Clay_Allison
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I do hope Garrett Spends the rest of 2020 watching film at the Overlook Hotel.
New Coaching Staff Thread...
- Thread starter Smitty
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Smitty
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I advocated all along, do not go into an open ended "coaching search" with no idea of who you can get. Have a targeted upgrade in mind and then go pay whatever is required to get him.
I just didn't exactly picture McCarthy as that target.
But he's not far removed from being considered one of the top coaches in football. I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt that he needs an Andy Reid-like fresh start.
I'm not gonna start predicting championship game and Super Bowl appearances though. Will need to see McCarthy get the team over the hump to believe it.
I just didn't exactly picture McCarthy as that target.
But he's not far removed from being considered one of the top coaches in football. I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt that he needs an Andy Reid-like fresh start.
I'm not gonna start predicting championship game and Super Bowl appearances though. Will need to see McCarthy get the team over the hump to believe it.
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His only issue was that Rodgers is an ass and was too big to bring in line. That's not Prescott.
vince
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Focused on what exactly?
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There’s 2 sides to that story from what I’ve read. Rodgers is a diva bitch, Rodgers didn’t want to play within McCarthys framework and pouted and threw a fit when he couldn’t freelance. Rodgers even did the same thing to Lefleur and there were reports of friction between the 2 at least the first part of the season.
On your point though, Dak isn’t Rodgers and I’m not sure how all that will be a positive on our side.
Simpleton
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One thing I'll say is that I don't think the argument of "look at how good the Packers are in 2019 under LaFleur compared to last year under McCarthy" holds any weight.
First off, I don't think the Packers are as good as their record and on the whole I'd put them as probably the 4th best team in the NFC behind SF/Seattle/New Orleans, yesterday notwithstanding.
More importantly, their turnaround is primarily predicated on the significant investments they made defensively this past offseason as far as signing Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos and drafting Darnell Savage and Rashan Gary in the first round. Combine that with 2nd/3rd year players who were recent 1st rounders like Jaire Alexander and Kevin King improving and that is where the success of the team has really been built. They basically signed/drafted half a new defense this past offseason.
Their offense is more or less the statistically identical to last year, and may actually be worse in some respects.
They also won an inordinate amount of close games, going 8-1 in games decided by 8 points (one score) or less, which historically tend to even out over time/larger sample sizes.
First off, I don't think the Packers are as good as their record and on the whole I'd put them as probably the 4th best team in the NFC behind SF/Seattle/New Orleans, yesterday notwithstanding.
More importantly, their turnaround is primarily predicated on the significant investments they made defensively this past offseason as far as signing Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos and drafting Darnell Savage and Rashan Gary in the first round. Combine that with 2nd/3rd year players who were recent 1st rounders like Jaire Alexander and Kevin King improving and that is where the success of the team has really been built. They basically signed/drafted half a new defense this past offseason.
Their offense is more or less the statistically identical to last year, and may actually be worse in some respects.
They also won an inordinate amount of close games, going 8-1 in games decided by 8 points (one score) or less, which historically tend to even out over time/larger sample sizes.
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Mike McCarthy’s pros and cons: Playoff success, ability to develop Dak Prescott among top selling points to Cowboys
McCarthy led the Packers to the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons as head coach.
By John Owning
10:00 AM on Jan 6, 2020
Leave it to the Dallas Cowboys to conduct a coaching search while their current head coach was still under contract.
While Jason Garrett’s status was still up in the air (a matter that was resolved Sunday when it was announced his contract would not be renewed), the Cowboys began a coaching search by interviewing two candidates with a wealth of head coaching experience: Mike McCarthy and Marvin Lewis, who both spent 10+ years at their previous jobs.
It would have been surprising if the Cowboys ended up hiring Lewis as head coach, in particular, as he is one of the few modern head coaches to have a worse playoff résumé than Garrett. Lewis has yet to win a playoff game in seven appearances. Having said that, Lewis would have made sense as a potential defensive coordinator if Dallas had hired a head coach who has limited NFL experience. Lewis made his bones in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball, as he was the defensive coordinator for the legendary 2001 Baltimore Ravens defense.
McCarthy, whose interview with the team went so well that it was reportedly extended a day, has a proven track record in the postseason, including a victory at Super Bowl XLV, which made him a much more palpable candidate for Cowboys head coach. Having said that, McCarthy’s résumé isn’t just filled with sunshine and gumdrops, as there are numerous negatives to go with considerable positives.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the pros and cons of McCarthy becoming Cowboys head coach.
