Yahoo Finance Stephen Jones vows that Mike McCarthy will 'absolutely' be Cowboys coach next season
A disastrous 2-7 record has not soured the Dallas Cowboys on first-year head coach Mike McCarthy.
It doesn’t sound like anything will — at least this season.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones spoke with reporters Monday and gave the team’s clearest indication yet that McCarthy will survive 2020 in Dallas regardless of the team’s on-field results.
“Absolutely,” Jones said when asked if McCarthy will return next season, per the Dallas Morning News. “Unequivocal.”
That’s pretty clear.
Jones points to patience with Jason Garrett
Addressing McCarthy’s status has become a weekly task for Jones as the Cowboys pile up losses. He has repeatedly had McCarthy’s back, calling him in October “the right head guy for the job.” The Cowboys recorded their fourth straight loss on Sunday, this time at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jones cited patience and stability as management philosophies on coaching decisions while noting the team’s loyalty to previous head coach Jason Garrett, who had 10 years on the job before the Cowboys fired him last offseason.
“You’re changing a culture,” Jones said. "You change when you change the leadership. And certainly, we like stability. That’s why we stayed with Jason for 10 years, and we know these things don’t happen overnight in terms of when you turn things around.”
Winning philosophy?
The problem with that argument is that the Cowboys were consistently disappointing under Garrett, never approaching the lofty expectations of a franchise that dubs itself “America’s Team.” Dallas made the playoffs three times in Garrett’s 10 seasons, winning just two postseason games.
The Cowboys haven’t advanced to the NFC championship game since the 1995 season, much less played in or won a Super Bowl in that time frame. The Garrett regime was a resounding failure.
It’s why the Cowboys finally moved on to McCarthy.
Expectations were high in Dallas this season. A season-ending ankle injury to quarterback Dak Prescott derailed the team’s plans.
But the league’s 20th-ranked defense has been a disappointment, and the Cowboys struggled to a 2-3 start before Prescott got injured. Dallas has underperformed with and without its starting quarterback.
Update on Dak Prescott
But the Cowboys are sticking to their guns. And according to Jones, they’re optimistic about Prescott’s recovery from the devastating compound fracture that required emergency surgery in October.
“He's been able to avoid any setbacks, and if anything, he's ahead of schedule, which shouldn't be surprising the way he goes after any challenge,” Jones said, per ESPN. “It's full speed ahead with Dak, and he's done a great job at this point.”
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