Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones Says He's 'Very Confident' Mike McCarthy Will Return In 2022
Mike McCarthy was perceived to be on the hot seat following the Cowboys' 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Sunday.
McCarthy's in-game coaching decisions were questioned, led by the puzzling quarterback draw call of Dak Prescott with 14 seconds remaining and no timeouts, with a chance to win the game. Dallas was unable to get lined up before the clock ran out and they never got a shot at the end zone.
"I've never seen that come down the way it came down, as far as the collision between the umpire and the quarterback. We were trying to get inside the 30-yard line to set up the last play. The mechanics were intact from our end of it," McCarthy said after the game, via FOX News. "The communication that I was given on the sideline was that they were reviewing it, they were going to put time back on the clock. The next thing I know, they’re running off the field. That’s the only facts I have for you."
But McCarthy's job appears to be safe, according to executive vice president Stephen Jones.
"Absolutely. Very confident," said Jones Monday, when asked if McCarthy would return.
Much of the play has been picked apart and scrutinized, but it's important to remember why Dallas was in that position in the first place. The Cowboys were an undisciplined bunch all evening, committing 14 penalties for 89 yards. That's tied for the second most from a single team in NFL playoff history.
That's nothing new for "America's Team", as the Cowboys paced the NFL in penalties this season with 127.
The 58-year-old Super Bowl winning head coach is 18-15 in two seasons as head coach. After going 6-10 in 2020, which had much to do with Prescott's season-ending injury, McCarthy seemingly had righted the ship.
The Cowboys won the NFC East in 2021, their first division crown since 2018.
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