Cowboys’ McCarthy reflects on Dak, Jaylon, Nolan, Kellen, COVID, and 6-10 finish

The first-year coach recaps the ups and downs of his first year in Dallas, while offering hints about what he expects for the 2021 campaign.

According to the old adage, hindsight is 20/20. But now, after a year that defies explanation, hindsight finally includes 2020. As fourteen NFL teams advance to the postseason to crown a champion of this unlikeliest of seasons, the Dallas Cowboys are left to clean out their lockers and conduct exit interviews as they close up shop.

Head coach Mike McCarthy says he plans to watch this weekend’s playoff games more as a fan “to see who’s playing well” but will spend next week finishing up his coaching duties around The Star. Then, the 57-year-old plans to travel back to Green Bay to spend time with family (and his snowblower) before early preparations for the Cowboys’ 2021 offseason begin in earnest.

On Friday, the one-year anniversary of his introductory press conference as head coach, McCarthy made his final weekly call-in of the season to Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. With no more upcoming opponents to scout, no more injury reports to update, no more gameplans to tease, the conversation was a reflective one that looked back on several areas of the 2020 campaign.