As I sat back and thought about the first episode of Hard Knocks this year, I began to reflect a bit on Jerry Jones and McCarthy. As I stated in my previous article, it would not bother me to see Jerry Jones win another Super Bowl. There was a time where I really didn’t like Jerry Jones. I always thought Jerry Jones was a meddling owner who consistently got in the way of his team’s success. Over the years, I really enjoyed Tony Romo, Terence Newman, Marion Barber, and a number of other players. Jerry would bring in the talent but would meddle with the coaching to the point that the players we enjoyed watching never realized their full potential of winning a championship. Seeing him on Hard Knocks and having listened to him over the last few years, my stance on Jerry has softened quite a bit. He is likable. He is fun to listen to. He is, at times, relatable. He is also a senior citizen and my mother told me to always respect my elders. Frankly, when I saw the tears in his eye’s I became a bit emotional too. I would like to see the team win one for the gipper…but the gipper must get out of his own way and quit hiring duds for head coaches.
In contrast, I have never liked Mike McCarthy. I still don’t. McCarthy used to be the 49ers offensive coordinator under Mike Nolan. Yes, the very same Mike Nolan that McCarthy hired to be his defensive coordinator the first year he oversaw the Cowboys. Looking back in time, Coach McCarthy’s aversion to Aaron Rodgers was palpable during the 2005 pre-draft process. He was openly critical of Aaron Rodgers to the Bay area media. Then a year later, he becomes the Green Bay Packer’s head coach. Eventually, Aaron Rodgers became the starter. Now Rodgers is widely known for his ability to hold grudges. He was aware that McCarthy didn’t want him as a 49er. Rodger’s grudge, and McCarthy’s gaffe was the genesis of 13 years of toxicity, culminating in McCarthy’s ouster from the Packers. The Packers didn’t win the Super Bowl because of McCarthy. The Packers won the Super Bowl because of Aaron Rodgers talent and General Manager Ted Thompson’s masterful roster construction. Now McCarthy is the bumbling, yelling leader of the Cowboys. Listening to him give a speech to his team harkened back to the days of listening to old middle-aged high school football coaches who care more about winning than coaching players.
Overall, the leader of the Cowboys in my mind is Dak Prescott. The juice of the team is Cee Dee Lamb. The anchor of the team will be Zeke Elliott. The leader of the defense will be Micah Parsons. The Cowboys will be as good as those four players are. If one of the core 4 falls, the Cowboys will be in dire straits, and Jerry Jone’s wish to win another Super Bowl washed away.