NFL writer's choice for Cowboys' biggest red flag is also their biggest hope
Asked about how much the offense will change as Mike McCarthy takes over the offense, the Dallas Cowboys' reply has been consistent. The head coach, Dak Prescott, and Brian Schottenheimer have all offered the same response: Thirty percent. And while that can be interpreted as "not too much," it's still a decidedly ambiguous answer. After […]
Asked about how much the offense will change as Mike McCarthy takes over the offense, the Dallas Cowboys' reply has been consistent. The head coach, Dak Prescott, and Brian Schottenheimer have all offered the same response: Thirty percent.
And while that can be interpreted as "not too much," it's still a decidedly ambiguous answer. After all, a small change in the playbook and its language can turn into a massive shift because of the man calling the plays on Sundays.
That's probably why Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports listed McCarthy taking over the unit as the Cowboys' "biggest red flag" entering the 2023 NFL season.
Here's his explanation for such a choice in a recent article he put together that looked at every contender:
After a mutual split with OC Kellen Moore, head coach Mike McCarthy is taking over as Dallas' primary play-caller. Though he probably deserves more credit for guiding back-to-back 12-win seasons, his older-school, oft-conservative tendencies could surface to a greater degree now that he's directly in charge of Dak Prescott and Co.
– Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports
Let's face it. It's a fair concern. McCarthy's tenure with the Packers did end with an offense gone stale and an antiquated scheme. And yet, it'd be unrealistic to exclusively portray Green Bay's offense as such. It undeniably yielded strong results, including a Super Bowl win.
Between 2006 and 2018, McCarthy's offense ranked as the third-best in the NFL in EPA/play. It also happened to be the fourth-best when narrowing it down to passing exclusively.
As an experienced coach developing quarterbacks and calling offenses, McCarthy could have what it takes to build on what already was a strong unit. Where he'll have the chance to really make an impact boils down to two crucial areas.
- Making it easy on Dak: Opposite to popular belief, McCarthy likes to throw the football. Doing so on early downs could be the key to fewer uncomfortable third-and-long situations for Prescott.
- Situational football: We saw the worst versions of Kellen Moore against the San Francisco 49ers in consecutive playoff trips. At times, his offense struggled to find answers when things weren't going his way. Doing fewer things better instead of doing a little bit of everything could be the shift McCarthy can bring to the table in 2023. It will show up in high-leverage situations.
So while I understand where Benjamin is coming from by listing the head coach's increased involvement on offense as the Cowboys' biggest red flag, I believe it's where most of the hope for a better end result comes from. Dallas has already proven it has the foundations for a highly productive offense.
Now it's time for that to show up when it matters the most.
I wrote in more detail about the changes and remaining questions McCarthy's offense will feature in the Cowboys' in a recent article, which you can check out below.
Cowboys: 5 remaining questions about new ‘Texas Coast’ offense
The Dallas Cowboys offense is allegedly changing in just a few ways. But we still have important questions about how Mike McCarthy will run things.
Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
