Mike McCarthy’s blowout losses ship an alarming message about his potential because the Cowboys coach

The Dallas Cowboys will end the 12 months with a dropping season for simply the fourth time within the final 20 years. As followers, we’re lucky it doesn’t occur fairly often, however it nonetheless hurts when it does and the Cowboys might want to determine some issues out to make sure these dropping seasons stay few and much between.

One factor they’ll want to determine is what to do about Mike McCarthy. The choice on whether or not or to not convey him again might be a giant dialogue for the subsequent week or two. Supporters are fast to level out that he’s a Tremendous Bowl-winning coach who has what it takes to win a championship. His three straight 12-win seasons with Dallas had by no means been completed earlier than in franchise historical past and offered the crew repeated photographs at a playoff run. That’s one thing.

Detractors, nonetheless, have a unique opinion. The McCarthy trip has contained numerous bumps and bruises alongside the best way and whereas all the pieces isn’t his fault, he’s had a hand in it. Since he and Brian Schottenheimer have taken over the offensive obligations, the Cowboys have began the season utterly out of sync in every of the final two years. It takes McCarthy a very long time to acknowledge that issues aren’t working.

Among the issues occurring on offense are perplexing. The entire operating again state of affairs is considered one of them. Why did it take half a season for him to comprehend that Rico Dowdle needs to be the lead operating again? Why doesn’t one of many crew’s most explosive weapons, KaVontae Turpin, get extra touches? And why does his offensive playbook shrivel up when he will get into the crimson zone? These are issues that by no means appear to go away. Even final 12 months earlier than the offense began buzzing, it was actually horrible early on, and it feels prefer it takes him to be slapped upside the top earlier than he realizes issues aren’t working. It’s irritating.

There are different points as effectively. The Cowboys nonetheless battle with self-discipline as they’ve been probably the most penalized groups within the league beneath McCarthy. After the Cowboys lose, McCarthy seems unfazed and carries a “we’ll get’em next time” angle. He has a heightened sense of how good they’re and slightly than right issues, he behaves as if all the pieces will ultimately fall into place.

Clearly, issues didn’t work themselves out this season. Most individuals will blame accidents as the basis trigger for the Cowboys’ failures, and let’s be actual, the accidents have been important. It’s laborious to assume any coach might have success with the well being issues the Cowboys have endured this 12 months, notably dropping your beginning quarterback for a big a part of the season.

Whenever you have a look at the Cowboys’ final 20 seasons, 4 instances they misplaced their beginning quarterback for many of the 12 months. Every time they completed with a dropping season. Conversely, when their quarterback was wholesome, they by no means completed with a dropping season throughout that very same 20-year span. That’s spectacular and speaks to how good the supporting forged has been to maintain successful throughout a number of teaching staffs.

So, having a dropping season in a 12 months with out Dak Prescott is par for the course for the Cowboys and McCarthy shouldn’t be overcriticized for that. However we shouldn’t cease there. This season has felt further yucky as a result of the Cowboys aren’t simply dropping video games, they’re getting laughed out of the constructing. The Cowboys have misplaced 5 video games this season by a minimum of 20 factors. No season within the Jerry Jones period had as many blowout losses as McCarthy’s group has this 12 months. In actual fact, that’s the identical quantity of blowouts as all the ‘90s Cowboys team had combined. That’s loopy.

McCarthy’s blowout losses aren’t restricted to 1 dangerous season or simply when the beginning quarterback is unavailable. His groups can present up and produce a stinker anytime. Watching them come out flat, battle to make changes, and change into the laughingstock for the week isn’t any enjoyable. And but this has been a reoccurring theme for McCarthy’s Cowboys this season.

However hey, no quarterback, no likelihood, proper? Whereas dropping video games is a probable consequence, not all losses are created equally, and it’s attention-grabbing to take a look at these seasons the place the Cowboys misplaced their starter and see how the teaching employees dealt with issues.

In 2010, they solely had one blowout, and it was memorable. It was sufficient to get Wade Phillips fired the subsequent day. After Phillips was fired, the crew completed the 12 months successful 5 of their final eight video games with Jon Kitna on the helm.

In 2015, they misplaced 12 video games when the backup trio of Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore was terrible, however they have been in a dogfight more often than not.

As compared…

Two dropping seasons with Phillips/Garrett (2010 and 2015) = a complete of three blowout losses
Two dropping seasons with McCarthy (2020 and 2024) = a complete of eight blowout losses

Some might imagine a loss is a loss and it doesn’t matter if it’s by one level or 30 factors, however there’s a giant distinction. Staying within the sport and having an opportunity to win issues and much too many instances the Cowboys aren’t doing that beneath McCarthy. In a vacuum, you may not assume a lot of it, however contemplating the problems we talked about earlier than (popping out flat, unwillingness to vary, not utilizing his weapons accurately, always committing penalties), this turns into much more regarding. McCarthy’s points are systemic. They received’t go away with a wholesome quarterback. In actual fact, many of the blowout video games the Cowboys have been in over the previous two seasons have include Prescott at quarterback.

When the season ends, McCarthy’s destiny might be determined. Lots of people are conflicted about whether or not he’s the precise man for the job. He’s accomplished some good issues and is on a brief listing of coaches who can successfully work with the Joneses, and that issues, nonetheless, once you fastidiously study the efficiency of his guys all through his time in Dallas, it’s means too inconsistent. The disparity between good soccer and horrible soccer is an excessive amount of and makes one query if he’s actually the precise man for the job.