Should Coordinator Mike Nolan Be On Cowboys 'Hot Seat'?

Should Coordinator Mike Nolan Be On Cowboys 'Hot Seat'? Dallas Coach Mike McCarthy Gives His Answer - And Skirts Three Possible Issues

FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy believes he recognizes the problems with his all-time-worst defense. Or, at least, he recognizes what the problems aren't.

Scheme.

Effort.

Coaching.

McCarthy spend Monday afternoon reflecting with the DFW media on Dallas' 49-38 Week 3 loss to Cleveland, a defensive debacle that dropped the Cowboys to 1-3.

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McCarthy said he has "very high confidence in (defensive coordinator) Mike Nolan. We're going to stay the course. We're on top of where we are."

Nolan and McCarthy both have full resumes when it comes to NFL success. But their 2020 resumes? Let's just say they're not worth updating quite yet, as the Cowboys have allowed an NFL-worst 146 points through their first four games - the most in franchise history.

So, if it's not "coaching'' ...?

"I think you've got to be real careful when you start challenging professional athletes about effort, especially from a distance,'' McCarthy said when asked if Cowboys defensive players are simply not putting in the work. "We don't have an effort issue.''

Nolan, by the way, agrees, saying, “You have to stay the course and work on the things we need to get better at. ... There have been no effort issues, in my opinion. We played very poorly.''

So, if it's not "coaching'' and it's not "players' effort'' ...?

“I refuse to be a one-call defense,'' McCarthy said, defending the complexity of his defensive scheme. "That’s not the path. “ 

All told, the Cowboys head coach's in-public self-evaluation of Dallas' putrid defense reveals that the problem is not ...

Scheme.

Effort.

Coaching.

Dallas is in the midst of wasting a record-breaking offensive month, led by QB Dak Prescott, by also producing a record-breaking defensive month. While Prescott is running away from other QBs in most statistical categories, opposing offenses are running over, through and around a Cowboys D that, for instance, allowed a franchise-record 307 rushing yards to Cleveland.

Can it really be nobody's fault?

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McCarthy and Nolan have a "like-brothers'' relationship, and the new head coach has every reason to stand by his freshly-assembled staff. Management has justification for doing the same, and is doing so in the form of COO Stephen Jones telling 105.3 The Fan that "Now’s not the time to think about things like (firing coaches). I’m very convicted about this staff. I’m very convicted about this team.''

Dallas will play host to the hapless New York Giants on Sunday in Week 5, with the plan - from players to scheme to coaches - to finally stop somebody.