Fire Mike McCarthy? Think Again; Does Cowboys Coach Deserve Contract Extension? Jerry Jones Reacts on 'My Tom Landry'
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is a lot of things. A boss who fires head coaches willy-nilly, however, he is not.
His original plan for Jimmy Johnson included a 10-year contract. His leash with Jason Garrett lasted just that long. And present Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy?
Jones not long ago told McCarthy that he's like him to be "his Tom Landry'' - and all Landry did in Dallas, of course, was to coach for 29 years.
So, no, contrary to the critics outside The Star who are unaware of both Jones' tendencies and his relationship McCarthy, there is no plan to fire McCarthy ... if.''
Quite the opposite, in fact.
After this season, Jones suggests to NFL Network, McCarthy - leader of a team that is going to make three straight playoff appearances with double-digit win totals in each of them, and now fully in charge of a "Texas Coast Offense'' that leads the NFL - is due an extension.
"That'll have a course that seeks its own time frame," said Jones of his coach, who is under contract through 2024. "I don't do anything of that sort until the season is over."
Ian Rapoport, who did the interview, came away convinced that an extension is coming. And why not?
Dallas is 10-3 and boasts a five-game win streak, is averaging 32.4 points per, has Dak Prescott as an MVP candidate, has a top-notch playmaking defense led by Defensive Player of the Year Micah Parsons ... and possesses a roster that likes its coach and has Super Bowl-level confidence.
This is a "never-say-never'' league. Could some disaster strike the Cowboys in a way that McCarthy's job status might change? Maybe. But Rapoport is correct when he writes, "McCarthy's job status is always a topic of conversation in Dallas ... In most other situations, McCarthy would be the subject of Coach of the Year talk.''
Is that the fault of Cowboys Nation's perennial high expectations? Why has there ever existed an anti-McCarthy movement, from the day he got hired four years ago in the fan base and even in the media (where it is frankly inappropriate and unprofessional)?
McCarthy's detractors are terribly quiet, maybe waiting to pounce of the Cowboys lose a playoff game. Jones is obligated to include such a loss in his judgment ... but he's clearly leaning toward recognizing a body of work by McCarthy that is deserving of praise - and maybe of a new contract.
