Cowboys news: Mike McCarthy acknowledges lack of run game on both sides of the ball

Cowboys news: Mike McCarthy acknowledges lack of run game on both sides of the ball

Both teams’ running games need to “be better,” according to Nick Eatman of Dallas Cowboys.com.

It was a significant problem in 2023.

The running game is always a key component of success or failure in football, regardless of the era.

The Cowboys failed to meet the mark this past season on both sides of the ball.

The Cowboys’ inability to run the ball effectively on offense and their defense’s glut of running yards were evident in their season-long losses.

For his first offseason media meeting, head coach Mike McCarthy was asked especially to address the run,

both on offense and defense, on Thursday.

In the grand scheme of things, McCarthy stated,

“I think we need to be better in both areas over the course of the year.”

“I believe it’s something we were discussing,”

These are the things that pertain to training, how you perform it,

and how you can get better at it. In both areas, we are not where we should be.

In both categories, the Cowboys’ location was essentially in the middle of the pack.

At 112.9 yards per game on offense, they were 14th out of 32 teams in terms of rushing yards per contest.

They ranked 16th in defense, giving up 112.4 yards per game, and were exactly in the center of the pack.

Tyron Smith’s future is discussed by Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZ Sports

This season, Smith played a lot more than anyone had predicted.

It’s difficult to give up on one of the best pass pro tackles in the entire league,

even if the Cowboys have been planning to move on from

the future Hall of Famer since they selected Tyler Smith in the 2022 NFL Draft.

In 2023, Smith was named to the Second Team All-Pro,

after only allowing three sacks and 21 pressures in 610 pass-blocking snaps.

It was as though Smith went back in time to his best, healthiest NFL years,

gaining access to all of that knowledge and experience in the process.

When questioned by reporters about his discussions with Smith, McCarthy responded,

“I think the biggest thing for Tyron is, you know,

we talked about the path of his season and the training plan that was in place for him.”

“This is without a doubt the best season I’ve had with him since 2020. That made him feel incredibly good.

Granted, Smith dealt with injuries all season long and missed a total of four games.

In all those, he was missed. With a revised deal full of playing-time incentives,

the Cowboys reduced the risk associated with his erratic health.

According to his deal, Dak Prescott will remain with the Cowboys for a number of further years. PFT Mike Florio

An extension including Dak Prescott seemed inevitable.

It seems there was some doubt as to whether head coach Mike McCarthy would return to the Cowboys.

They will without a doubt welcome back quarterback Dak Prescott.

It is unrelated to his play,

which was excellent in the regular season but insufficient in the playoff defeat to the Packers.

It is entirely related to his contract.

Rather of wearing the second franchise tag, Prescott signed a four-year contract,

which he is now entering its last year of.

He was franchise-tagged for the first time when his four-year rookie contract expired,

and he reached the second tag because the Cowboys declined to renew his rookie contract after three years.

He was in a powerful position in the beginning of 2021.

With it, he took exactly the same action that team owner Jerry Jones has

used whenever he has had significant influence throughout his life.

He used it to his fullest advantage.

Prescott’s cap figure will thus soar from $26.832 million in 2023 to $59.455 million

on opening day of the 2024 league year.

To avoid paying the hefty cap charge, the Cowboys are forced to extend his contract before then.

Cowboys maintaining Mike McCarthy feels as though the year 2010 has returned.

The Boys’ Blogging by Jess Haynie

It appears to be a repeat.

Mike McCarthy is back, then. That one sentence has a lot of power and

completely changes our perception of the forthcoming season.

Furthermore, if the Dallas Cowboys’ past is any indication,

McCarthy’s comeback may position him for another midseason dismissal.

It wouldn’t be the first time for McCarthy. He was fired by Green Bay in 2019 after starting the year 4-7-1.

That came on the heels of a 7-9 season in which the Packers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

It also involved McCarthy’s deteriorating relationship with QB Aaron Rodgers,

which was getting more and more attention as the team struggled.

We have a different situation here in Dallas. McCarthy’s had three 12-win seasons

in a row and appears to sing “kum ba yah” with Dak Prescott regularly.

His players came out in support of him this week on social media, even celebrating the news of his return.

But their reaction is far different from many fans,

who wailed at the report that McCarthy would be back for the fifth and final year of his Cowboys contract.

We’re walking into a season that feels a lot like 2010, Wade Phillips’ final days in Dallas.

For three years prior, the Cowboys had been generally successful under Phillips.

Two NFC East titles, their first playoff win since 1996,

star players all over the roster; it felt like a team with legitimate championship potential.

But in the 2009 playoffs, Dallas got eliminated in a 34-3 blowout by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round.

Riding high after that win over the Eagles,

the Cowboys had an all-time letdown game and wiped out whatever points Phillips had scored with the front office.

The question of whether or not he’d even return in 2010 was out there, and of course he did.

But clearly, it left him on the shakiest of ground.

The ground fell out from under Phillips just 10 months later.

With an aged offensive line and a closed championship window, Dallas went 1-7 to start the next year.

While QB Tony Romo did get injured that year, it didn’t happen until midway through the sixth game.

Two weeks later, after a 45-7 blowout loss to the Packers,

Phillips was fired and Jason Garrett was promoted from offensive coordinator to interim head coach.

2024 now feels a lot like that 2010 season. McCarthy, like Phillips,

has had relative success compared to most NFL teams.

He’s won two division titles and a lot of regular-season games.

But the playoff results have been abysmal,

and last Sunday’s embarrassment against Green Bay rivals what Phillips’ team did in Minnesota 14 years ago.

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