Cowboys-Packers could feature emotional return to Green Bay for Mike McCarthy

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said he’s only focused on getting the win in Green Bay this Sunday, but the reality is that there’s a lot more to Week 10 than just “another football game.”

McCarthy ran onto the field at Lambeau Field as the leader of the Packers 73 times. Sunday will be the first time he will run out of a much more narrow and quiet visitors’ tunnel as the third-year head coach of America’s Team.

From 2006 to 2018, McCarthy led the franchise to one of its best eras in stream history, including six NFC North titles, four NFC Championship Game appearances, and a Super Bowl win. He handled the transition from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers and coached the latter for the entire start of his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career. His 125 regular-season wins are also the second-most in franchise history.

Those accolades and accomplishments are hard to just put in the past. In his first press conference back from the bye week, the Cowboys coach was understandably asked (maybe a bit too much) about the return to the team that fired him midseason four years ago.

At first, it was all business:

"“I really want to win the game. Is that good enough? I mean, it’d be great. We’re 6-2 — this is for me, it’s really the same as it’s always been. You have a chance to really take a deep dive into the things that we’ve done very well and things that we need to improve on, and that’s really what we spent [Monday] on.”"

McCarthy also revealed that he talked to his players about his time in Green Bay, but said that he kept most of the focus of the meeting on winning the game and how to attack a struggling Pakcers team. The coach wanted to eliminate any potential distraction of the “homecoming:”

"“I don’t think I would have been doing my job if I didn’t address it. Trust me, I’m the last person that wants to create any type of distraction or questions for someone else because, you know, we’re at the point here now we’re starting the third quarter of the season. We know what it takes to win a football game and they’re obviously coming off a tough loss. We’re really trying to get an advantage today and we’re going to be spending the afternoon working on Green Bay — that’s really where my mind is at.”"

Reporters wanted more. During his over-20-minute presser, the business side started to drift away. The coach admitted that the tumultuous exit “left a dent” on his family, but tried to say that four years has been enough time to process it. He said his family grew from the experience, but wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else.

Eventually, the questions got to him. A reporter asked how his wife and daughters were feeling about heading back to Lambeau Field. When talking about how his wife grew up there and his daughters were born there, tears started to flow. He couldn’t help but get emotional about the place he called home for many, many years. You can see the raw emotion in the video below.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy is focused on winning but got emotional when talking about his return to Green Bay

The 58-year-old even poked fun at the media saying it was BS that they were trying to make him cry:

"“This is bullsh**. You guys are trying to make me cry. Why don’t you ask me a question about 12 personnel or something?…What do I miss most? Shoot, I think it’s like anything. The people. That’s why I think it’s been such a great transition for our family. Our kids, obviously born there and raised there, but to come here, and this experience. The lifestyle in Dallas, Texas, is incredible. This has been an incredible opportunity for us as a family. But, you know, Jessica’s born, our kids were born there.”"

No matter what his family thinks, McCarthy knows that as the coach of the Cowboys, his job is always on the line. That’s why he opened the conversation by focusing on getting another W in the win column.

His team is tasked with heading to the Frozen Tundra to face a seriously struggling Packers team that lost its fifth game in a row to the Detroit Lions in Week 9. Rodgers threw two end-zone interceptions, which marked the first time he’s ever done that in 215 starts in the NFL.

However, Rodgers has always been a thorn in the Cowboys’ side, going 8-2 against America’s Team in his career, thanks to the help of McCarthy.

When asked about reuniting with his former QB, McCarthy had nothing but good things to say about the quarterback he called plays for in his first 11 years as a starter. With McCarthy, the QB earned seven Pro Bowls and two MVP honors.

McCarthy said the star QB made him a better coach:

If the Cowboys could get this win in Green Bay, it would be more than just a win. The team would be 7-2 at the top of the NFC, 3-0 against the NFC North, and it would provide humongous validation for their head coach. It would also extend the Packers’ losing streak to a whopping six games, which never happened during McCarthy’s tenure.

During FOX’s America’s Game of the Week, McCarthy will be wearing blue and white and will try to put aside the memories, thoughts of family, and seeing colleagues from the past. Instead, he will try to use his knowledge of the franchise to get a win with his new one.

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