Why Jerry Jones stuck with Mike McCarthy in Dallas
Mike McCarthy will remain the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 — for better or worse.
The universal consensus is that Dallas had a disappointing ending to its season, bowing out at home in the wild-card round. And with the defeat, all eyes were on what the Cowboys would do at the coaching spot.
It was McCarthy's second season at the helm, and over the course of two years — his quarterback Dak Prescott was hurt for a majority of McCarthy's first year — the 'Boys are 18-15, after a 6-10 campaign last year and a 12-5 campaign this season.
Despite the conjecture, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones decided not to replace McCarthy, and on Monday, a man more familiar with Jones than most explained why he believes McCarthy is safe.
FOX Sports NFL analyst Jimmy Johnson — a two-time Super Bowl champion and former head coach of the Cowboys (1989-1993) — joined Colin Cowherd on "The Herd" and gave Cowherd a look into Jones' mind.
"I am a little surprised — the quarterback draw, multiple penalties, the clock management," Cowherd said. "I don't mind him retaining the entire staff, but I was a little surprised that McCarthy hung on. How do you think Jerry's thinking here? ‘Cause I gotta tell you, he got ripped [by] the Dallas media, the national media.
"What was your takeaway on that?" he asked Johnson.
Speaking on his former boss, Johnson kept it simple, saying that Jones' decision to stick with McCarthy is mainly due to his determination to be correct.
"I think he really values the talent on that team such that he feels like McCarthy can be successful, and he can improve, especially with [defensive coordinator] Dan Quinn and with [offensive coordinator] Kellen Moore, the assistants that he's got," Johnson said.
Jones' involvement with the team on every level has become the stuff of legend, and Johnson shared a funny story about his departure from Dallas.
"Jerry really never came out to practice. He was always trying to pay the bills. … So, he was always working on that, and so the only time he came out to practice my five years there — he would come out on the rubber track the last 15 minutes of practice so he could talk to the media. Troy Aikman tells this story. He said, ‘After you left … and Barry Switzer came on as coach, I knew things had changed because our first practice, Jerry walked out on the practice field with a baseball hat and coaching shorts on.'"
Under McCarthy this season, the Cowboys registered the most points scored of any team in the league (530) and Dallas finished first in the NFC East. However, the 'Boys were the only home team to lose in the first round of the playoffs, in that defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.
A positive sign for McCarthy, who signed a five-year contract with the Cowboys in 2020, is that both Quinn and Moore are returning after both went through multiple head-coaching interviews.
Dallas' most recent Super Bowl appearance and victory came all the way back in 1996, and Jones has been itching for another chance at the Lombardi Trophy.
"I'd do anything known to man to get to a Super Bowl — that’s a fact" Jones said last summer.
Will the 58-year-old McCarthy be able to deliver?
Jones seems determined to make sure he does.