Cowboys News: Mike McCarthy on the hot seat, Scary Deion Sanders health update

Dec 11, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy stands on the sidelines
Dec 11, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy stands on the sidelines / Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

Mike McCarthy gets a bad rep among the general media for his error-prone clock and game management skills, but it's impossible to deny that he's gone great work bringing consistency to the Dallas Cowboys franchise.

Before McCarthy led the Cowboys to a 24-10 record over the last two seasons, it had been a whopping 25 years since the team rattled off two double-digit win seasons in a row. You have to rewind all the way back to 1995 (the last time Dallas won a Super Bowl) and 1996.

While that speaks to the overall volatility and dysfunction of the franchise, it's also a testament to McCarthy's ability to lead a locker room.

Of course, regular season wins only carry so much value. By failing to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs in both years, many analysts believe McCarthy could be gone if Dallas fails to make a deep run in 2023.

Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson is certainly of that mindset, as McCarthy made his list of “Top Five coaches on the hot seat" entering 2023.

Cowboys' Mike McCarthy on the hot seat, Deion Sanders health update

Monson credits Jerry Jones for being "enduringly patient" with head coaches -- he certainly waited too long to pull the plug on Jason Garrett -- but he believes another underachieving season could seal McCarthy's fate, especially now that he has full control of the offense after Kellen Moore's surprise firing.

""McCarthy has assumed greater control of the offense this offseason due to Moore's departure, and with greater control comes greater responsibility for any success or failure. Jones is always more forgiving and patient with his coaches than you expect him to be, but another disappointing season would be tough for McCarthy to recover from.""

It admittedly would be tough for McCarthy to recover from another playoff letdown -- or disappointing regular season -- but the question Jones and company would have to answer if there's an upgrade readily available. If not, would it make sense to axe McCarthy just to bring in a new face?

Let's hope we don't have to revisit this conversation.

The next bit of Cowboys news involves former Dallas great Deion Sanders. The Hall of Fame defensive back recently shared a video to his YouTube channel "The Preegame Show" in which his doctors revealed they might have to amputate one of his feet due to a lack of blood flow.

Sanders had two toes on the same foot amputated in 2021. He underwent eight surgeries spanning nearly a month and ultimately was diagnosed with three life-threatening blood clots, which led to the toe amputation.

Then the head coach of Jackson State, Sanders missed three games in the hospital. He has since taken the same job at Colorado after three years with the Tigers.

Coming off back-to-back Southwest Athletic Conference championships and compiling a 27-6 overall record at Jackson State, Sanders will preside over a Colorado program that finished 1-11 last season while navigating a possible amputation of his foot.

We send our best to Sanders and his family during this trying time.

More Cowboys news and analysis:

manual