffs or 1 and done they should rightly so be gone. I’m not sure Jerry will play it that way but if he’s smart he will. As for Dak he’d be very smart to test FA it’s really the main reason players play the game, cash in as big as you possibly can

 

[TheCritic]

Excellent thread Bobhaze, but let's be honest. Had they kicked McCarthy to the curb, you know as well as I do that it would have been Belichick and the Cowboys would have gone on to become known as the team who took the winningest SB coach of all time and turned him into a perennial loser. I'm glad it didn't happen!!

 

[Bobhaze]

Excellent thread Bobhaze, but let's be honest. Had they kicked McCarthy to the curb, you know as well as I do that it would have been Belichick and the Cowboys would have gone on to become known as the team who took the winningest SB coach of all time and turned him into a perennial loser. I'm glad it didn't happen!!

I too am glad we didn’t hire Bill Belechick and hoping we don’t in the future either.

I have great respect for BB. He was one of the all time greats but even the best coaches can see the game pass them by. I believe that has happened to BB. In addition, I don’t think any HC who is used to running the locker room and having real authority wants this job.

 

[shabazz]

After the most embarrassing playoff loss in Cowboys history last January, it made more sense to fire Mike McCarthy and move on than making him a lame duck head coach on the last year of his contract. We have seen this coaching scenario in Big D three times before. In 2010 with Wade Phillips, in 2014 with Jason Garrett and 2019 with Garrett again. Only once (in 2014) did this situation translate to a successful season.

Big Mac has been here four seasons and he’s done a very good job in the regular season. But winning in the regular season is not enough if your team is serious about winning a championship. Winning 1 wild card game in 4 years is not good enough to me for a head coach. In the three losses he’s had in the playoffs here, in two of them his team was just not prepared.

So…IMO Here are the reasons this decision to keep McCarthy in the last year of contract makes little sense:

• It will be very hard for this team to recover mentally from that packer loss with the same head coach. The first time this team has a bad half or bad game, it could easily cause a mental free fall like we saw in 2010 with Wade when that team started the season poorly.
• The early part of the 2024 schedule is not particularly favorable which puts even more pressure on the situation.
• By also having a bizarre off-season where this front office mostly sat on their hands when it came to getting better, it cannot give this lame duck HC, his staff and his players a feeling that the organization has pushed the chips forward for 2024.
• By choosing to not be proactive with contracts AGAIN with several of its star players, it has the appearance that this season is a reset. Which would be fine IF you had a new HC.

The loss to the packers last January was just a complete collapse. How does a team recover mentally from that? And if you wanted to make 2024 the start of something new, why not start that process with a new head coach? Instead of that, we are left wondering what this front office is thinking and planning because in my decades of following this team, the 2024 off-season has been the biggest head scratcher I’ve ever seen.

I understand your points but perhaps Jerry viewed this season as a transitional one in which the playoffs aren't gonna happen .....if that's the case it's best to let the outgoing coach ride this puppy to the bitter end.

This will also be a contentious season with the 3 core players in which 2 are possibly lame ducks as well. Just not a great idea to put this on new coach.

Wipe the slate as clean as possible before hiring a new HC and let him have input on who he wants as his next franchise quarterback.

 

[Bobhaze]

I understand your points but perhaps Jerry viewed this season as a transitional one in which the playoffs aren't gonna happen .....if that's the case it's best to let the outgoing coach ride this puppy to the bitter end.

This will also be a contentious season with the 3 core players in which 2 are possibly lame ducks as well. Just not a great idea to put this on new coach.

Wipe the slate as clean as possible before hiring a new HC and let him have input on who he wants as his next franchise quarterback.

I think your points are good ones. But I have a follow up question - how many other organizations would be willing to just waste a whole season setting up the next? I say only one.

 

[Diehardblues]

I think your points are good ones. But I have a follow up question - how many other organizations would be willing to just waste a whole season setting up the next? I say only one.

Yep. Only 1 GM could get away with it.

And it would appear many fans will buy into this is a transitional season with our HC and QB’s last stand.

 

[Chasing6]

The stars were aligned much better , 2nd seed and way to goto NFC championship, but the whole team squandered that by conveniently overlooking GB . DQ was busy interviewing and the whole defense sleepwalked ( Tired , LOL )

Not that we could hav beaten SF at SF , we would never know , Isn’t it ?

Good teams don't beat themselves. We are not a good team. We have some elite players, that can win games and put us in the top 10. However, we did not have a complimentary football team.

 

[DanA]

Is McCarthy a lame duck and does Jerry really give a **** about contract status? I would have thought the Cowboys successful enough that they can cover MM’s contract payout even if he had 5 years without batting an eyelid.

 

[shabazz]

I think your points are good ones. But I have a follow up question - how many other organizations would be willing to just waste a whole season setting up the next? I say only one.

I agree that it would be insane to throw in the towel if an owner believes he has the HC, QB, WR and Edge Rusher to get to the promised land......I believe that the blowout loss to the Packers at home left an indelible mark on Jerry.

It's the only logical thing I can think of to explain Jerry's actions.......the frustrating part is that it may take till January 2025 to see the big picture.

 

[windward]

Especially when you have dumb ownership.

