FRISCO, TEXAS — The Dallas Cowboys held an introductory press conference for head coach, Mike McCarthy at 3 PM CST at the Ford Center at the Star. He was officially welcomed into the Cowboys family.
McCarthy was elated as he sat up at the table and took the scene in. Dallas is where he wanted to end up, with another storied franchise.
He described that he and his wife Jessica had their “fingers crossed” ahead of his meeting with the Joneses and when he returned, she said, “You look 20 pounds lighter and happier.” A testament to the meeting he had with both Jerry and Stephen Jones.
That meeting was the turning point of negotiations. McCarthy described that Jerry was “telling the story of the purchase of the Cowboys and reached out and shook my hand and said ‘You need to be the coach of the Cowboys.’ ”
McCarthy then jumped up and hugged Jerry. The rest is history.
McCarthy spent the last year analyzing NFL tape from his home in Green Bay and putting together a coaching staff dream team of sorts for the future. He dedicated himself to diving deeper into the analytics of the game and self-reflection.
He immersed himself in the intricacies of the game because he understands his calling and felt the “need” for the game in his life and in his family’s. A clear slate, if you will, after his reputation was blemished in his feud with Aaron Rodgers leaving the Packers.
He remarked, “ I believe this is what I am put on this earth to do, professionally.”
No head coach has ever won a Super Bowl with two different teams but the Cowboys are hopeful that he is the man to rewrite history. The club got what they wanted out of the hire: an NFL experienced head coach with a proven track record of winning.
McCarthy is known as an architect for the quarterback position. He has worked with and developed many elite QB’s, such as: Joe Montana, Rich Gannon, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers, to name a few. Now he has the chance to work with young, Dak Prescott. Prescott improved in 2019 getting the ball off quicker, recognizing blitz packages, and reacting to looks by opposing defenses.
One of the reasons Jerry Jones wanted to hire McCarthy was his praise of Dak and “appreciation of what Dak is as a player, “ Jones said.
McCarthy went through pictures of Dak at the combine and in games with the Joneses during their meeting and remarked on his potential and incredible foundation.
Jerry added, “ You can look at all the tape, you can look at a lot of stuff…. but he said you are still impressed when you get out there and actually see how Dak plays and how he works.”
There are a lot of similarities offensively between the Cowboys and the Packers with great quarterback play and elusive running backs. He will likely call plays in 2020 as he has throughout his career. The Cowboys are a team that has the capability to win now with their talent filled roster and he is the guy that the team believes will guide them to the Lombardi Trophy.
McCarthy did not go into detail on the coaching staff he is assembling or what the Cowboys will look like schematically in 2020, going from a 4-3 to potentially a 3-4. He did not feel like it was the time to delve into the nitty-gritty agenda items. Those things will continue to be announced in the upcoming weeks.
He concluded the press conference with a powerful message, “ I am honored to be the steward of this iconic franchise…. I will take care of that honor and privilege and that responsibility, because I understand it. And I know what it takes.”
