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Reports have emerged that owner Jerry Jones is going to retain Mike McCarthy for the Cowboys despite their loss in the Wild Card round to the Green Bay Packers.
Despite being the second seed facing off against the seventh, they lost 48-32 st home after trailing by 32 points in the second half. Given that this is the third straight year they have fallen before even making it to the NFC Championship game, there was widespread belief that a coaching change was in order.
However, Jones seems to have considered that, in the same period, only two-time Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid has more wins than Mike McCarthy, so it's better to retain him.
However, while one can appreciate that argument, here are three reasons why retaining Mike McCarthy might be the wrong choice for Jerry Jones.
#3 Safety-first approach can often backfire in this league
Imagine a scenario where the Green Bay Packers stuck with Mike McCarthy instead of letting him go and getting Matt LaFleur. Would they be in the position that they are in today?
A famous example of a team finding instant success after replacing their coach with pretty much the same playing personnel is when Tony Dungy was replaced by Jon Gruden with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They would go on to win the Super Bowl in his first year.
Another example of it could be Marvin Lewis with the Cincinnati Bengals. They were perennial playoff contenders, only to fail at the first time of asking every time. But because he was the safe choice and they were getting to the postseason regularly, they kept him.
That backfired towards the end, as he had three straight losing seasons towards the end of his time there. His firing allowed Zac Taylor to come in and guide them to the Super Bowl after more than three decades.
#2 Mike McCarthy has a poor postseason record even before joining the Cowboys
It would be one thing if Mike McCarthy had a stellar record in the playoffs before joining the Dallas Cowboys. Then, one could say that the coach is not the problem, but the players are.
However, since he won the Super Bowl in 2010, he made the NFC Championship just twice with the Green Bay Packers. That's despite having Aaron Rodgers at his disposal, a four-time MVP, who is much better a quarterback than Dak Prescott. One could argue that McCarthy should have won a lot more in Wisconsin.
He ended his tenure in Green Bay with a 10-8 playoff record, and, since then, he has a 1-3 record in Dallas. That makes it an 11-11 record over his career with the Packers and the Cowboys. There's no guarantee that he can get over the hump.
#1 There are potentially better options out there for Jerry Jones
If Mike McCarthy was the only candidate out there, it would be a different matter. But the coaching cycle sees Bill Belichick, the winningest coach in NFL history, looking for a job.
The former New England Patriots coach has six Super Bowls and has showed that he can tighten up defenses and make teams competitive in the postseason with a decent quarterback, which Dak Prescott is.
There are others available, too. Mike Vrabel has recently been fired from the Tennessee Titans and is widely respected. Former Super Bowl winner Pete Carroll is out of work with the Seattle Seahawks and could be enticed.
Looking towards college football, Jim Harbaugh recently won a National Championship with the Michigan Wolverines and could be open to NFL offers. When he was there with the San Francisco 49ers, he took them to the Super Bowl.
The Kyle Shanahan coaching tree is also blooming in the NFL right now. Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel and Sean McVay are enjoying good coaching careers. Bobby Slowik has done wonders with the Houston Texans and C.J. Stroud this year as their offensive coordinator, so he might be an option to look at.
Another young offensive coach, who comes with a different approach but is highly sought after, is Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions.
In short, Mike McCarthy might be a safe choice, but in choosing to retain him, Jerry Jones might be making the cardinal sin as an entrepreneur of not taking a risk. To win the Super Bowl, taking on those challenges might be necessary.
