Cowboys Coach 'Conflict'? Mike McCarthy vs. Kellen Moore 'Scoreboard' Issue Revealed

"Kellen Moore wants to light the scoreboard up,'' Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "But I want to run the damn ball so I can rest my defense.''

FRISCO - It wasn't about "animosity'' and it wasn't a "rift.'' It was, far less dramatically, about "philosophy.'' And Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has just explained his parting of ways with Kellen Moore in a very colorful manner.

"Kellen wants to light the scoreboard up,'' McCarthy said from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "But I want to run the damn ball so I can rest my defense.''

There are other intricacies that led to offensive coordinator Moore departing Dallas to become the coordinator for the Chargers, other intricacies that have McCarthy in 2023 planning to serve as his own play-caller and other intricacies that have to do with the installation of McCarthy's familiar West Coast Offense.

But this change isn't about some inter-office back-stabbing or anything so dramatic, as has been speculated by some. Indeed, McCarthy noted that Moore “did an excellent job.''

It's about "vision.''

“I’ve been where Kellen’s been,” McCarthy said. “Kellen wants to light the scoreboard up. But I want to run the damn ball so I can rest my defense.''

Astute members of Cowboys Nation will note that for the last couple of years, as CowboysSI.com has reported, Moore has opened up training camp in Oxnard by announcing to QB Dak Prescott and company that his goal is for Dallas to own the No. 1 offense in football.

And Dallas, for the record, did well in pursuing that goal. But ...

"When you’re a coordinator, but you’re in charge of the offense,'' McCarthy said. "(But) being a head coach and being a play-caller (too), you’re a little more in tune with (the big picture).

"I don’t desire to be the No. 1 offense in the league, I want to be the No. 1 team in the league with the number of wins and a championship.''

Some Twitter Coaches are already predicting that this mindset will be the downfall of the 2023 Cowboys. PFT writes, "If McCarthy insists on running the ball more in 2023, that may result both in fewer points on the scoreboard and in fewer wins.''

But honestly, we're not sure that PFT understands the formula for winning NFL games better than McCarthy, who said, "If we’ve got to give up some production and take care of the ball better to get that, then that’s what we’ll do because we have a really good defense.”

In the end, McCarthy's 2023 goal is still about the "scoreboard'' - but it's about both keeping Dallas' lit-up numbers high and the opponents' lit-up numbers low.

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