CFZ Will the third time to have a HC on last yr of a contract be different?

[Bobhaze]

Mike McCarthy will be the third Cowboys head coach in the last 14 years to enter a season on the final year of his contract. In the two previous times it happened, the HC was either fired in mid-season or just not renewed again. Also, the two previous times this happened, the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs.

Reviewing the two previous examples:

• 2010 Season with Wade Phillips. Much like McCarthy this year, going into the 2010 season, Wade Phillips had seen his 2009 team get embarrassed by the Vikings in divisional round game 34-3. In 2007 under Wade the #1 seed Cowboys lost in divisional round to the giants 21-17. The Cowboys started the 2010 season 1-5 with Tony Romo before he broke his collarbone in October. Then the team just quit on Phillips and Jerry fired him after 1-7 start. Of course we did not make the playoffs. The age of Garrett followed.
  
  
• 2019 Season with Jason Garrett. This was the final season with Jason Garrett and in his near decade long tenure with Dallas, we only made the playoffs 3 times. In the previous season with Garrett in 2018, the team did win the NFC east, won a WC game vs the seahawks but got manhandled by the rams 30-22 when the rams rushed for over 250 yards. Garrett was allowed to finish his last year of his contract in 2019, but the team went 8-8 and did not qualify for the playoffs. Garrett was just allowed to walk at season’s end (thankfully, lol) As a side note, the man Jerry said would be scooped up in a moment’s notice as a HC has never been hired again as a HC…at any level.

So as we head into 2024, Big Mac is hanging over a cliff with a roster on paper that appears to be less talented than last year’s squad. And he has a division winner’s first place schedule this year. If this team has a rough start, this could quickly turn into another 2010 season with a firing. I hope not.

And I sincerely believe - this is a bad way to handle a head coach. IMO it would have been better to fire McCarthy after last January's humiliating playoff loss to GB. It was the worst playoff loss in Cowboys history. It is extremely hard to just block that mental memory out and move on. This team better have a roaringly good start or the seat gets scorching for Mac’s behind.

 

[LonnieElam]

It's aligning perfectly; no.
Mike and no Dak in 2025. Either Lance looks good, or we suck a year and draft a QB. I wish the FO was smart enough to make a trade for an additional 1st round pick, but they're idiots.

 

[MoistMayonnaise]

How did it work out for the other two?

 

[charron]

No. Mike hasn't been able to change the culture so far. Being in the last year of his contract and low likelihood of a new contract gives him less of a voice players will listen too.

 

[rags747]

Is a divisional round playoff loss worse than a Super Bowl loss?! If I’m not winning the SB then I have zero interest in being in one.

 

[LonnieElam]

Is a divisional round playoff loss worse than a Super Bowl loss?! If I’m not winning the SB then I have zero interest in being in one.

If we ever make it to a SB, I'm guarding my heart and expecting a loss.

 

[Praxit]

..for what we have seen in the last 8-12 yrs. I dont know what to think or feel anymore.

Seems like whatever this team does, its JUST not good enough.

My take is on Jerry. He's up there in that age bracket, where it can exponentially get bad at any moment.

Which leads me to believe, he's mentally short on patience of any kind.

Best Dallas gets off to flying start. Should they start stinking up the joint. I dont see MM making it through the season.

We had no business losing Vs GB, the way we did. Team was too good for that. But it happened, and it will linger.

 

[Flamma]

Is a divisional round playoff loss worse than a Super Bowl loss?! If I’m not winning the SB then I have zero interest in being in one.

No. But it's not that much more disappointing. The worst losses, and I've been through 4 of them if my memory serves me right, is losing the NFC Championship game. You're right there. One game away. It's agonizing to lose that game.

I will say, the way the Patriots lost the SB in 2007 is probably the worst loss in NFL history. An undefeated team losing to a wildcard following a series of unlikely events.

 

[RonnieT24]

I think there are some significant differences between previous lame duck year coaches.

1) 12 12 12 - Back to back to back 12 win seasons speaks of a sturdier foundation on which to build.

2) The best offense in the league. In '09 heading into '10 and in '18 heading into '19 the Cowboys had a decent defense and kind of an okay offense. This offense has been the highest scoring in the league in two of the last three seasons and basically are a Dak thumb injury in 2022 from a threepeat in that department. This offense can win a track meet. I'm not sure those offenses could.

3) Maybe the best pass rusher in the league paired with maybe the best cornerback duo in the league. If this defense can figure out how to even slow down the run so we can force teams to pass it's gonna allow the offense to boat race some people.

