At this point, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy should be used to feeling the heat every offseason.

It seems like a yearly conversation ever since he took over as head coach back in 2020. First, it was the 6-10 record (thanks to Dak Prescott's awful injury) that had people questioning his future. Then it was the one-and-done playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers the next year. 

Now, all eyes are on McCarthy after another bad playoff loss to the 49ers and an offseason that has seen a lot of turnover regarding the coaching staff.

All of the above has led many to believe this is a do-or-die year for the former Super Bowl winner. That includes all four of the ESPN analysts on Friday's episode of Get Up.

NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeff Darlington, along with analysts Andrew Hawkins and Adam Hahn, made it very clear that it's up to McCarthy to make this work and show everyone that his methods will help the Cowboys get over the playoff hump and even end the Super Bowl drought that's plagued the franchise for almost 30 years, now.

"Anytime your cure to the offense is "sprinkle a little 'me' on it" – absolutely, you're gonna have more pressure. If there's no success, we're pointing at you," said Hawkins.

It's not just about the recent developments, either. The Cowboys tied for the third-most penalties in 2022 (113) after leading the NFL with 141 in 2021. Their disciplinary issues have literally cost them games and so far, it doesn't look like that trend is stopping anytime soon.

There's also McCarthy's clock management issues. Everyone remembers the clock debacle in the playoffs a couple years ago and there were multiple instances last year that affected the team. That has to get fixed this year or else the Cowboys will continue to lose the close games that matter the most.

"Not only is he taking over the offense, we still have those wonders about the time management [and] all the things that have followed Mike McCarthy through his career," said Darlington. "100% the pressure is on Mike McCarthy. Dak Prescott -I know there's criticism on him- but he's going to be around in Dallas for the foreseeable future."

"I mean, he's made the bold statement about "running the damn ball"," said Hahn. "He has talked about the fact that 'Kellen Moore wanted to light up the scoreboard, I just want to win and do whatever it takes to win.' So, it's all on him now [and] less will be on Dak [Prescott] because he took over the play calling. There's a target already that was on him in Dallas. It'll be a lot bigger in 2023."

And of course, the quartet had to end the segment with a parting shot and boy, did Graziano throw some shade.

"Look, that's the thing: He wants to run the ball and control the clock, but half the places he goes, he can't even see the clock. I don't know what McCarthy is talking about.

"Bold strategy, Cotton."

McCarthy certainly has made some bold moves, but no reward comes without risk. If this all works like he envisions, the Cowboys certainly could make a postseason run come January.

But if it doesn't, it's easy to see McCarthy's future will be 100% up-in-the-air heading into the 2024 offseason.

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