New head coach Mike McCarthy is busy trying to put together his staff for the 2020 NFL season. One thing is certain: it won’t lack experience. While many of the spots aren’t finalized, the defensive coordinator and special teams, two units that failed the Cowboys on a regular basis in 2019 have been shored up with Mike Nolan and John Fassel. There’s also solid intel he’s chosen a veteran DL coach with mounds of respect.
Offensively, McCarthy will bring a flavor of his own, but that side of the ball wasn’t the reason that Dallas missed the playoffs in the 2019. Reports are surfacing that the proverbial ball is in Kellen Moore’s court to decide whether or not he will maintain the role he enjoyed and performed well in last year. The word is mum as far as position coaches go, but the staff is beginning to take shape in a hurry, despite the confusing week that was while formally announcing the fate of Jason Garrett.
The team will officially introduce McCarthy on Wednesday.
#Cowboys will introduce Mike McCarthy tomorrow at 3PM CST in his introductory press conference as head coach. The date and time are here.
— Brianna Dix (@DixBrianna) January 7, 2020
The Starting 11: The Cowboys Could Have Hired Anyone, and They Picked Mike McCarthy :: The Ringer
The biggest problem people have with McCarthy is that it’s not splashy. Many expected the Cowboys to pull out all the stops to lure Lincoln Riley out of his fiefdom in Oklahoma or Sean Payton out of the bayou in New Orleans. McCarthy was hired as a retread while reportedly interviewing only one other candidate in Marvin Lewis. Whether or not it’s the right choice remains to be seen, but being flashy has not always served the Cowboys best in the past.
–TT
Cowboys hire the best coach available: A comprehensive breakdown of Mike McCarthy’s fit in Dallas :: The Athletic
On the other hand there’s Bob Sturm, a Wisconsin native and Green Bay Packers enthusiast who seems to be the polar opposite of most people’s thinking regarding Mike McCarthy, calling him the “best coach available.” He writes up both the pros and cons of the hires, providing a detailed look into the coach who just signed a five-year contract.
–TT
Inside the eight days it took the Dallas Cowboys to hire a head coach :: ESPN
A behind the scenes look at what transpired in between the end of the Dallas season and choosing McCarthy to replace Jason Garrett. ESPN’s Todd Archer synthesizes information from high-ranking sources inside The Star, including dispelling the funniest rumor of them all: that McCarthy had stayed the night at owner Jerry Jones’s house.
Regardless, it’s clear that the Cowboys’ brass was blown away in the interview process leaving no reason to extend the search for the ninth head coach in team history.
–TT
Cowboys roster breakdown: What will Mike McCarthy inherit, and what changes could be coming? :: The Athletic
A look at the entirety of the Dallas roster heading into the off-season. The amount of contracts that are up in the air can seem alarming, but remember the large amount of cap space the Cowboys have to work with. Some players that don’t have a contract, namely quarterback Dak Prescott, aren’t going anywhere. But others, like cornerback Byron Jones, have their future in doubt.
–TT
Mike McCarthy fleshing out special staff for Cowboys, hires Bones Fassel :: Cowboys Wire
The Dallas Cowboys special teams has been anything but special recently. For the past two years, it’s been downright bad. But McCarthy isn’t having any of that, bringing in perhaps the gutsiest special teams coach in the league in John “Bones” Fassel.
He’s also got his gaze set upon Jim Tomsula for the defensive line.
As Mike McCarthy works to build out his #Cowboys staff, another familiar name that’s being targeted is Jim Tomsula, per sources. Respected D-line coach (and onetime #49ers coach) would take over a talented group in Dallas.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 7, 2020
–TT
Report: Kellen Moore deciding between Cowboys OC and college job :: Cowboys Wire
The word out of Dallas is Moore will return to the Cowboys as offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy, however it’s not written in stone. What his role would entail under the new head coach is unclear and will remain so for the foreseeable future, while a move to the college ranks would allow more autonomy for the 31-year-old.
–TT
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