When the Cleveland Browns were choosing who would be the coach to take over after the 2018 season, Mike McCarthy was a very popular name. Freshly fired by the Green Bay Packers after that talented team stagnated, McCarthy was a hot coaching commodity.
His previous ties to then-Browns GM John Dorsey made McCarthy an instant front-runner. For a variety of reasons, Dorsey and the Browns opted to roll with Freddie Kitchens instead. McCarthy took the year off, dipping his toes in the media world instead.
When Kitchens and Dorsey got fired, McCarthy was once again a prominent name. He interviewed again, this time with new GM Andrew Berry. But the Browns chose Kevin Stefanski instead, with McCarthy eventually landing in Dallas as Jason Garrett’s successor.
Sunday’s game between the two shows the Browns made the right choice.
It’s not just the result on the scoreboard, though that certainly matters too. The Browns entered the game with a plan of attack and showed creativity, specifically tailoring plays to take advantage of the Cowboys’ weaknesses. That’s where the Jarvis Landry-to-Odell Beckham TD pass came from, as well as Beckham’s turbocharged TD run that sealed the game.
McCarthy’s team struggled at everything outside of Dak Prescott throwing the ball to one of the NFL’s top receiving corps. He ignored helping a backup tackle in pass protection against Myles Garrett and it led to a turnover and two sacks. His clock management — a massive sore point during his Packers days — is still lacking. In-game defensive adjustments, another point of contention for the Packers faithful, remain a foreign concept to McCarthy.
His Cowboys, the overwhelming favorites to win the NFC East this year, would be winless if not for Atlanta’s historically unprecedented collapse. It’s certainly not all his fault, but through four games McCarthy has not proven capable of navigating the tricky waters of running a high-profile team with a meddling owner and a host of injuries. Sounds familiar, huh?
It’s too early to know if Stefanski is the long-term answer in Cleveland, though he’s off to a pretty darn good start. But it’s clear McCarthy was not going to be the right choice and the Browns were smart to go in a different direction.