Cowboys Hot Seat: Coach Mike McCarthy Playoff Run or Else?

Next season could be a "win or else" scenario for Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have long been associated with mediocrity. Maybe even now even longer than they were associated with championships. It's been 26 seasons without playoff success for Dallas. In fact, there's a whole generation of Cowboys fans that have never enjoyed a long playoff run with the club.

There have certainly been regular-season moments, even as recently as 2021. But that division title, with the state of the division, it's not much of an accomplishment given the still lofty expectations for this organization every season.

The Cowboys closed out the NFC East undefeated, and finished strong last year, winning five of their final six matchups. But another good regular season turned into post-season disappointment with a Wild Card home loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

So here we are, asking the same question we've been asking at this time every year since around 1997 ... are the Cowboys any closer this year?

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy enters his third season with Dallas, and even if we throw out the COVID year of 202 - and he has expressed the view that this offseason is really this group's "first'' one together - his tenure here has been somewhat tenuous at best.

Historically, McCarthy has been a pretty good head coach, especially in the regular season. His teams win games and division titles. For most franchises that would be enough. But Jones did not bring McCarthy to Dallas to win division titles.

Even with the last Super Bowl win coming 27 seasons ago, success in Dallas is still measured by rings. Jones gave Jason Garrett over a decade to make it happen, and it didn't. McCarthy surely won't have the same long leash.

With defensive coordinator Dan Quinn still on staff, McCarthy should be feeling the pressure. As CowboysSI.com was first to report, Quinn turned down head coaching interviews to remain in Dallas. Did Jones privately make a deal with Quinn to stay and be the head coach-in-waiting, like it's speculated he did with Garrett to take over for then-coach Wade Phillips? 

Answers:

1) Maybe this isn't a promise. But it's understood DQ is viewed as a future option.

2) Regarding Phillips and Garrett ... We know how that turned out.

Additionally ... Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was once thought of as potential head-coaching material. And Jones has been vocal about his overall-positive feelings for Moore.

To most observers, the Cowboys and McCarthy must make a deep playoff run for this to be considered a successful season. Making the playoffs won't do it, and we're not sure one playoff win is enough to save McCarthy's job.

Jones (at least in his own view) has given McCarthy all the tools - a top-tier offense, and a top-tier defense - along with some of the best assistant coaches in the league. This is all on McCarthy now.

It's not very hard to imagine a scenario where McCarthy is replaced if things begin to go south for the club in 2022. Moore and Quinn are already in the building, and Sean Payton is just a phone call away.

But maybe McCarthy's "first'' real season can be his best.

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