NFL insider explains how Mike McCarthy is putting pressure on himself in 2023

There’s rarely a season where there isn’t pressure on the Dallas Cowboys head coach, but one NFL insider thinks Mike McCarthy has put himself in a particularly tenuous spot in 2023. On the “Rich Eisen Show” on Thursday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero explained how some offseason staff moves accentuate the pressure on the Cowboys head coach.

In short, moving on from Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator and making himself the play caller moves a lot of accountability onto McCarthy’s shoulders. And entering his fourth season at the helm in Dallas with little by way of postseason success there, there’s plenty of inherent pressure to win this year.

“Look what they’ve done in terms of how they’ve built that thing up. And now Mike is putting the pressure on himself. He could’ve fought and said, ‘Kellen, you’re not getting out of your contract. We’re keeping you here.’ They made the decision and it was good for everybody, because Kellen goes and joins Brandon Staley in L.A. Mike takes over the play calling duties, that puts pressure on himself. There’s no Kellen Moore now, this is Mike’s offense. And if they’re not really good offensively, Mike’s going to take the blame for it, whether that’s fair or not,” Pelissero said.

Pelissero made this point while discussing McCarthy as a potential Hall of Fame head coach. Despite his concerns about the pressure this year, Pelissero thinks McCarthy is on the cusp of being a Hall of Famer.

If he were to win another Super Bowl, this one in Dallas, Pelissero thinks McCarthy would then be a lock. He won one Super Bowl as the Green Bay Packers head coach.

“But, in my mind, Mike McCarthy’s a Hall of Famer,” Pelissero said. “If they win a Super Bowl in Dallas, if he gets a second ring with a different team, I think it should be a lock.”

On the flip side Moore leaving the Cowboys, the Los Angeles Chargers got a new OC

Five months after hiring Moore as his offensive coordinator, Staley is as sure as ever that he made the right pick.

On the Rich Eisen Show this week, Staley broke down all the reasons he was drawn to Moore during the hiring process and how the former Cowboys OC is performing so far.

“Number one, it’s been fantastic to team up with Kellen from a culture standpoint, from a leadership standpoint,” Staley said. “Anyone that knows Kellen, you know, son of a coach, a great high school coach, played at Boise State for Chris Peterson and played in the NFL for some great coaches – Jim Caldwell, Jason Garrett – and he’s been around a lot of ball.”