Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is ready to go. He is awaiting the playoff opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is oozing with confidence.

The Cowboys (and the Buccaneers) got an extra day of rest since their playoff opener is on Monday night. While the rest is nice, McCarthy explained that his team did not necessarily need it.

"We're ready to go," McCarthy said about the playoffs.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on having a longer week to prepare with them playing on Monday night: “We didn’t need it. We’re ready to go.”

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 14, 2023

And that's exciting. It is exactly the kind of mindset that McCarthy and the rest of the locker room need to have. Especially with a matchup against Tom Brady on the dock in a do-or-die game.

Cowboys are ready

Fortunately, it's not just McCarthy voicing confidence ahead of the postseason. Many of the key figures in the building have made similar statements. Defensive phenom Micah Parsons is included among those.

“Honestly, I feel like as far as we go, these are going to be my best games," Parsons said this week. "That’s just because I want it. Regular season’s cool. You guys get all hyped up. But this is where legends are made.”

Furthermore, Dak Prescott is always in the spotlight. That is especially the case entering the showdown against Brady. Certainly after the kind of performance that he ended the regular season with.

Fortunately, Prescott is confident that he has put that game behind him and will show that against the Buccaneers. All eyes will be on that.

“I’ve been able to put (the last game) behind me," said Prescott. "When something is uncharacteristic, it’s about getting back and doing the things that you know who you are, studying and preparation. Making sure I’m doing everything mentally and leave no doubt that I respond the right way.”

The defense is tired of the Tom Brady talk, too.

Tom Brady is 7-0 vs. the Cowboys. Does it matter? “No, not at all,” DeMarcus Lawrence said. Said Jayron Kearse, “It’s 2023. He ain’t beat us this year. That’s all we’re worried about.”

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 11, 2023

There is no doubt that the Dallas Cowboys are oozing with confidence heading into the playoffs. Now, it's time to back the talk up and put it on the field.

"This is where legends are made," Parsons stated.

Featured image via Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports