After taking it on the chin in a Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay, coach Mike McCarthy thinks the Cowboys need to be “smarter” in their game-planning, urging offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to tone it down with his aggressive play-calling.
“We just got to trust what we built on our menu. You got to adjust when you have change in the lineup, and we definitely are working through that and want to make sure we’re helping, but maybe not being as conservative as you’d like to be,” McCarthy expressed during Friday’s press conference. “Let’s be honest, in Kellen’s time as a coordinator he’s been able to play very, very aggressive. We’re in a phase right now that we got to be a little smarter in certain situations. It’s all part of growing as a play-caller.”
McCarthy didn’t give specifics, though he may be referring to a double-reverse on the Cowboys’ opening possession Sunday night, resulting in an eight-yard loss. Later that drive, the Cowboys dialed up a similar gimmick, with Pollard taking a direct snap out of the wildcat formation. Pollard was bottled up again, this time taking a one-yard loss.
While McCarthy will surely catch heat for using the word “conservative,” the reality is that Dallas, without starting quarterback Dak Prescott (broken thumb), Amari Cooper (traded this offseason) and Michael Gallup, who will assuredly be on a snap count when he returns from last year’s ACL surgery, doesn’t have the talent or personnel right now to call the kind of offense that was successful for them in 2021.
Facing a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter of Week 1, the Cowboys obviously didn’t have the luxury of establishing their running game with Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott combining for just 60 yards on 16 carries (3.75 yards per attempt). The biggest challenge for Dallas will be incorporating CeeDee Lamb, who was invisible against the Bucs, contributing just two catches for 29 yards on 11 targets in the losing effort.
It's not the most encouraging sign, though perhaps McCarthy was hoping to light a fire under Moore by calling him out publicly, a needed reality check for a team that could be headed for a coaching overhaul (we’ve all heard the Sean Payton rumblings) if this year goes poorly. It won’t get any easier for Dallas with the Bengals, coming off their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years, visiting Jerry’s World in Week 2.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram