Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy hiring sparks questions

The Dallas Cowboys wasted no time bringing Mike McCarthy a day after firing Jason Garrett. But there are some lingering questions surrounding the new hire.

Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys wasted little time in keeping the train headed towards the future. After taking an agonizing week to relieve their last head coach of his duties, the Cowboys seemed to have quickly gotten their new conductor aboard the Cowboys’ caravan in Mike McCarthy.

When the story first broke on Monday, fan reaction appeared to be mixed. When looking at McCarthy, he’s the former head coach of quarterbacks like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers who was in charge of the Green Bay Packers for a grand total of 13 seasons. He posted an impressive win/loss record of 125-77-2.

McCarthy has also won the Super Bowl, which is definitely a positive. Knowing that you have a head coach that has won the big one is certainly a comforting feeling. You look at the quarterbacks that McCarthy has coached across his head coaching tenure and you can see why he has won a title.

However, that also leads to a major question: How did McCarthy only managed to win a single championship across 13 seasons tied to two of the greatest passers to ever play the game?

While some would point to the fact that there seemed to be a lack of talent placed around both quarterbacks, Rodgers specifically, it’s still a question worth asking. Again, there’s something there to sink your teeth into on both ends as you love that he has championship-winning stuff and experience on his side. But are the Cowboys getting into another underachieving-type situation based on the fact that he should have won more?

Now let’s turn the focus to the Cowboys’ offense. It was prolific at times this past season. But it was also madly inconsistent. McCarthy seem to rarely have issues on offense during his tenure in Green Bay, albeit he had two of the greatest ever under center.

You also have to consider the fact that McCarthy is a proponent of the West Coast offensive system, which won’t be the complete opposite of what the Cowboys did this year, but it will be different.

Will this change have a negative impact on the team? Not that the players aren’t a fit or capable, as the offensive skill positions have shown that they can be explosive as playmakers regardless of the offense. But will the lack of continuity in itself be an issue?

Optimistically, you have to believe that based on McCarthy’s track record and the talents of the Cowboys’ offensive weapons, they’ll find a way to make the marriage work.

In the end, I’m excited by the Dallas Cowboys hiring Mike McCarthy. But I’m also a bit indifferent because of these lingering questions and the way things ended for him in Green Bay. But how many professional coaches aren’t fired at some point in their careers? Regardless, I am excited to see what the coming months bring and hopeful that this may just be the hire that the Cowboys needed to make.