Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy seems to be paying little attention to Jerry Jones’ gripes about his play calling.
During a Tuesday appearance on KRLD-FM in Dallas, Jones seemingly bashed McCarthy when he said the Cowboys are “designing bad plays.” McCarthy downplayed the comment during his Wednesday news conference.
“I talk to Jerry all the time. We have time to go through self scout, so I didn’t see the comment specifically,” he said while chuckling. “I don’t think we have bad concepts and plays. I’ll go back and check.”
Whatever McCarthy’s offensive game plan is, it hasn’t seemed to work through the Cowboys’ first six games.
Dallas (3-3) ranks 20th in the league in points scored (21 PPG), 18th in yards per play (5.2) and 24th in expected points contributed (-9..42), via Pro Football Reference. Last season, the Cowboys finished first in points scored (29.9), tied for sixth in yards per play (5.6) and were third in expected points contributed (192.72).
“We’re not where we want to be. That’s clear, and that’s ultimately my responsibility, and I’m fully aware of that,” McCarthy said of the offense’s downturn. “We’re very diligent. We’re on top of what we want to do.”
Not all blame should fall on McCarthy. Jones and Co. let offensive stars walk this offseason, including running back Tony Pollard and offensive tackle Tyron Smith. Pollard has since signed with the Tennessee Titans, while Smith is now with the New York Jets.
Dallas did little to replace them. Per Over The Cap.com, the Cowboys spent $20.795M in free agency, last in the NFL.
The Cowboys could’ve pursued running back Derrick Henry, but he signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Jones said Henry wouldn’t be having a “career year” in Dallas. That seems like a foolish claim, considering Henry’s averaging a career-high 6.5 yards per carry.
Although Jones didn’t give McCarthy the roster he needed, he must find a way to help Dallas’ offense score more points in Sunday’s road game against the San Francisco 49ers (3-4).
McCarthy is entering the final year of his contract, and his seat may get warmer if the Cowboys fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
