Cowboys' 2021 Improvement Must Start at Top

Yes, We're Looking At You, Head Coach Mike McCarthy

To end their quarter-century of abject failure, the Dallas Cowboys need help from the usual suspects:

Dak Prescott's health. Returns to form by Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch and DeMarcus Lawrence. Fewer fumbles by Ezekiel Elliott. New defensive coordinator Dan Quinn finding a way to not allow 57 touchdowns and 473 points, both franchise records set in 2020. An offensive touchdown on a game-opening possession (something they failed to do once last season). A little luck and, oh yeah, major improvement from their head coach.

Mike McCarthy got us all jazzed with his impassioned speech on Episode 1 of HBO's Hard Knocks:

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"F*ck last year," McCarthy said during a meeting early in training camp. "Charlie F*ckaround? He doesn't work here. High School Harry? Get his ass out the f*cking door. This is about winning a world championship. Nothing else. Winning season? Not good enough. Playoffs? Not good enough. Getting to the conference championship game? Not good enough. This is about winning the Super Bowl. Period."

But more than emotion - and those silly "mojo moments" - from McCarthy, what the Cowboys really need from their second-year head coach is some common-sense game management. In case you forgot, confounding McAnalytics cost the Cowboys in 2020, helping them finish third in a four-donkey race known as the NFC East.

Feels like Prescott's ankle injury overshadowed what was a gruesome season of decision-making from McCarthy's noggin'.

The inconsistency commenced in last season's opener in Los Angeles, when – trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter – McCarthy eschewed a game-tying field goal for a failed fourth-and-three pass. Against the Falcons in Week 2, he ordered an ill-timed two-point conversion and two fake punts, one relying on a right-handed pass from a left-footed kicker.

Trailing Atlanta 39-30, the head coach went for two. A week later in Seattle trailing 30-21, he kicked the extra point. In Week 6 against the Cardinals, McCarthy called for a 58-yard field goal attempt … trailing by 25.

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Against the undefeated Steelers in Week 9, he passed on a fourth-and-inches at Pittsburgh’s 22 for a field goal and a 19-9 lead that would eventually deteriorate into a 24-19 loss. On Thanksgiving against the Redskins, he approved a pass on fourth-and-one at the Cowboys’ 34 in a 10-10 game, then green-lighted a reverse fake punt on fourth-and-10 from their own 24 down only four points with 13 minutes remaining. The Cowboys were outscored after the inexplicable call, 21-0, and the loss ultimately cost them the NFC East to 7-9 Washington.

And in their low-scoring finale against the Giants, the Cowboys scored to pull within 20-15 only to have their head coach kick the extra point and, ultimately, need a touchdown on their final drive instead of a field goal.

Defiant to the criticism from the dumbfounded, McCarthy labeled the fake punt against Washington as “solid” and “a good play design”, and said the strategy to not go for two against the Giants was “a clean decision.”

McCarthy has a Super Bowl on his resume and owner Jerry Jones in his corner. We get it. But even with improvements from the usual suspects, the Cowboys in 2021 won't be a good enough team to overcome bad coaching decisions.