Cowboys legend Drew Pearson has strong words for Mike McCarthy

When you’re a member of the Dallas Cowboys, you’re typically a fan and cheerleader of the franchise for life. So, for many former players to watch America’s Team go without a Super Bowl for 27 years is far from ideal. That’s why so many Cowboys greats are ready and willing to offer critique and criticism to the franchise they care for so deeply.

The latest former Dallas player to offer up his thoughts was Hall of Famer Drew Pearson. The Super Bowl champion spent all 11 of his NFL seasons with the Cowboys. He collected three Pro Bowl nods, three All-Pro selections, 7,822 receiving yards, and 48 touchdowns. His legendary career earned him a spot in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor and he knows a thing or two about great football.

The former wide receiver recently did an interview on the “Zach Gelb Show” on 105.3 The Fan. While some were surprised that Mike McCarthy was recently ranked the No. 18 head coach in the league by CBS Sports (the lowest spot for any coach with a Super Bowl to his name), Pearson didn’t seem that shocked. He had some tough criticism for the head coach.

The Hall of Famer was particularly bitter about McCarthy’s comments after the Wild Card loss to the 49ers.

"“Some of his comments…coming out of the playoff game… talking about some of the players and the way that he looked at him, and they didn’t appear to be ready to go into the playoff game. Making comments like that and pretty much admitting you failed in an effort to get players ready. And there shouldn’t have been any question about it. That shouldn’t have even been a topic.”"

Admitting he failed. Ouch. But can you blame Pearson?

Cowboys legend Drew Pearson said Mike McCarthy essentially admitted he failed after the Wild Card loss

For a bitter refresher, the Cowboys were trailing by only six points with 14 seconds left to go in a matchup where they had lost several chances to gain the lead. With no timeouts left, quarterback Dak Prescott strangely ran up the field without getting out of bounds and failed to spike the ball before time expired to at least attempt to get another play in before time expired.

The crazy part? McCarthy defended the play call. This put an incredibly sour taste in the mouths of Cowboys fans. It essentially wiped out the excitement from a 12-5 record in the regular season and put McCarthy’s job into question.

But Pearson doesn’t believe that the head coach’s proverbial “seat” is warm. He thinks it’s hot. The Cowboys legend thinks the coach has a lot to prove in 2022.

"“Going into this season, he has something to prove. And it’s not just getting the players ready, but also making the right decisions on the sideline. And in situations that are key… Sometimes, you’ve got to take over as a head coach and tell the play caller what to call, because he should also have a feel for the game… McCarthy’s on the hot seat, as far as the Cowboys and Mr. Jones are concerned. Mr. Jones isn’t getting any younger and he wants to win now. And if McCarthy’s not the man to do that, they’ll have to make some decisions.”"

Not exactly what you want a franchise legend to be saying about the team’s current coach.