Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy gives an impromptu masterclass on play-calling
Whether or not his reign in Green Bay had a rocky end, Mike McCarthy is still one of the most experienced play-callers in the NFL. Commandeered by Aaron Rodgers, his Packers were one of the best offenses in the league for a long time. Now, McCarthy will try to replicate that success with the Dallas […]
Whether or not his reign in Green Bay had a rocky end, Mike McCarthy is still one of the most experienced play-callers in the NFL. Commandeered by Aaron Rodgers, his Packers were one of the best offenses in the league for a long time. Now, McCarthy will try to replicate that success with the Dallas Cowboys to get a second Super Bowl ring on his hand.
Although he's been with the team since 2020, this will be McCarthy's first calling the plays following the team's and Kellen Moore's mutual goodbye. He's visibly excited about it.
In a press conference during the second week of OTAs, the Cowboys head coach showed reporters he's still got it by going through the hand signals for the play-call "2 Jet Flanker Drive." But the not-too-serious showing of signals was followed by an impromptu explanation of what really matters in the world of play-calling. And it was a masterclass.
While we outsiders would assume the secret of play-calling is all about getting the perfect play call depending on the coverages the defense is showing or the alignment of the safeties or maybe something much more obscure only NFL coaches would know about, McCarthy believes it's about something much simpler.
Time.
"The principles of how you communicate to the quarterback to me are still the same," the Cowboys head coach told reporters on Thursday. "Because the more work you put into the offseason, the less you have to say on the headset. Because at the end of the day, the efficiency of play calling is getting the play in and the quarterback having as much possible time with that 40-second clock."
As exciting as it is when an NFL team schemes up the perfect recipe to beat a team's biggest weakness or when a defense is caught by surprise, on a down-to-down basis, it's about letting the players do their thing.
More time for the quarterback means more time to scan the defense. Maybe even more time to change the play or make a check.
"There's a story out there about the efficiency of time of you know, 'if you can be two seconds faster on 70 plays, do the math," McCarthy explained.
The new offensive architect of the Cowboys said that's the focus right now on the QB room, adding that the amount of responsibility you give your quarterback at the line of scrimmage is really a reflection of how much the play-caller, coordinator, and the quarterback are on the same page.
"At the end of the day, I believe a plain quick play call is much better than the perfect late play call," said McCarthy. "Because if I'm giving him ample time at the line of scrimmage, he has the ability to play fast, communicate, and getting out and we're attacking the defense and he also has time to make that check and put us in a perfect place."
That kind of efficiency doesn't come without sacrifice, however. The biggest differences between schemes in football are all about language and verbiage. The West Coast offense – where McCarthy's roots are from – is known for being wordy.
The Cowboys HC admits is something that the staff must improve and cut down before the season and it's been a point of emphasis at this stage of the offseason.
"The old system that I was in was very wordy," elaborated the Super Bowl-winning coach. "And every year, we were always trying to cut it down to make it go faster. And we're doing the same thing this year. Our verbiage is very wordy (compared to) the prior system and we're trying to cut it down because I do want to get it to (Dak) as fast as possible so he can get going and have as much time on that 40-second clock as possible."
Featured image via Dallas Cowboys YouTube Channel
