Mike McCarthy says he knows how to win, and Cowboys will get over the playoff threshold
FRISCO, Texas - Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy held his fourth end of season press conference Thursday, just hours after Jerry Jones said he would be the coach next season.
McCarthy’s job came under fire after the team's wild card playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.
This came after three days of uncertainty whether Jones would fire McCarthy with one year left on his contract.
The owner and coach had a meeting Wednesday that lasted more than three hours.
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McCarthy said he didn’t exactly have to fight for his job, but that it was a hard conversation.
Even at the podium here Thursday, you could see and hear the emotion from McCarthy, who called the end to this season "still raw."
During his presser, McCarthy was peppered with questions about why he hasn’t been able to get this team over the hump in the playoffs, with now a 1-3 record in the postseason for this franchise.
McCarthy said each playoff loss the last three years is individual.
As far as what went wrong in that stunning loss to Green Bay that at one point saw Dallas trailing at home by 32 points in the 4th quarter, McCarthy said the team wasn’t flat, but rather that everyone was playing "too fast."
With the uncertainty of his job this week, McCarthy said the only thing that really bothered him was the limbo for his family.
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Multiple times during this press conference, he reiterated his self-confidence in being able to bring a sixth Lombardi Trophy to Dallas.
McCarthy’s message to the fans echoed Jones’ statement, that this team is very close.
"We have an unbelievable fan base and they should be frustrated. We're extremely disappointed. Disappointed for them. Disappointed in our performance. But my message would be this, we've established a championship program, it's just not a world championship yet. We know how to win, we know how to train to win, we have the right people, but we have not crossed the threshold of winning playoff games. It's extremely disappointing to be sitting here talking about it, but I know how to win and we will get over that threshold," McCarthy said.
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Like McCarthy, Dak Prescott enters the final year of his contract.
McCarthy said he believes Prescott can take another step, and is the answer for this team.
As far as the coaching staff is concerned, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is interviewing for head coaching jobs.
When asked about Quinn’s potential return, McCarthy called him, "a highly valued member of the staff."
There will certainly be more questions for the Cowboys owner about his coaching staff and roster before next season.