‘Blow It Up!’ Vs. ‘Run It Back!’ What Are Cowboys' Options?

The decisions to bring back coach Mike McCarthy, quarterback Dak Prescott and (maybe) defensive coordinator Dan Quinn are bringing undeserved criticism to the Dallas Cowboys.

FRISCO - Sorry, but the last three words that Dallas Cowboys fans want to here right now are the three that also, uncomfortably,  make the most sense:

Run. It. Back.

In the wake of the embarrassing first-round playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers, Cowboys Nation is knee-jerking itself into clamoring for immediate, drastic changes:

Bill Belichick for head coach! Trey Lance at quarterback!! The ghost of Ernie Stautner to run the defense!!!

Those savory sentiments are actually being echoed by national pundits, who agree the Cowboys are in desperate need of not just a fresh coat of paint but rather an extreme makeover down to the studs of the house. The reaction to Jerry Jones bringing back coach Mike McCarthy, quarterback Dak Prescott and (likely) defensive boss Dan Quinn:

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NFL Network host Kyle Brandt: “That’s some 100-percent, grass-fed, organic definition of insanity stuff right there.”

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: “If you run it back next season with McCarthy and Dak ... don’t tell me you’re serious about winning a Super Bowl in Dallas because you're not.”

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio: “Does Jerry Jones truly want to win a Super Bowl? Or is he just a carnival barker hoping to sell overpriced tickets and beer and popcorn to those who have been duped into thinking he truly wants to win a Super Bowl?”

NBC’s Peter King: “Jerry is surprisingly passive.”

Yes, the Cowboys won the same amount of playoff games this season as the 2-15 Carolina Panthers. But they only won one fewer than the Buffalo Bills, and last we checked no one was trying to sell Josh Allen down the river.

Three consecutive 12-5 records. The most regular-season wins in that span other than the Kansas City Chiefs. Two division championships. One playoff win (over Tom Brady). Prescott will likely finish in the Top 3 of MVP voting. Quinn's defense again finished in the Top 10 in all major statistical categories including takeaways.

Not good enough you say?

Some of us are old enough to remember not three straight seasons of 12-5, but rather a trifecta of 5-11s orchestrated by coach Dave Campo. Prescott isn't a "winner"? What, you'd prefer a total tear-down that could lead to starters named Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright, Ryan Leaf, Chad Hutchinson, Drew Henson, Brad Johnson, Kyle Orton, Matt Cassell, Ben DiNucci ... you get the point. And once upon a time - better known as 2020, the year before Quinn arrived - the Cowboys defense was historically horrible while led by the likes of Mike Nolan.

McCarthy didn't have his team ready to play against the Packers. Prescott made rookie mistakes. Quinn inexplicably changed his unit's DNA. The 48-32 loss was an inexcusable comedy of errors.

But ...

McCarthy's first four years in Dallas (42-25, 1-3 in the playoffs) mirror Andy Reid's first four in Kansas City (43-21, 1-3 in the playoffs). He was a Super Bowl in his fifth year in Green Bay; Reid not until his seventh with the Chiefs.

Prescott led the NFL in passing touchdowns, and he plays in a sport where quarterbacks often take time to bake: Brady, Joe Montana and Steve Young won all their MVPs after 30; Matthew Stafford his Super Bowl at 33. Dak will be 31 when he takes a snap in Week 1 in 2024.

Quinn, 53, remains a highly-regarded candidate and has a series of suitors, and his second interviews with teams include a visit with the Seattle Seahawks, where he was once a Super Bowl defensive coordinator.

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"Our fan base should be disappointed," McCarthy said last week. "But we've established a championship program ... it's just not a world championship program yet. We haven't crossed the threshold of winning in the postseason. But I'm very confident that we will."

Was the loss to the Packers one of the worst early playoff exits in franchise history? Is the team so broken it deserves dismantling and starting from scratch?

Yell at Jones all you want for for the Cowboys not getting back to an NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season. But Prescott just finished his eighth year. McCarthy has been here four seasons; Quinn only three.

There is precedent amid disappointment. Consider the fresh words of the similarly-pained Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott, who says the consistency the Bills have shown in reaching the playoff in six of the last seven years is a precursor to winning a Super Bowl.

"We’re disappointed, yes," McDermott said. "But not broken."

There's a wide chasm between “disappointed” and “broken,” and between "championship program" and "blow it up."

Run. It. Back.

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