Most fanbases are unhappy with their ownership.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

If they succeed (MM Dak) in helping get to the SB neither will walk away, fail to get to the playoffs or 1 and done they should rightly so be gone. I’m not sure Jerry will play it that way but if he’s smart he will. As for Dak he’d be very smart to test FA it’s really the main reason players play the game, cash in as big as you possibly can

You have to be kidding. If Jerry makes Dak play all year and risk his health without the security of a contract. And Dak wins a Super Bowl. Why on earth would he want to do business with Jerry again? Only ONE teams wins the Super Bowl every year. That does not stop contracts from being signed from non-super bowl winning players. And not winning the Super Bowl has not kept Jerry from becoming the richest franchise in all of sports!

 

[Brax]

You have to be kidding. If Jerry makes Dak play all year and risk his health without the security of a contract. And Dak wins a Super Bowl. Why on earth would he want to do business with Jerry again? Only ONE teams wins the Super Bowl every year. That does not stop contracts from being signed from non-super bowl winning players. And not winning the Super Bowl has not kept Jerry from becoming the richest franchise in all of sports!

Daks been paid handsomely Jerry needs to see results and so far Dak hasn’t produced any. Not saying Jerry doesn’t extend him but the smart move is let it play out, as for injuries he extended Dak after a brutal injury so that doesn’t enter the conversation. History says Dak isn’t winning or making a SB at this stage of his career heck he’s played poorly in most big games. His fault or not he judged by his playoff performance unfortunately his have been poor. I wouldn’t extend Dak he hasn’t earned it so nows the time.

 

[Diehardblues]

Daks been paid handsomely Jerry needs to see results and so far Dak hasn’t produced any. Not saying Jerry doesn’t extend him but the smart move is let it play out, as for injuries he extended Dak after a brutal injury so that doesn’t enter the conversation. History says Dak isn’t winning or making a SB at this stage of his career heck he’s played poorly in most big games. His fault or not he judged by his playoff performance unfortunately his have been poor. I wouldn’t extend Dak he hasn’t earned it so nows the time.

For the sake of argument what would it tell you about our owner if he extends our QB before the season begins?

And what would your reaction be to your instincts of how our owners sees our current situation and future with our QB?

This might make a fun thread

 

[buybuydandavis]

• By also having a bizarre off-season where this front office mostly sat on their hands when it came to getting better, it cannot give this lame duck HC, his staff and his players a feeling that the organization has pushed the chips forward for 2024.
• By choosing to not be proactive with contracts AGAIN with several of its star players, it has the appearance that this season is a reset. Which would be fine IF you had a new HC.

The loss to the packers last January was just a complete collapse.

Wasn't it a blowout with the Packers that did in Wade?

This season looks to be about money. Ready to move on from Dak and McCarthy, not willing to eat the final year of their contracts. So just wasting a year as far as possibly contending.

 

[Brax]

For the sake of argument what would it tell you about our owner if he extends our QB before the season begins?

And what would your reaction be to your instincts of how our owners sees our current situation and future with our QB?

This might make a fun thread

It would tell me Jerry is more interested in regular season wins than tv time ratings than actually winning a SB and this was a ploy to keep Dallas in the news cycle,
My instincts say Jerry is going to extend Dak I’ve stated that since the season ended, Jerry doesn’t like being wrong and unfortunately he goes to extremes with players who are his guys, I believe it’s time to move on from Dak and MM, and can only hope it’s a prove it season for both and Jerry does the right thing and let’s them walk, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

 

[Chuck 54]

You have a coach you like, a coach you hired, a coach who has set a team record with 3 12 win seasons in a row. Despite the team’s failure in the playoffs, it would be foolish to fire him. Mike is not a lame duck coach. He is in the final year of his contract, but he has the same power and authority over the team that he has always had. There is no reason for the offense to be worse in his second year calling the plays and having his offensive staff in place. I don’t like the term “lame duck” when used just because the coach is in the final year of his contract. There is no reason why the Cowboys won’t be in the playoff hunt if they stay relatively healthy. Win even 2 playoff games, and I believe Mike gets a new contract. Exit early, and he’s a free agent coach who wasn’t fired.

To me you are not a lame duck coach unless you are in the final year of failure and the GM trades away most of your best players for draft picks, giving you no chance, but you’re under contract while the team finds its future leaders to make the decisions on draft picks, starting QB, direction of the rebuild. You are not a lame duck coach just because you are in your final contractual year for a team with plenty of star power, and you simply need to coach that team to better playoff results to get a new contract.

 

[Chasing6]

It would tell me Jerry is more interested in regular season wins than tv time ratings than actually winning a SB and this was a ploy to keep Dallas in the news cycle,
My instincts say Jerry is going to extend Dak I’ve stated that since the season ended, Jerry doesn’t like being wrong and unfortunately he goes to extremes with players who are his guys, I believe it’s time to move on from Dak and MM, and can only hope it’s a prove it season for both and Jerry does the right thing and let’s them walk, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

How do you win in the playoffs without regular season wins? Please help me understand.

 

[Brax]

How do you win in the playoffs without regular season wins? Please help me understand.

There’s no helping you at this point, how’s all those regular season wins working out for you. You’re just arguing for the sake of it.

 

[Chasing6]

There’s no helping you at this point, how’s all those regular season wins working out for you. You’re just arguing for the sake of it.

They are working out significantly better than having a bunch of regular season losses.

Whether you like it or not 1-3, is better than 0-0.