Mike McCarthy responds to criticism for Cowboys embarrassing playoff exit

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy spoke on the Rich Eisen Show about criticism he received for his team’s disappointing early playoff exit. The Cowboys entered the playoffs last season with some of the highest expectations of any Cowboys team in history, after a fantastic regular season performance. After losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the first round, McCarthy and the Cowboys received an abundance of criticism for failing when it mattered the most.

Mike McCarthy on playoff criticism

“That’s part of being a head coach,” said McCarthy of critics who claim the Cowboys’ loss falls entirely on him. “That’s part of being a leader. Also I think — that’s why you’ve gotta look at every play in the game. Did they win, or did they lose? And also was the scheme favorable to put the players in position?”

McCarthy attempted to explain the overall goal of the Cowboys under his leadership, stating that looking at individual plays is only one piece of the entire job. While he didn’t shirk any of the responsibility for the loss with his explanation, he made sure to focus the conversation on what the team’s culture should be.

“You look at the fake punt — that was a huge play for us,” McCarthy continued. “But we were in a hurry-up play coming off of that. Obviously they shut it down because of the attempted substitution on the sideline. So you look at all of those details in your evaluation — but at the end of the day it’s about winning. And everything we do here on a daily basis is about winning. When I show up for work every day, that’s all I ever think about. How can we make the locker room stronger? The teaching environment better? And that’s really what I keep my focus on.

“I think it’s like anything — criticism comes with the job. And frankly the longer you do this, the more marks you’ll have on you because of it. That just kind of goes with the territory. When you lose, criticism’s gonna come. And it’s gonna come heavier and harder than probably you’ve ever experienced in your life when you work with the Dallas Cowboys. That’s part of the landscape. So that’s why you just keep plugging.”

The Cowboys’ head coach closed his comments on the team’s painful loss by seeming to blame their lack of preparation for game day. Most of the criticism faced by this Cowboys’ loss comes from the abundance of talent that the roster seems to have, and how they entered the postseason as favorites by many analysts and fans.

“It’s about making the players successful. And the players have to have it plainly, as far as the way it’s repped — the way they feel comfortable with it. I’ve been at this a long time. I’ve seen some great plays on film, on paper [and] at practice. But if it’s not oiled up and if it’s not totally dialed in — then the chances for it to be successful on Sunday are not as high as you want them and they need to be.”