Jerry Jones fires shots at HC Mike McCarthy days ahead of 2023 NFL Draft - “Drafting is not our problem, coaching is”
The Dallas Cowboys are ushering in a new era of sorts with head coach Mike McCarthy now the offensive play caller after Kellen Moore was moved on.
The Cowboys have had a great offseason that saw the front office go about its business and bring in wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore via trades while keeping ahold of several defensive starters.
As the draft approaches Thursday, Dallas is in a position where no specific area is a need so strengthening and they can draft the best player available. At their predraft news conference Jones made a light-hearted comment about drafting players:
“Drafting is not our problem. Coaching is.”
Jerry Jones joking while sitting next to Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy: “Drafting is not our problem, coaching is.”
Cowboys coaching has long been thought to be the franchise's biggest problem since the days of Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson. Jason Garrett and now McCarthy have been heavily criticized throughout their time in the hot seat.
Well, now, McCarthy gets to do something that won him a Super Bowl in Green Bay: call offensive plays. The thought when he initially signed with Dallas was that he would take over play calling, but instead opted for Moore to continue.
Even though it was a light-hearted dig, there is a little bit of Cowboys fans who knew Jerry was telling the truth.
Sink or swim for Mike McCarthy in 2023
Taking over from Kellen Moore was seen as a good move from most of Cowboy nation. But what it also does is heap pressure on Mike McCarthy to build on what Moore built.
For all his flaws, Moore still had the Cowboys offense as one of the most explosive in the NFL during his time as offensive coordinator. So, the minimum expectation with McCarthy is that he at least has Dallas in that same category.
To add to that, the way Dallas has performed in its last two playoff losses to the San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys want to see improvement.
With Mike McCarthy stearing the ship now, it is essentially all on him to succeed as Cowboys coach.