Cowboys' Mike McCarthy offers answer about odd situation brewing on offense and it says a lot about him as a coach
Dallas Cowboys' first-round rookie Tyler Guyton got the start on Sunday against the Washington Commanders but it appears "unquestionable starter" isn't a title he's able to boast about just yet. During the team's 34-26 win, Guyton was called for four penalties, three of which were pre-snap fouls. The mental mistakes cost the Cowboys big at times, […]
Dallas Cowboys' first-round rookie Tyler Guyton got the start on Sunday against the Washington Commanders but it appears "unquestionable starter" isn't a title he's able to boast about just yet.
During the team's 34-26 win, Guyton was called for four penalties, three of which were pre-snap fouls. The mental mistakes cost the Cowboys big at times, including an illegal formation wiping out a critical first down on what was looking like a very promising drive.
Throughout the game, it appeared as if the Cowboys were benching Guyton multiple times as he finished with only a 70% snap count with backup left tackle Asim Richards ending with a 33% count.
Postgame, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy offered an explanation: The team came into the game with a plan to rotate its young tackles.
"Just trust in the preparation," McCarthy told reporters about the rotation at LT. "Tyler Guyton was dealing with something, and so Asim played very well against Houston. We just had a plan to rotate those guys, and we'll take a look at the video."
It wasn't completely clear if McCarthy's comments on Guyton dealing with something was about the left tackle's shoulder injury that landed him on the injury report last week or if it was about his penalty woes during the game. Guyton was a full participant in practice all week leading up to the game.
McCarthy's decision to rotate the tackles has been a controversial topic among fans ands media. It's pretty clear Guyton is still a raw player going through some very expected growing pains but one would've assumed he'd be given as many reps as possible, specially as the Cowboys navigate a 4-7 season that provides little hope of getting to the playoffs.
McCarthy doesn't believe playing Guyton is hurting his development nor that it's creating any sort of negative feelings among the linemen.
"I thought the communication was clear and concise about the reason why we’re doing it," McCarthy added. "They’re young guys, and they need to play. We just have to keep helping them move along and grow some more."
Ultimately, even if I'm not a fan of rotating left tackles in a game, you've got to give credit where credit is due: If McCarthy's plan was to rotate these two from the start, you've got to respect it. Guyton might be a first-round pick but Richards played a heck of a game in Houston and McCarthy didn't shy away from rewarding him with a chance to compete on the field. The Cowboys coach had already teased some competition at left tackle was coming.
It says a lot about McCarthy, whose players are still fighting on the field despite outside narratives suggesting the locker room had quit on him, that he'll reward young players for playing well even if it means sacrificing developmental reps for a player the front office invested a first round pick in.
Agree or disagree with it, you've got to assume it's the kind of decision that will sit right with players. As Tony Romo once said, football is a meritocracy.
