Cowboys VP Stephen Jones: 'Absolutely no change' with Mike McCarthy in 2021
Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is still sticking with his head coach. Frankly, he’s surprised it’s even a question.
Jones back Mike McCarthy while on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Monday and said the coach will be back for the 2021 season.
Jones: ‘No change’ with McCarthy
Jones said there “will be absolutely no change with coach Mike McCarthy.”
“If you look at his track record and pedigree, he's consistently won year in and year out and we have the utmost confidence that this ship is going to be righted quickly,” Jones said. “And Mike's going to be the leader of this group and he's certainly a great head coach. I think we're going to see that going forward, that he's a great head coach in this league. He's accomplished a lot, and he's going to accomplish a lot more before it's all said and done.”
The Cowboys are 4-9 and have a chance at winning the NFC East title. They could do it by winning the final three games couple with the Washington Football Team losing their final three games. Even one loss by the Cowboys would eliminate their playoff hopes. They have the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants left on the schedule.
Jones ‘surprised’ given Dallas’ tough year
It’s been an unexpected and tough first season for McCarthy in Dallas. The former Green Bay Packers coach signed a five-year deal in January, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States.
Jones said he was surprised firing McCarthy was considered a possibility given the difficulties of the season.
“I am surprised that someone would question Mike, these unprecedented situations that everyone’s been in on top of that,” Jones said, via NBC Sports. “No one is making excuses, but we have had some real challenges in the injury category.”
Everything about the season is different given COVID-19, and schedules around the league have been disrupted by positive tests and contact tracing. Dallas has also dealt with injuries, an issue that hit early in September and never really left.
In October, quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending compound fracture and dislocation in his right ankle. McCarthy and the Cowboys had to rely on a seventh-round rookie quarterback for a game this season when Andy Dalton was out with a concussion.
Jones backed McCarthy in late October, saying “we’ve got right head guy for the job. It’s a work in progress.” It makes it seem as if the rest of his coaching staff isn’t as safe heading into the offseason.
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