Jayron Kearse stands by Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy amid fan dissatisfaction

OXNARD, CA - AUGUST 01: Cornerback Jayron Kearse #27 of the Dallas Cowboys smiles during training camp drills at River Ridge Fields on August 1, 2022 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
OXNARD, CA - AUGUST 01: Cornerback Jayron Kearse #27 of the Dallas Cowboys smiles during training camp drills at River Ridge Fields on August 1, 2022 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is not an easy job. You are constantly on the hot seat and fans have no patience for you. Win games, and the credit will go to your top players. Lose games, and the media already has multiple replacement names ready to go. This doesn’t even include the fact that being the head coach of the Cowboys comes with literally keeping up with the Joneses and their drama as well.

Mike McCarthy handles all of that and also has to coach a football team. It comes with the territory.

Has McCarthy been flawless or “coach of the year” as one ESPN analyst wildly claimed? Absolutely not. Fans are incredibly unhappy with his clock management, lack of enthusiasm, and poor decision-making at times (like not challenging CeeDee Lamb’s obvious first down against the Eagles).

However, the Cowboys were counted out after the abysmal Week 1 loss, and McCarthy kept this team afloat with a ton of injury issues. This team could have easily gone 1-5, but they are instead sitting at 4-2.

Yet, McCarthy seems to get none of the credit for that. Let’s be clear. He doesn’t need all of the credit. Cooper Rush and Dan Quinn deserve their fair share of praise for what they pulled off in Weeks 2-5. However, McCarthy still gets so much hate from the fan base.

The man finds a way to win games and coaches 17 games without a franchise quarterback and fans want to know when Sean Payton is going to sign his contract. In other words, when things are going well, the praise goes elsewhere. When things go poorly, McCarthy needs to be fired.

But, how do the players feel? Regardless of what the press, analysts, or fans think, the most important thing is whether or not the roster believes in and likes the head coach.

Jayron Kearse, the current leader of the safety corps, considers McCarthy one of the best coaches he’s ever had. In a recent interview on “Cowboys Hour,” the safety was asked how he feels about his head coach amid all the rumors and turmoil.

Jayron Kearse calls Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy one of the best coaches he’s ever had

Kearse had incredibly high praise for McCarthy and specifically mentioned how great he is at communicating with his players and listening to their input:

"“Coach is… he’s probably if not the best coach I’ve ever had. He’s definitely up there. I love coach McCarthy. Just because the way he treats us in the building. He’s very communicative with us. Like he talks to us a lot. He’s not one of those coaches that’s just, it’s my way or the highway. He takes inputs from his leaders in the room, the veterans, the Zack Martins, the Tyrons. Just having a coach like that that understands that.”“The coaches coach, but the players, we have to do these things. So taking our input and actually implementing it into, whether it’s scheduling or practice, or anything we may have to say. He’s all for it if it’s going to help us win. That was one of the main things that when I got here, I didn’t have in a lot of other places, that coach definitely showed me. And it works.”"

At the end of the day, even the best players need a coach they like. A coach who they believe in and want to fight for. No matter what anyone seems to think outside the locker room, it appears the players are bought in on the former Packers coach:

"“Guys, we all in the locker room. We want to play for him. We want to fight for him. And we want nothing but the best for the simple fact that he takes care of us and the best way for us to take care of him is to go out there and get wins.”"

This isn’t to say that McCarthy can get away with poor decision-making or a lack of playoff games, but it is nice to know that the players gravitate toward him and think highly of his coaching style.