“He somehow won the power struggle” - Skip Bayless claims Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy is now invincible after Kellen Moore firing
As most fans are well aware, head coach Mike McCarthy and his offensive coordinator Kellen Moore publicly failed to push the Dallas Cowboys into this year's NFC Championship game. In response, pundits, fans and analysts pressured or braced for the team to cut ties with the head coach.
Instead, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore appears to have taken the brunt of the punishment when he was fired over the weekend. In response to the firing, NFL analyst Skip Bayless stated that the power dynamic had changed in favor of the head coach. Here's how he put it on "Undisputed:"
“Mike McCarthy somehow won the power struggle with Kellen Moore that I think was operating behind the scenes and under the table. Because now Mike McCarthy seems to have Jerry's ear and blessing more than ever."
Will Mike McCarthy reach the NFC Championship in 2023?
He continued, half-joking that the head coach taking over playcalling duties was in response to Bayless' complaints on the show:
"And I guess Mike just got tired of me saying... that I don't know what it is that he actually does... He looks like a bump on the log on the sideline to me and I guess he got so sick and tired of it [that] he said, 'Okay, watch this. I'm going to call plays next year.’”
Former Cowboys OC Kellen Moore set to rebound quickly from firing
According to NFL media via Pro Football Talk, former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is expected to be brought on as the Los Angeles Chargers' new offensive coordinator. Failing that, there is plenty of interest across the league. The interest has not been a new development, as many have speculated about the coordinator potentially getting head coaching looks.
That said, if the hire becomes official with the Chargers in the early part of this week, he will be hired faster than the time it takes to comfortably drive from Dallas to Los Angeles.
Former #Cowboys OC Kellen Moore is expected to become the #Chargers OC, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. The talented play-caller goes from Dak Prescott to Justin Herbert, a quick move after his departure from Dallas. https://t.co/rgo99lA3YL
The oft-lauded offensive mind was a quarterback who started two games for the franchise in 2015. In 2018, he was brought on as a quarterbacks coach for a year. From 2019 until the end of the 2022 season, he served as the team's offensive coordinator. In 2022, he presided over an offense that ranked fourth in the NFL in points per game.
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Undisputed and H/T Sportskeeda.