Mike McCarthy finally feels at home as Cowboys coach, but to stay, he must win

FRISCO, Texas — North Texas finally feels like home for Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy.

His family has relocated to Allen after spending much of last year in Green Bay because of the covid-19 pandemic.

His stepson just started college at SMU.

It all has given McCarthy, a Greenfield native, a sense of normalcy.

“This is a cool time for us as a family,” McCarthy said during a 45-minute fireside chat with the local beat writers Thursday afternoon. “We are excited about this chapter in our life. I feel like I am married now. I get to talk to my wife. Yeah, this is cool.

“The girls had a good day on the first day of school. Coming from Green Bay, Wisconsin, you can imagine the shell shock. I was with them when we first pulled in on the first day. Jesus, my goodness.”

McCarthy said the kids went to a small Catholic school in Green Bay where each grade had two classes of about 22 students each. Prestonwood has 120 kids per grade, but the same student-class ratio. “It’s impressive,” McCarthy said.

But perhaps, initially, not enough for his 12-year-old, who lobbied to go to school in Allen, as she noted it had “the biggest football stadium in the country.”

“I was like, ‘You are from Green Bay, Wisconsin. You are not ready for Allen,’ ” McCarthy recalled with a laugh. “I just shot her straight. ‘There ain’t no way I am sticking you in Allen’.”

What a metaphor for McCarthy’s shell-shocking tenure so far with the Cowboys.

He believes he is finally ready to live up to the mighty expectations that came with the job when he was hired by team owner Jerry Jones before last season — his first gig since being fired by the Green Bay Packers in 2018.

And, just so long as we’re shooting straight, if McCarthy doesn’t make a marked improvement from last season’s 6-10 campaign, he won’t be sticking around here long.

McCarthy was shell-shocked by what transpired last season. From the pandemic shutdown to the litany of injuries, which included losing quarterback Dak Prescott for the final 11 games, to fielding arguably the worst defense in franchise history, last season took its toll. And on top of that was the tragic death of strength coach Markus Paul two days before Thanksgiving.

All of it added up to being a devastating year. As far as the football goes, they know they need a better response.

“6-10? Yeah that leaves a dent,” McCarthy said. “Yeah, I don’t care what the circumstances are. I was just thinking for a while there I just didn’t know if it was going to stop.”

McCarthy admits now that he was desperate and hopeless when he called a fake punt deep in his own territory in the fourth quarter of the Thanksgiving Day loss to Washington.

He said the whole season had a lot of “Oh, my god, here-we-go-again” moments.

“To me that (week) was the microcosm of our whole season,” McCarthy said. “I’ve never felt like that on a sideline like I did last year on numerous occasions.”

Now, the 2021 season still won’t be normal by any pre-covid standards, but there is a sense of calm, control and confidence in McCarthy that he didn’t have last season.

The Hard Knocks cameras have been a burden, but that spotlight comes with the territory of being coach of America’s Team.

He understands now that perception matters here more than it did in Green Bay, and he also knows that winning matters most. He hasn’t shied from Super Bowl-title talk, which may seem bold for a franchise that has just four playoff wins since 1996.

He truly believes he can win big in Dallas, not just in 2021, but for years to come. He think this because of the return of Prescott — whom he compares to Joe Montana, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers as centerpieces of a title team — and a revamped defense.

“I know how to win,” McCarthy said boldly. “I have confidence in that. It’s transition. I didn’t get the transition as far last year what the program looks like, the way I had hoped to in Year 1. And we’re working toward that.”

“So that’s what I’m excited about. Obviously, you want to win games, but I’m building a championship program. That’s just the way I’ve always done it. I told them that the day I got here. We’re not just trying to win one, we’re trying to win them all.

“I have no doubt in my mind that we’re going to be successful here.”

All we know now is that his family loves it here after living in Wisconsin’s version of “Pleasantville.”

His daughters get fired up about driving by Ikea and Dunkin’ Donuts. He passes by 150 restaurants and establishments en route to work.

“You’d have to drive from Green Bay to Appleton to Milwaukee to Chicago to get that done,” McCarthy said of his former home. “And (my) little ladies recognize that stuff. So it’s a great place to live.”

But to stay, he has to win. Now.