Mike McCarthy sifted through several versions of selling his belief that the Dallas Cowboys can find a level of postseason success that has eluded the storied franchise for nearly three decades.
The coach faced reporters a day after a meeting with owner and general manager Jerry Jones ended with them agreeing McCarthy would return for a fifth season despite a stunning wild-card loss to Green Bay.
The Cowboys won the NFC East and entered the postseason with a chance to play at least twice at home, where they had a 16-game winning streak.
They exited as the first No. 2 seed to lose to a conference’s No. 7 seed since the 14-team format was adopted in 2020. Dallas trailed by 32 points in the fourth quarter of the 48-32 loss to the Packers.
“We have established a championship program. It’s just not a world championship yet,” McCarthy told a packed news conference Thursday. “We know how to win. We know how to train to win. We have the right people.
“But we have not crossed the threshold winning playoff games,” McCarthy said. “It’s extremely disappointing to be sitting here talking about. But I know how to win. We will get over that threshold. I have total confidence in that, and that’s why I’m standing here today.”
McCarthy won a Super Bowl and went to three other NFC championship games in 12-plus seasons as coach of the Packers. That’s why Jones hired him in 2020 after 10 years of watching Jason Garrett’s teams fail to get past the divisional round.
The most recent time Dallas reached an NFC title game was the last of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles during the 1995 season.
While McCarthy has to own being the coach of the first team with three consecutive 12-win playoff seasons not to reach a conference championship game, there’s only so much history he can take.
“I’m going to take no responsibility, and I talked to the players too, and they have no responsibility on what’s gone on here in the 20-plus years before this point,” McCarthy said. “We’re responsible for what’s going on [in this] program. I know it’s disappointing to the fans, but we are in position to learn and grow from this and build on it.”
McCarthy said his meeting with Jones on Wednesday lasted about three hours. Afterward, Jones issued a statement saying McCarthy would return.
While Jones made several references to the disappointment of the playoff loss, he said there was “great benefit to continuing the team’s progress under Mike’s leadership.”
McCarthy said he didn’t think the meeting was about making a case to keep the job.
“He’s an awesome boss but he’s even a better leader,” McCarthy said of Jones. “He asks all the hard, direct questions, which I love and appreciate because you get a depth into conversations. I don’t know if there’s much we didn’t talk about as far as topics that apply to the football operation.”
Jones’s statement made no mention of an extension for McCarthy, who is going into the final year of his contract. McCarthy didn’t want to discuss what that means for his future.
“I never talk about a player’s contract or a coach’s contract,” McCarthy said. “I’m not going to start today. But I will say I am very confident in the direction. I’m very confident where I am.”
McCarthy’s fourth season as Dallas coach was his first as quarterback Dak Prescott’s playcaller. While Prescott led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and had a career-best completion rate of 69.5 per cent, he continued a pattern of spotty postseason play. Prescott is 2-5 in the playoffs.
“I have unbelievable belief in Dak,” McCarthy said. “I think he clearly has another step. This offense has suited him well. The growth opportunity, we’re really looking forward to the future.”
McCarthy’s last playoff victory with the Packers was a 34-31 divisional win at Dallas when Prescott was a rookie in 2016.
Including his final postseason game in Green Bay, McCarthy is 1-4 in the playoffs since then. And two of his three losses with the Cowboys were home playoff openers.
Both times, Dallas was the only home team to lose on wild-card weekend. The other was to San Francisco to finish the 2021 season.
Panthers co-ordinator Thomas Brown sixth to interview for Titans’ coaching job
NASHVILLE The Tennessee Titans announced Thursday they had finished a virtual interview with Carolina Panthers offensive co-ordinator Thomas Brown, making him the sixth different person to talk to Tennessee about its open head coaching job. Brown, 37, is the second Black coach to interview with the Titans, who fired Mike Vrabel on Jan. 9 after six seasons. Brown was hired by Carolina as offensive coordinator in February, 2023. He also interviewed for the Houston job that went to DeMeco Ryans. He started coaching running backs in the NFL in 2020 with the Los Angeles Rams, added the title of assistant head coach in 2021 and then coached tight ends as assistant head coach in 2022. Brown started coaching in college with stops at Georgia, Chattanooga, Marshall, Wisconsin, Miami and South Carolina. The Titans interviewed Dallas defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn on Wednesday night. They also have interviewed Las Vegas Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce, Baltimore Ravens defensive co-ordinator Mike Macdonald, Bengals offensive co-ordinator Brian Callahan and Giants offensive co-ordinator Mike Kafka. No NFL team can interview coaching candidates in person until Monday after the divisional round of the playoffs.
Falcons make plans for second interview with Belichick
ATLANTA The Atlanta Falcons are planning for a second interview with Bill Belichick after talking with Philadelphia Eagles offensive co-ordinator Brian Johnson for the head coaching vacancy on Thursday. Belichick made the Falcons his first known interview on Monday since leaving the New England Patriots. Belichick won a record six Super Bowls in his 24 seasons with New England. He will be the first candidate to have a second interview with Atlanta. The team has not disclosed details of the second meeting with Belichick, 71. The Falcons are looking for a successor to Arthur Smith, who was fired after his third straight 7-10 finish. Including the playoffs, Belichick has 333 victories, second all time to Hall of Famer Don Shula’s 347. He led the Patriots to 17 division titles. The plans for a second meeting between the Falcons and Belichick indicates an agreement on Belichick’s possible role in player personnel decisions should he accept the job. Belichick had control of player personnel with New England.