When Dak Prescott spoke about Mike McCarthy on Tuesday, it wasn’t his defense of the head coach that was extraordinarily notable, nor was it the vote of confidence for McCarthy’s future to be in Dallas. Prescott has a longstanding history of having a good relationship with his coaches, whether it’s been his first NFL head coach Jason Garrett, his former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore or McCarthy.
It was the way Prescott defended McCarthy, and particularly the usage of words like “more influence” or “on his terms,” that stood out. On Wednesday, the Cowboys’ head coach and play caller was asked if he felt he had enough influence and has been able to coach on his terms.
“Yes, definitely,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s like any job, and this one specifically, I have a clear understanding of the responsibility. This is the most input I’ve ever been a part of as a head coach in personnel, particularly in the draft. We spend a tremendous amount of time as a coaching staff during the draft — the draft selection, preparation process. It’s different. I’m just trying to give you a good answer, compare it to my past. I’m not sure exactly what he meant by it, but it’s just like anything, we’re in Year 5 of a program. I think we have a lot of excellent things in place. I think we have some things that we can do better, and I think it’s all part of growing. It’s no different than the way I felt in Year 5 or 6 in my last opportunity.”
When Jerry Jones is involved, the topic of how much influence a head coach is able to have and how much he’s operating on his own terms will always be under a microscope. McCarthy’s answer to Prescott so clearly calling that into question isn’t surprising. It would be foolish to think McCarthy would stand at a podium with a month left in the regular season and throw the team’s owner and general manager under the bus so directly by conceding he doesn’t have influence. At the same time, it’s important to take historical context into account.
McCarthy is an offensive-minded head coach who was the de facto offensive coordinator and play caller in his long tenure in Green Bay. When he was hired in Dallas, he adopted the role of head coach but allowed Moore, the incumbent offensive coordinator and play caller to maintain his post. At the time, McCarthy said he did that in the name of continuity and making things easy for Prescott but keeping Moore around was a Jones preference. Last month, McCarthy said he would not do that again.
Also last month, McCarthy scrutinized the timing of the Cowboys’ 2024 roster coming together, saying, “When you’re signing veterans in (training) camp and you’re doing things at the end, I think that’s a pretty big challenge.” If things were truly on his terms — based on those comments — the Cowboys probably wouldn’t have been churning the roster as much as they were weeks into training camp.
That’s not to dismiss McCarthy’s comments Wednesday. Jones does give coaches a say and a legitimate seat at the table. McCarthy may really have more input now than he did in Green Bay. But is he coaching fully “on his terms” in Dallas? The honest answer won’t reveal itself for a while.
Lamb vs. Chase
CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase were both in pursuit of long-term contracts this past offseason. Lamb got his, coming in just under Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, while Chase is still waiting on his.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ offense has been lethal this season, and Chase is a big reason why. His 1,142 receiving yards lead the NFL through 13 weeks. Lamb and Chase are both tied for the most receptions by a wide receiver this season with 79. They only trail Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (84) in receptions this season.
Lamb and Chase are also leaders in a less glorious category. According to TruMedia, Lamb’s nine drops lead the NFL this season. Chase is tied with three other players for second in dropped passes with eight.
The big difference between the two elite receivers this season, though, has been efficiency. Chase has caught 72.5 percent of the passes thrown his way, ninth among wide receivers this season who have played at least 10 games. Lamb has caught 63.7 percent of his targets, 35th among qualifying receivers.
| STAT | LAMB | CHASE |
|---|---|---|
|
Games
|
12
|
12
|
|
Targets
|
124
|
109
|
|
Receptions
|
79
|
79
|
|
Yards
|
880
|
1,142
|
|
Yards per catch
|
11.1
|
14.5
|
|
TDs
|
4
|
13
|
|
Drops
|
9
|
8
|
|
Catch %
|
63.7
|
72.5
|
Jersey numbers
One thing I always found interesting on previous teams I covered was the story behind a player’s jersey number. Players get beaten down sometimes by questions about the current happenings of the team but they perk up quite a bit on a topic like this. I executed this concept when I covered the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, and a couple of times when I covered the Dallas Stars, in 2018 and in 2022. Given the number of players on an NFL roster, pursuing this story with the Cowboys was a whole different beast but Jon and I were able to get the job done. It’s an easy and quick read that will hopefully help you understand your favorite players a little better.
One interesting thing that I found while conducting the interviews for this project was just how much one player came up in conversations: Reggie Bush. It makes sense, given the age of most of the players on the roster. I’m 29 and was a huge fan of Bush myself when he was wrecking college football at USC, but it wasn’t just about how good of a football player he was. There was a real cool factor to Bush — a swagger — and I was reminded of that with how many players considered No. 5 (and a few No. 25, Bush’s NFL number) one of their favorites.
(Top photo of Ja’Marr Chase: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
