Mike McCarthy criticizes Cowboys OC Kellen Moore: 'We've got to be smarter'

After scoring three points and struggling mightily on offense in their opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said his team needs to be better calling plays on offense. He specifically cited some shortcomings from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

McCarthy wasn’t eschewing what Moore knows or the scheme that the Cowboys run, but acknowledged that with different personnel — especially in light of Dak Prescott’s Week 1 injury — that the offense might need to look different. And the aggressive looks the Cowboys came to love in recent years with a passing attack featuring CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, among others, might need to stay on the shelf for a bit.

“And let’s be honest,” McCarthy said on Friday, “in Kellen’s time as a coordinator, he’s been able to play very, very aggressive. We’re in a phase right now that we’ve got to be a little smarter, in certain situations. So that’s all part of growing as a play caller.”

Here's the full quote: https://t.co/t6Crz9zNds pic.twitter.com/rWPnNCc2WF

— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) September 16, 2022

The Cowboys lead the league in scoring in 2021 with 530 points scored — some of that surely aided by an incredibly opportunistic defense creating short fields and points on their own — and Prescott was ninth in the league in yards per pass attempt. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Prescott was in the top half of the league in 2021 in average intended air yards, an indication that he was trying to push the ball downfield.

With a piecemeal offensive line that only got more hurt as the game went on and a receiving corps sans Cooper (traded to the Clevelands Browns) and Gallup (knee injury) left plenty to be desired for the Cowboys. The end result — no touchdowns, less than 250 yards of total offense, and a league-low three points after one game — left a bad taste in the mouth of Cowboys fans hopeful for more fireworks like last year.

And McCarthy’s quote is biting, but his lead up to the “we’ve got to be a little smarter” line pointed out that the Cowboys worked all offseason to build the offense and changing on the fly is easier said than done.

“Kellen and the offensive staff have been working on this since April. Shoot, longer than April — with the players since April,” McCarthy said. “so we’ve just gotta trust what we’ve built on our menu. You’ve gotta adjust when you have a change in lineup, and we definitely are working through that and want to make sure we’re helping, but maybe not being as conservative as you like to be.”