Pros
As stated above, one of the biggest selling points toward making McCarthy the Cowboys head coach is his experience and résumé of postseason success.
With a 125-77-2 record (.618 winning percentage) in the regular season, McCarthy led the Packers to the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons as head coach, winning at least one playoff game in six of those nine seasons — for comparison’s sake, the Cowboys have made the playoffs three times in the last decade, winning just two playoff games in the process.
While many will discount McCarthy’s postseason success on account of the fact that he had Aaron Rodgers as QB, it ignores how integral McCarthy was in Rodgers’ development in the NFL.
McCarthy is a harbinger on the fundamentals of QB play, particularly in regards to footwork. McCarthy’s QB school was instrumental in Rodgers’ development. Every year around March, McCarthy invites his QBs back to the facility for a two-week camp where he reviews every play from the previous year with his QBs while honing in on the finer details, including details as small as arm angle, head positioning and obviously footwork, that enable effective play from the QB position. No detail is too small as McCarthy will even spend time fixing how a QB takes a snap from under center.
Rodgers described it as “breaking that thing (QB play) down to a science, and it really gives you a good feel for what you need to work on.”
McCarthy has helped a few legendary signal-callers with his QB school, including Rich Gannon (when McCarthy was QB coach in Kansas City), Brett Favre and the aforementioned Rodgers, so there’s no question as to whether Dak Prescott would benefit from it as well.
While he made considerable strides in terms of his on-field performance in 2019, Prescott still fell back into some bad footwork habits, at times, that hurt his ability to throw accurately (above clip). Prescott lacks the arm talent to get away with sloppy/lazy footwork and remain effective. McCarthy is the type of coach who will develop a detailed plan toward improving Prescott’s footwork and throwing mechanics, which would be widely beneficial for Prescott and would give him the tools to build off his career year in 2019.
Prescott is in the midst of a critical junction in his development as an NFL QB. Hiring a detail-oriented QB expert at head coach makes a lot of sense, and it could go a long way toward maximizing Prescott’s skill set in the future.
This past season, Jason Garrett caught the ire of a vocal segment of the Cowboys fanbase when he revealed that he doesn’t use win probability stats to help inform his in-game decisions, which is why McCarthy’s newfound love for analytics would be a fantastic addition to Dallas’ decision-making process.
McCarthy’s intrigue with football analytics doesn’t stop with in-game decision-making, however, as he’d like to create a “14-person Football Technology Department, including a six-person video unit and an eight-person analytics team” with any team that hires him.
While Dallas’ current analytics department is shrouded in secrecy, McCarthy’s plan would certainly require Jones and the rest of the front office to really commit to analytics and data-based decision making, which should be celebrated in a league where the best team, the Baltimore Ravens, is at the forefront NFL analytics movement.
The NFL is a copy-cat league and the Ravens’ considerable success this year should give Dallas more confidence in a more analytical approach.
Cons
While McCarthy’s plan to incorporate analytics is intriguing, there are questions as to whether a tiger can really change its stripes. During his final years in Green Bay, McCarthy was often critiqued for being too stubborn and conservative — two ideologies that are on the polar opposite side of the spectrum from the cooperative and aggressive mindset that is nurtured by data-based decision-making.
Can we be sure that McCarthy has truly changed his stripes? Or will he revert back to his old ways in the heat of the moment? While you like to take a candidate for his word, it’s justifiable to be skeptical of McCarthy.
Moreover, while Green Bay’s offense and scheme were cutting edge during the early portions of McCarthy’s tenure, his offense slowly devolved into one of the most conservative and unimaginative units in the league, as it was inundated with slant-flat route combinations ad nauseam. Even by his own admission, the Packers got away from frequently utilizing pre-snap motion, shifts and multiple personnel groups.
McCarthy has stated on numerous occasions that he’s going to be more creative with his schemes on offense with his new team to the point where he has a “LESS VOLUME, MORE CREATIVITY” sign on his desk. He spent his time off studying, in detail, every top-10 NFL offense from last year, which has caused him to make prudent changes to his offense, with promises of RPOs, pre-snap motion, up-tempo and stressed out opposing defense wherever he is hired.
