'It's Comical!' Dak Prescott Dismisses Mike McCarthy 'Hot Seat' Issue; Cowboys Rally Around Coach
FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott began dismissing the twisted question before it could even be completely presented to him.
“It’s comical,” Prescott said on Friday on the subject of coach Mike McCarthy being on the "hot seat.'' “Back-to-back 12-win (seasons) in how long? And we’re talking about a guy’s job in jeopardy?''
It is a matter of record: McCarthy really hasn't done anything wrong in a way that would cause this to be such a commonplace talk-show topic.
And Prescott has an explanation.
"That just shows you, when you play for this organization, what comes with it,'' Prescott said, alluding to the "America's Team'' profile of this franchise. "That’s why it’s important to create these walls around us, create this safe place in our locker room. What matters is the men that go out there and get in between the lines and put the work in throughout the week for us to go out and win.”
McCarthy is one of those men, and his work will be a foundation of what the Cowboys attempt to do Monday in Tampa in the playoff opener.
Dallas hasn’t won a road playoff game in 30 years.
Dallas hasn't been in an NFC Championship Game, or a Super Bowl, in 27 years.
Dallas hasn't beaten Bucs quarterback Tom Brady in ... ever, as he's 7-0 lifetime against the Cowboys.
But they also haven't had back-to-back years at this high level since the 1994-1995 seasons.
All told, one of the messages from McCarthy - who won a Super Bowl in Green Bay and therefore arrived in Dallas three years ago with automatic credibility - is about how little that matters.
Said McCarthy: "The reality of it is we have zero responsibility for what’s happened here in the past ... This is about our opportunity. It’s about what’s in front of us.”
How many players were even alive on January 17, 1993 when the Cowboys won a playoff game at San Francisco?
“We had the baby pictures of 10 players and the dates that they were born and obviously acknowledged that," McCarthy said of a laugh-filled team meeting this week.
Pending the outcome of the game, this might very well be another correct button pushed by McCarthy, who in his leadership of the Cowboys combines his "Pittsburgh Macho'' with frankness, sincerity, humor and work ethic.
Oh, and all those wins.
"No. ... No. That’s it,” team owner Jerry Jones said when asked if there was an outcome Monday that could result in a McCarthy firing. “I don’t need to go into all the pluses or minuses, but I’ve got a lot more to evaluate Mike McCarthy on than this playoff game.”
That matches the locker room vibe here at The Star.
"We love Mike,” star receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “We love playing for him and everything he's done for us to put us in the best position to win. You can see it in the way we play, and as you said, 12-5 in back to back years.
“I feel like the only way we can really repay him is continuing to win out throughout the season. And let the rest take care of itself.”
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