Mike McCarthy explains 'theme' for Cowboys' 2023 season

When it comes to expectations for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023, it’s real simple: Super Bowl or bust. That’s it. Those are the expectations for a franchise desperate to hoist its first Lombardi Trophy since 1996.

Heading into the season, it appears the pieces are there for Dallas to reach their end goal. That is, as long as they “seize everything,” head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday.

“The theme is Carpe Omnia, seize everything,” McCarthy said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Presented it to the team today. It just really has a few parts to it. Frankly, probably the players should speak on it because I’ll be curious how much they paid attention. I think themes are important. They come to you at different points of the offseason. This came a little different. I think it needs to illustrate where you feel your football team is at, where they are, in their progression towards winning a championship. I think it’s very, very difficult to win a Super Bowl in this league, there’s no question about it, that’s proven each and every year.

“But sustaining success, I think personally in my experience, is a bigger challenge. Just giving them the touchstone to connect with of Carpe equals seize, Omnia equals everything. That’s the way we’re looking at this season. We have an empty picture frame in the front of the team room. It illustrates that pictures say a thousand words.

“But the reality of it is an empty frame is everything because it is all the possibilities, capabilities, what’s in front of us. Are we going to do what we need to do every single day, everything that we can possibly do to fill that frame and be part of the history and tradition of the Dallas Cowboys.”

Cowboys have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL

While the Cowboys have players all over its roster, the offensive side of the ball is where their talent shines through the most. A top-five scoring offense from a year ago, Dallas returns its core pieces in quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Tony Pollard, receiver CeeDee Lamb and offensive lineman Zack Martin among others. Additionally, the Cowboys made a major splash this offseason, acquiring veteran wideout Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans.

Combine that with a defense led by one of the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award favorites in edge rusher Micah Parsons, and Dallas should be a major player in the NFC, as long as they stay healthy.

The work begins in Week 1 against the New York Giants this Sunday, and hopefully for Dallas, ends in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, 2024.

“I’ve been sleeping on it,” Parsons said Wednesday, via the team’s website. “I’ve been thinking about it. Every night it’s, ‘Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl.’ But, you know, I don’t get too caught up on it — at the same time — because I know I have to take care of each week as its own. Each day has worries of its own. You have to focus on getting better inch by inch and, eventually, you’ll build enough inches to where you are in the Super Bowl. 

“But your preparation, your work and your mindset are what led you there. Everything that you do everyday leads to the Super Bowl, not just saying, ‘I wanna go to the Super Bowl.’ It just doesn’t work like that.”