Mike McCarthy ducked blame about offense's struggles and Cowboys fans are furious
By Jerry Trotta
Dallas Cowboys fans haven't fully turned on Mike McCarthy, but the head coach is a point of contention among the fanbase after the Cowboys' 42-10 loss against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5.
To say the Cowboys were at a coaching disadvantage Sunday night would be a colossal understatement. Kyle Shanahan ran circles around McCarthy schematically, but fans' primary frustration stems from McCarthy's play-calling.
After the loss, Dak Prescott ranks 19th in passer rating and 25th with 6.6 yards per attempt. Everything is a short dump-off to a tight end or running back. CeeDee Lamb isn't seeing enough volume despite ranking among the best WRs in creating separation. Brandin Cooks is being used as a clearout. Tony Pollard's yards per carry is down almost a full yard. There aren't many positives to point to.
Remember the red zone struggles? Those are still prominent. They've just taken a backseat after Dallas couldn't get into the red zone vs the 49ers.
McCarthy acknowledged postgame that he called a terrible game, but his tune changed Tuesday when he deflected blame on the defense.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy: “I like a lot of things that we’ve done outside of (Sunday) night, offensively. Outside of the red zone, we definitely hit the mark. When we started this offensive approach back in April, I just think it’s a matter of: Who do you want to be and who do…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 10, 2023
Cowboys fans are furious after Mike McCarthy deflected blame about offense's struggles.
McCarthy has officially lost the plot.
Make no bones about it: defense is the Cowboys' biggest strength. There's no excusing their performance against San Francisco and it's possible Dallas fans might have overrated the group a smidge after it dominated lowly offenses like the Giants, Jets and Patriots.
All that said, McCarthy pinning the blame on the defense is cowardice.
You know what would help the defense maintain its status as one of the best in the NFL? Scoring touchdowns and putting pressure on opponents to drop back to pass. You know, so Dan Quinn can unleash his stable of pass rushers. Any good defense is bound to run out of steam with no support from its offense.
And despite constant quick three and outs from the offense, the defense kept the Cowboys within striking distance in the first half on Sunday.
Somehow, Mike McCarthy came up with a worse 3rd and mid play call than "throw it to the guy two yards short of the sticks."
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) October 9, 2023
My guess is they were prepared to go for it if they even picked up 2 yards. But, lol.
McCarthy has some nerve to walk up to the podium and dodge accountability. It was his decision to take the reins of the offense and shove Kellen Moore out the door. He has more talent this year than Moore had at his disposal in 2022 and his current offense couldn't hold a candle to Moore's in any of his four years as offensive coordinator.
The offensive line is healthy. The WR room is healthy and the deepest its been in years. And yet, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Tony Pollard are all on pace for their worst statistical seasons. Stats don't always tell the full story, but the proof is in the pudding in this case because the offense isn't producing.
McCarthy will ultimately be judged on how Dallas performs on the field. When head coaches start getting in trouble, though, is when the on-field performance doesn't meet expectations and they make things worse behind the microphone.
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