Nevertheless, it’s OK to be skeptical of that, too. It’s easy to market one’s self to NFL teams as an analytic-minded head coach who will create an innovative offense built on creativity, but it’s entirely different to actually follow through and stay committed through all the trials and tribulations that happen during an NFL season. Cowboys fans have already had to deal with the promise of offensive innovation before it was quickly torn up after the slightest deviation from the original plan (like when Tyron Smith is injured).
The most innovative offenses maintain their creativity even when things don’t go according to plan. Take the Kansas City Chiefs as an example. When backup QB Matt Moore was forced to start two games against would-be playoff teams (Packers and Vikings) who have top-15 defenses in terms of DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) in replace of an injured Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City didn’t revert to a conservative, rushing-based game plan. Instead, they stayed aggressive and used their creativity to scheme up production for their backup QB. In Moore’s two starts, Kansas City passed the ball 79 times while only rushing 38 times, meaning they still attacked through the air on 67.5% of snaps despite playing with a backup QB.
The result?
A 1-1 record that proved to be crucial for the Chiefs getting a bye to start the playoffs, as they won the No. 2 seed after a Patriots Week 17 loss to the Dolphins. If the Chiefs had lost both of Moore’s starts, as most backup QBs would against the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings this year, they would have been forced to face the Tennessee Titans in the wild card round.
Will McCarthy remain creative even when faced with suboptimal conditions? That remains to be seen, and it’s a big reason why many are justifiably suspicious of the new coach in Dallas.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, the Cowboys could have done much worse than McCarthy in their search for a new head coach. His experience, both generally as a head coach and in terms of playoff success, and ability to aid in the development of the franchise’s No. 1 asset — Dak Prescott — are incredibly intriguing and great selling points.
While McCarthy’s proven track record of success is enticing, it’s his lack of a track record in accordance to his other biggest selling points — the use of data-based decision-making (analytics) and an innovative offense — that invites skepticism.
Many argued (including me) that Dallas would have been wise to hire a young offensive-minded head coach with a track record of ingenuity, such as Lincoln Riley (who was my No. 1 choice) in an effort to optimize Prescott and the Cowboys offense. Just as many have argued that hiring a head coach with a plethora NFL head coaching experience should be the No. 1 priority.
McCarthy could end up being the ideal middle ground for both parties, as he not only has the head coaching experience but also has a proven track record of developing QBs and has promised to be more creative and innovative in the future.
Even though McCarthy might not have been the Cowboys fanbase’s favorite head coach candidate, he was an exceedingly realistic option who could certainly provide an upgrade over Garrett.
McCarthy led the Packers to the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons as head coach.
By John Owning
10:00 AM on Jan 6, 2020
Leave it to the Dallas Cowboys to conduct a coaching search while their current head coach was still under contract.
While Jason Garrett’s status was still up in the air (a matter that was resolved Sunday when it was announced his contract would not be renewed), the Cowboys began a coaching search by interviewing two candidates with a wealth of head coaching experience: Mike McCarthy and Marvin Lewis, who both spent 10+ years at their previous jobs.
It would have been surprising if the Cowboys ended up hiring Lewis as head coach, in particular, as he is one of the few modern head coaches to have a worse playoff résumé than Garrett. Lewis has yet to win a playoff game in seven appearances. Having said that, Lewis would have made sense as a potential defensive coordinator if Dallas had hired a head coach who has limited NFL experience. Lewis made his bones in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball, as he was the defensive coordinator for the legendary 2001 Baltimore Ravens defense.
McCarthy, whose interview with the team went so well that it was reportedly extended a day, has a proven track record in the postseason, including a victory at Super Bowl XLV, which made him a much more palpable candidate for Cowboys head coach. Having said that, McCarthy’s résumé isn’t just filled with sunshine and gumdrops, as there are numerous negatives to go with considerable positives.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the pros and cons of McCarthy becoming Cowboys head coach.
Pros
As stated above, one of the biggest selling points toward making McCarthy the Cowboys head coach is his experience and résumé of postseason success.
With a 125-77-2 record (.618 winning percentage) in the regular season, McCarthy led the Packers to the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons as head coach, winning at least one playoff game in six of those nine seasons — for comparison’s sake, the Cowboys have made the playoffs three times in the last decade, winning just two playoff games in the process.
While many will discount McCarthy’s postseason success on account of the fact that he had Aaron Rodgers as QB, it ignores how integral McCarthy was in Rodgers’ development in the NFL.
