Did McCarthy ‘Pound The Table’ For Dak?

Did New Dallas Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy ‘Pound The Table’ For Negotiating QB Dak Prescott?

FRISCO - National TV host Colin Cowherd on FS1 reflected recently on the Dallas Cowboys failure to seal a long-term deal with Dak Prescott by wondering if coach Mike McCarthy worked behind the scenes to campaign for the quarterback.

"I don't think Mike McCarthy is slamming his fist on the table for Dak."

How much influence does the new Cowboys head coach have? @ColinCowherd explains: pic.twitter.com/gx37yYWMAG

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 15, 2020

"Did McCarthy 'pound the table' for Dak?'' Cowherd asked.

My answer to the question as a guest on "The Herd'' was and is a qualified "yes.'' Yes, McCarthy has power inside The Star, exactly as Jason Garrett before him. Yes, McCarthy is supportive of Prescott.

But specifically "pounding the table''? I don't believe McCarthy got involved in contract stuff ... nor should he, a lesson learned long ago by Jimmy Johnson, who did so in his first season here, 1989, before realizing the contradictory difficulties of telling a player one day from behind a desk, "You're not good enough for that salary'' and then the next day telling him from behind a whistle, "You can conquer the world!''

But I do believe that the future of Dak Prescott as the quarterback of "America's Team'' is one of the reasons McCarthy actually signed on here.

During his tenure in Green Bay, McCarthy wasn't must allowed involvement in personnel decisions - much to his chagrin. In Dallas, he's been pleasantly surprised with the "us'' philosophy of the Joneses, a concept putting him alongside Jerry, Stephen and personnel boss Will McClay. ... in personnel.

As a personnel guy, McCarthy is on-record as believing Dak is a "franchise QB'' who can take a team to a Super Bowl. That's his "table-pound.'' And now comes the next hurdle, one far more in McCarthy's "lane'' than dollars and sense, and one that comes with some irony: Help coach Dak Prescott into being such a good QB that the Cowboys in the spring of 2021 will again be challenged to sign him.