4) Kellen Moore and Jason Garrett are gone.. those dudes' paint by numbers adaptation of Air Coryell was what led to our ultimate downfalls. McCarthy may not be Bill Walsh but he's a lot better game day play caller than those two.


Bottom line is I feel a lot better about this team heading into camp than I did either of those.

 

[RonnieT24]

Is a divisional round playoff loss worse than a Super Bowl loss?! If I’m not winning the SB then I have zero interest in being in one.

Nothing hurts more than a Super Bowl loss. I have witnessed three of them and hope to never have to see another. I think I'd rather lose in the NFC Championship than the Super Bowl. That kind of pain leaves scars!

 

[Praxit]

No. But it's not that much more disappointing. The worst losses, and I've been through 4 of them if my memory serves me right, is losing the NFC Championship game. You're right there. One game away. It's agonizing to lose that game.

I will say, the way the Patriots lost the SB in 2007 is probably the worst loss in NFL history. An undefeated team losing to a wildcard following a series of unlikely events.

...that was all Tom Coughlin. They believed in him, he had them ready. Helleva coach.

We should be grateful they beat them, when it counted. Cant imagine the Pats going undefeated that season.

Would have been punch in the gut, to us Dallas fans. ..lol..

 

[LonnieElam]

Nothing hurts more than a Super Bowl loss. I have witnessed three of them and hope to never have to see another. I think I'd rather lose in the NFC Championship than the Super Bowl. That kind of pain leaves scars!

I can't imagine what Seattle fans felt like when they should have just ran it. My homie wouldn't talk to me for a week after that, and I don't talk crap like that. I get it.

 

[Flamma]

I think Jerry is using an outdated approach. The late great George Steinbrenner used to say he wanted people working for him to always be uncomfortable. Because that's what it looked like against Green Bay. We got too comfortable.

 

[Praxit]

Nothing hurts more than a Super Bowl loss. I have witnessed three of them and hope to never have to see another. I think I'd rather lose in the NFC Championship than the Super Bowl. That kind of pain leaves scars!

.....im no Falcon fan. But that SB loss to Brady, will burn for centuries....lol... Bwahahahaha....

 

[Flamma]

I can't imagine what Seattle fans felt like when they should have just ran it. My homie wouldn't talk to me for a week after that, and I don't talk crap like that. I get it.

Oh crap, I forgot about that. Yeah, you can't lose like that.

 

[RonnieT24]

...that was all Tom Coughlin. They believed in him, he had them ready. Helleva coach.

We should be grateful they beat them, when it counted. Cant imagine the Pats going undefeated that season.

Would have been punch in the gut, to us Dallas fans. ..lol..

I am VERY grateful to the G-men for saving me from having to hear how that Pats team was the Greatest Team of all Time and how Brady was the Greatest QB of all time and Belichick is the greatest coach of all time and yadda yadda yadda for the rest of my life. I don't think I could take it. It's bad enough hearing about them as it is even with the loss. It would be amplified tenfold if they'd won.

Edit: That game is why the Giants or the least hated of our hated divisional rivals for me!

 

[RonnieT24]

Oh crap, I forgot about that. Yeah, you can't lose like that.

Which is worse? Losing when you were 4 feet away from winning or pissing away a 25 point lead in the 4th quarter?

 

[Flamma]

...that was all Tom Coughlin. They believed in him, he had them ready. Helleva coach.

We should be grateful they beat them, when it counted. Cant imagine the Pats going undefeated that season.

Would have been punch in the gut, to us Dallas fans. ..lol..

I didn't want to see them go undefeated. But I didn't want the Giants to win either. It was tough. But it would have been brutal had they beat us in the SB. But most super bowls don't have crazy endings or story lines.

 

[Praxit]

I am VERY grateful to the G-men for saving me from having to hear how that Pats team was the Greatest Team of all Time and how Brady was the Greatest QB of all time and Belichick is the greatest coach of all time and yadda yadda yadda for the rest of my life. I don't think I could take it. It's bad enough hearing about them as it is even with the loss. It would be amplified tenfold if they'd won.

Edit: That game is why the Giants or the least hated of our hated divisional rivals for me!

..exactamundo, my points as well. .

 

[Flamma]

I am VERY grateful to the G-men for saving me from having to hear how that Pats team was the Greatest Team of all Time and how Brady was the Greatest QB of all time and Belichick is the greatest coach of all time and yadda yadda yadda for the rest of my life. I don't think I could take it. It's bad enough hearing about them as it is even with the loss. It would be amplified tenfold if they'd won.

Edit: That game is why the Giants or the least hated of our hated divisional rivals for me!

You know they would have claimed it over the Dolphins. Mainly because of the 16 game season. But people forget the Dolphins had to play the AFC championship game on the road.