Cowboys' McCarthy Coach of Year Candidate; Kellen Moore Scapegoat?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is crediting much of his team's and quarterback Dak Prescott's early-season success on the promotion of Mike McCarthy to play-caller.

The Los Angeles Chargers have scored 58 points in two games this season without a turnover, yet are 0-2. The 2-0 Dallas Cowboys, likewise, haven't turned the ball over and have produced 70 points.

Bottom line: Departed Cowboys' play-caller Kellen Moore is suddenly a subtle scapegoat, while Mike McCarthy is being heralded as the greatest offensive mind since Bill Walsh and an early candidate for NFL Coach of the Year.

"Mike should take a bow, because his fingerprints are all over this," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday during his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan. "You can see the adjustments in Dak from last year to this year. Those had to evolve, and take some time. But we went a different direction with our play-caller, and it was the right direction to take with what we have in Dak."

McCarthy's new "Texas Coast Offense" has certainly been helped by a dominant defense that has 10 sacks and seven takeaways while allowing only 10 points. But the improvement in Prescott's quicker deliveries are obvious as well. After throwing 17 interceptions in 14 starts last season, Prescott has yet to have one in 62 throws. (Though Jets' cornerback Sauce Gardner's dropped Pick 6 last Sunday certainly would've tweaked this narrative.)

Jones said he is "giddy" about his team's almost flawless 2-0 start, in which it is only the third NFL team since 1970 to score 70 or more points and allow only 10 or less in the first two games. He heaps praise - and most of the credit - on McCarthy, who took over the offensive play-calling when the team allowed Moore to take the offensive coordinator job with the Chargers.

"I cant' tell you how proud I am of (McCarthy)," Jones said. "I just felt so good for him to have that kind of success."

The owner credits McCarthy's time away from football after his firing by the Green Bay Packers and his patience overseeing Moore's play-calling the last three seasons for this season's spectacular start.

"He'd certainly had skins on the wall," Jones said. "But he also had time away from the game. His time off there was a major plus. He had time to remember how important football is ... we all know that guy in the mirror is the biggest challenge of all."