‘Carpe Omnia!’ Cowboys Coach Reveals Team Theme

An empty picture frame and a Latin slogan are central to the Cowboys' 2023 approach to pursuing a championship. "The (season) theme is 'Carpe Omnia,' 'seize everything,'' says coach Mike McCarthy.

FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy likes his “themes” - and he has revealed his motto for the 2023 NFL season … along with a handy prop.

"The (season) theme is 'Carpe Omnia,' 'seize everything,'' said McCarthy on Wednesday here at The Star. "I presented it to the team today. ... Just giving (the players) the touchstone to connect ...''

Do the Cowboys speak Latin? They do now … (with most of us having a most limited understanding only because Robin Williams told us to "Seize the Day'' in the film "Dead Poets Society.'') Of course. though, along with the long-term philosophy of “Carpe Omnia” there is also a more immediate goal … 

“Carpe Diem” on "Sunday Night Football'' in this Week 1 opener at the New York Giants .And McCarthy is also stressing the importance of that particular “diem.”

In addition to the slogan, the coach said, "We have an empty picture frame in the front of the team room. It illustrates that pictures say a thousand words. But the reality of it is an empty frame is everything because it is all the possibilities, capabilities, what's in front of us. 

"Are we going to do what we need to do every single day, everything that we can possibly do to fill that frame and be part of the history and tradition of the Dallas Cowboys?''

"Every single day,'' and there it is again ... the importance of a Wednesday practice, a Friday meeting, a Sunday game ...

"This is really one game,'' McCarthy said, "that we need to go win."

"Need'' might be an overstatement. … except that hey, if you’re going to “seize everything,” you might as well go for that, right? And then you can simply reload for the next “Diem” and the next and the next?

"It's a competitive division and we're expecting it to be that again with all four teams having the opportunity to be in the playoff hunt,'' McCarthy said. "It's Week 1 it's a division game ... These division games are so important …”

And, the Cowboys know, it's on the road. Against a playoff-caliber team in the Giants. And on a message-sending national-TV stage.

All in all, a great time to “seize the day” on the way to filling that empty picture frame with the ultimate “Omnia.” … Dallas in the Super Bowl.

"I think themes are important,'' McCarthy said. "They come to you at different points of the offseason. This came a little different. I think it needs to illustrate where you feel your football team is at, where they are, in their progression towards winning a championship.''