Mike McCarthy has been named the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.In an announcement made on Monday, McCarthy takes over from Jason Garrett. It was announced on Sunday by Cowboys general manager Jerry Jones that Garrett would not have his contract renewed after a decade coaching Dallas.
McCarthy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, coached the Green Bay Packers for 13 seasons from 2006 to 2018. In that period of time, he had a record of 125 wins, 77 losses and two ties in the regular season and 10 wins and eight losses in the postseason. In 2011, McCarthy led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory as Green Bay defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25.
There is no doubt that McCarthy brings a high level of consistency to the Cowboys. For eight straight seasons, the Packers made the playoffs with McCarthy at the helm. One could argue that the Packers’ success had more to do with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers than McCarthy, however, Green Bay did win six NFC North Division titles with McCarthy in charge.
The offenses for the Packers and Cowboys are very similar. They each have a star quarterback, running back and a wide variety of receivers to choose from. It will now be interesting to see how McCarthy is able to work with quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receivers Amari Cooper, Randall Cobb and Michael Gallup. Do not forget that McCarthy and Cobb have a history together in Green Bay and McCarthy really likes Cobb’s high level of versatility.
It will also be interesting to see where Garrett ends up next. While with the Cowboys, Garrett had a record of 85 wins and 67 losses, but could not win a playoff game in three tries. This past season was a disappointment for Dallas. They could consistently move the football, but not score points. At the end of the season, they had a record of eight wins and eight losses and missed the playoffs as Dallas finished behind the 9-7 Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