McCarthy is a harbinger on the fundamentals of QB play, particularly in regards to footwork. McCarthy’s QB school was instrumental in Rodgers’ development. Every year around March, McCarthy invites his QBs back to the facility for a two-week camp where he reviews every play from the previous year with his QBs while honing in on the finer details, including details as small as arm angle, head positioning and obviously footwork, that enable effective play from the QB position. No detail is too small as McCarthy will even spend time fixing how a QB takes a snap from under center.
Rodgers described it as “breaking that thing (QB play) down to a science, and it really gives you a good feel for what you need to work on.”
McCarthy has helped a few legendary signal-callers with his QB school, including Rich Gannon (when McCarthy was QB coach in Kansas City), Brett Favre and the aforementioned Rodgers, so there’s no question as to whether Dak Prescott would benefit from it as well.
While he made considerable strides in terms of his on-field performance in 2019, Prescott still fell back into some bad footwork habits, at times, that hurt his ability to throw accurately (above clip). Prescott lacks the arm talent to get away with sloppy/lazy footwork and remain effective. McCarthy is the type of coach who will develop a detailed plan toward improving Prescott’s footwork and throwing mechanics, which would be widely beneficial for Prescott and would give him the tools to build off his career year in 2019.
Prescott is in the midst of a critical junction in his development as an NFL QB. Hiring a detail-oriented QB expert at head coach makes a lot of sense, and it could go a long way toward maximizing Prescott’s skill set in the future.
This past season, Jason Garrett caught the ire of a vocal segment of the Cowboys fanbase when he revealed that he doesn’t use win probability stats to help inform his in-game decisions, which is why McCarthy’s newfound love for analytics would be a fantastic addition to Dallas’ decision-making process.
McCarthy’s intrigue with football analytics doesn’t stop with in-game decision-making, however, as he’d like to create a “14-person Football Technology Department, including a six-person video unit and an eight-person analytics team” with any team that hires him.
While Dallas’ current analytics department is shrouded in secrecy, McCarthy’s plan would certainly require Jones and the rest of the front office to really commit to analytics and data-based decision making, which should be celebrated in a league where the best team, the Baltimore Ravens, is at the forefront NFL analytics movement.
The NFL is a copy-cat league and the Ravens’ considerable success this year should give Dallas more confidence in a more analytical approach.
Cons
While McCarthy’s plan to incorporate analytics is intriguing, there are questions as to whether a tiger can really change its stripes. During his final years in Green Bay, McCarthy was often critiqued for being too stubborn and conservative — two ideologies that are on the polar opposite side of the spectrum from the cooperative and aggressive mindset that is nurtured by data-based decision-making.
Can we be sure that McCarthy has truly changed his stripes? Or will he revert back to his old ways in the heat of the moment? While you like to take a candidate for his word, it’s justifiable to be skeptical of McCarthy.
Moreover, while Green Bay’s offense and scheme were cutting edge during the early portions of McCarthy’s tenure, his offense slowly devolved into one of the most conservative and unimaginative units in the league, as it was inundated with slant-flat route combinations ad nauseam. Even by his own admission, the Packers got away from frequently utilizing pre-snap motion, shifts and multiple personnel groups.
McCarthy has stated on numerous occasions that he’s going to be more creative with his schemes on offense with his new team to the point where he has a “LESS VOLUME, MORE CREATIVITY” sign on his desk. He spent his time off studying, in detail, every top-10 NFL offense from last year, which has caused him to make prudent changes to his offense, with promises of RPOs, pre-snap motion, up-tempo and stressed out opposing defense wherever he is hired.
Nevertheless, it’s OK to be skeptical of that, too. It’s easy to market one’s self to NFL teams as an analytic-minded head coach who will create an innovative offense built on creativity, but it’s entirely different to actually follow through and stay committed through all the trials and tribulations that happen during an NFL season. Cowboys fans have already had to deal with the promise of offensive innovation before it was quickly torn up after the slightest deviation from the original plan (like when Tyron Smith is injured).
The most innovative offenses maintain their creativity even when things don’t go according to plan. Take the Kansas City Chiefs as an example. When backup QB Matt Moore was forced to start two games against would-be playoff teams (Packers and Vikings) who have top-15 defenses in terms of DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) in replace of an injured Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City didn’t revert to a conservative, rushing-based game plan. Instead, they stayed aggressive and used their creativity to scheme up production for their backup QB. In Moore’s two starts, Kansas City passed the ball 79 times while only rushing 38 times, meaning they still attacked through the air on 67.5% of snaps despite playing with a backup QB.
