Dak Prescott vs. Mike McCarthy: Which is Cowboys 'Worry'?

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the top teams in the NFC, but with the changes offensively, ESPN's Jeff Darlington thinks the success of Dallas next season rests almost solely on Mike McCarthy's shoulders.

The Dallas Cowboys have undergone several changes this offseason, the most significant being head coach Mike McCarthy taking over the play-calling duties from Kellen Moore, who is now in Los Angeles with the Chargers.

Despite McCarthy having experience as a play-caller, there are still those who doubt his ability to lead this current version of the Cowboys to glory. With more of an emphasis on easing the load on Dak Prescott's shoulders with McCarthy's "Texas Coast Offense,'' many think the buck starts and stops with "Big Mike" next season.

​​“I put a lot of weight on Mike McCarthy, I’m a big believer in Dak Prescott,” Jeff Darlington said on ESPN's GetUp. “I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and I get the eye rolls because he needs to continue to prove that. To me, the weight of the Cowboys' success is on Mike McCarthy’s shoulders. He’s the one that said, 'The offense isn’t working, I’m going to step in and change that."'

After Dak's league-leading interception total of 15 (he threw two more in the postseason), many think turnovers are in "Dak's DNA" despite last season being a clear outlier if his career body of work is considered.

But in McCarthy's new offensive scheme that incorporates elements of the West Coast Offense with what Moore did last season - the "Texas Coast Offense'' - less will be put on Prescott's plate. 

This season, the Cowboys' offense plans to be more efficient and likely won't put up the kinds of points Moore's unit did in previous seasons. But what about Prescott, who enters next year after one of his worst last seasons from a turnover perspective?

Darlington isn't worried about No. 4.

“Will Prescott be a more efficient quarterback? Let’s hope so, but will he also still have the firepower to put up the offense that makes the team so potent?" Darlington said. "Being an efficient quarterback makes the defense better, so all around the team should be better, but again, Prescott should be fine, question is, will Mike McCarthy’s offense?"

While Darlington puts all the pressure on McCarthy, the truth is, the offense as a whole will have the burden to perform. In a system that is aimed at easing the workload on Dak and has a host of weapons in CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, the "Four Horseman" tight end group, and Tony Pollard, there is no room for excuses next season.

With McCarthy taking over the play-calling duties, it will be on him to put the offense in the right spots on game day. He will get the plaudits when it goes right and will cop the criticism when it doesn't. It's a good thing, we suppose, that McCarthy has broad shoulders.

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