At the bye week, the Dallas Cowboys sit at 3-3 with a 1-0 division record. If you didn’t tune in to watch those games, you might think the team is mediocre and has just as much of a chance to win as they do to lose. If you did indeed watch this year’s iteration of Cowboys football, then I’m sure you’re grading your eye test on a much harsher scale. Yes, the Cowboys had nine significant starters out in the Week 6 beating suffered at the hands of the Detroit Lions. Yes, three of those injured players were Micah Parsons, Demarcus Lawrence, and Eric Kendricks—three of your best run defenders on an already very leaky run defense. All of those things are true, but the more important truth is that the Dallas Cowboys are fundamentally a very bad football team.
Mike McCarthy is the head coach of the Cowboys, and unfortunately for fans of America’s Team, the personality of the squad is just as dry and unresponsive as he is. The former Super Bowl-winning coach has been largely credited with stabilizing a team that was 8-8 and turning it into three consecutive 12-5 seasons. That narrative, alongside the MVP-level performances of Dak Prescott, has helped McCarthy escape the criticism he truly deserves. In the three playoff seasons McCarthy has had the whistle, the Cowboys have not advanced beyond the divisional round, while also suffering historically embarrassing defeats. That is what people will remember when he is fired at the end of this 2024 campaign, and that is exactly what he should be remembered for: a coach who was laughably outclassed each and every time the opportunity to be great presented itself. Never showing any heart, never showing any control, and never RESPONDING!
Talent has been in abundance in Big D for the last four seasons, with an astonishing nine All-Pro selections on the 2023 roster, yet McCarthy has managed to accomplish only the bare minimum given those advantages. There have been very few times when McCarthy hasn’t enjoyed the upper hand at kickoff, and that is evident from the 36 wins, but that mark doesn’t do justice to his poor performance. McCarthy has been outcoached repeatedly, often by the same scheme. His failure to assess and respond means he’s failing as a coach. His bland, stoic leadership has been counterproductive and runs counter to the spirit of Cowboys Nation. Dallas is most embodied by the intensity, toughness, and excellence of guys like Michael Irvin, Larry Allen, and Emmitt Smith. None of those players would take a punch without punching back twice as hard, but McCarthy consistently adopts a hapless “aww shucks” posture. I’ve seen blades of grass that are more intense than McCarthy, and THAT is the issue in Dallas.
It’s not true that the Cowboys don’t have an identity. They identify as a mostly capable, chronically unable, and fatally unwilling football team, which is exactly what Mike McCarthy is.
Change is needed in Jerry World, and until Mike McCarthy is fired, the embarrassment will continue. There are no contractual strings to cut. There are no past banners to look up at and pine over in sentiment. McCarthy is just wasting his time and ours by pretending he cares. Cowboys Nation should rise up and demand that McCarthy isn’t allowed to hang around for the remainder of the season, adding only more insult to injury—but that won’t happen. It won’t happen because the Cowboys are never as bad as they seem while simultaneously never being as good as they look, either. They will win when they should and lose when they should. They will continue to say “next week,” over and over, while maintaining the same counterfeit optimism trademarked by their head coach.
The drama in Big D is just beginning, ladies and gentlemen. Stay tuned, because this will get ugly!