The result?
A 1-1 record that proved to be crucial for the Chiefs getting a bye to start the playoffs, as they won the No. 2 seed after a Patriots Week 17 loss to the Dolphins. If the Chiefs had lost both of Moore’s starts, as most backup QBs would against the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings this year, they would have been forced to face the Tennessee Titans in the wild card round.
Will McCarthy remain creative even when faced with suboptimal conditions? That remains to be seen, and it’s a big reason why many are justifiably suspicious of the new coach in Dallas.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, the Cowboys could have done much worse than McCarthy in their search for a new head coach. His experience, both generally as a head coach and in terms of playoff success, and ability to aid in the development of the franchise’s No. 1 asset — Dak Prescott — are incredibly intriguing and great selling points.
While McCarthy’s proven track record of success is enticing, it’s his lack of a track record in accordance to his other biggest selling points — the use of data-based decision-making (analytics) and an innovative offense — that invites skepticism.
Many argued (including me) that Dallas would have been wise to hire a young offensive-minded head coach with a track record of ingenuity, such as Lincoln Riley (who was my No. 1 choice) in an effort to optimize Prescott and the Cowboys offense. Just as many have argued that hiring a head coach with a plethora NFL head coaching experience should be the No. 1 priority.
McCarthy could end up being the ideal middle ground for both parties, as he not only has the head coaching experience but also has a proven track record of developing QBs and has promised to be more creative and innovative in the future.
Even though McCarthy might not have been the Cowboys fanbase’s favorite head coach candidate, he was an exceedingly realistic option who could certainly provide an upgrade over Garrett.
Cujo
DCC 4Life
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Underachieving.
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One positive to the hire is the press conferences will finally be worthwhile again.
No more self-deprecating jokes like Phillips did, no more lame coachspeak and passive-aggressive rolling others under the bus with McCarthy.
He seems a little more intellectual and a straight shooter.
No more self-deprecating jokes like Phillips did, no more lame coachspeak and passive-aggressive rolling others under the bus with McCarthy.
He seems a little more intellectual and a straight shooter.
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Uhhhh...
From the article Iamtdg posted:
McCarthy: That's a tough question. The word that comes to mind is drive.
bbgun
please don't "dur" me
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he used it in a sentence. he didn't put it on a t-shirt or a locker room placard.
Sheik
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Was he the only SB winning coach available?
I’m trying to think who else is out there that isn’t too old. Maybe this decision was based solely on Jerry thinking his best shot at another SB is with someone who has done it in recent history.
I’m not going to pretend I’m a fan of McCarthy, I never thought of him as some great coach. I think when you have a guy like Rodgers as your QB, it makes you look good. But, he’s not Garrett, which automatically makes him a welcomed change from where I’m sitting. I hope he can do a good enough job to make me want to tune in regularly again. He should have a good shot at improving on what Garrett was able to do.
Maybe no more “The Dallas Cowboys are one of only 2 teams to lose in this embarrassing fashion in the history of ever.” kinda losses to suffer through?
I’m trying to think who else is out there that isn’t too old. Maybe this decision was based solely on Jerry thinking his best shot at another SB is with someone who has done it in recent history.
I’m not going to pretend I’m a fan of McCarthy, I never thought of him as some great coach. I think when you have a guy like Rodgers as your QB, it makes you look good. But, he’s not Garrett, which automatically makes him a welcomed change from where I’m sitting. I hope he can do a good enough job to make me want to tune in regularly again. He should have a good shot at improving on what Garrett was able to do.
Maybe no more “The Dallas Cowboys are one of only 2 teams to lose in this embarrassing fashion in the history of ever.” kinda losses to suffer through?
vince
Not So New Member
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I was going to guess what they were going to wear on game day.
Clay_Allison
Old Bastard
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With names like Haslett, Nolan, and Lewis in the mix I'd say that's likely.
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In March 2015, at the annual owners' meetings, Bill Belichick stated that McCarthy is "one of the best coaches I've ever gone up against."
Cujo
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That's a damn good endorsement. I'm feeling better about it. If he assembles a good staff, I'll feel even better. Excited, even.
Chocolate Lab
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Aikman loves him, too.