Did Brett Favre Just Explain Why Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys Are Failing?
Despite their so-so performance in 2019, the Dallas Cowboys went into the 2020 season on a hopeful note. For one thing, they were hoping for another big year from their star quarterback, Dak Prescott. They were also highly optimistic about the changes that their new coach Mike McCarthy would bring, particularly on the offensive end of the field.
Unfortunately, those high expectations have not come to pass, and the Cowboys currently hold a dismal 2-6 record. There are plenty of factors affecting that record, including Prescott’s devastating injury in Week 5. Yet former superstar Brett Favre recently offered a different theory about Dallas’ woes.
The Dallas Cowboys’ dismal year so far
The Cowboys got off to an unlucky start this season, losing a close game to the Los Angeles Rams. They managed to notch a narrow 40-39 victory against the Atlanta Falcons the following week.
Since, then, however, they have dropped five of six games. Their sole win in that span came against the equally bad New York Giants.
The Cowboys last three losses have been especially bad on the offensive end. In their Week 6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas managed to get just 10 points. The following week they didn’t manage to score a single touchdown, picking up only three points against the Washington Football Team. In Week 8, Dallas again failed to reach double digits, scoring nine points against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brett Favre’s take on the Cowboys’ struggles
Favre and Mike McCarthy spent time together on the Green Bay Packers, with McCarthy taking over as head coach in Favre’s second-to-last year with the team.
In those two years, Favre evidently got to know McCarthy pretty well — at least to judge from the comments Favre made about his former coach in a recent appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio.
That appearance came soon after Dallas’ miserable three-point performance in Week 7. So it’s not too surprising that The Cowboys’ offensive problems under head coach McCarthy were on Favre’s mind at the time.
Favre openly speculated about McCarthy’s struggles to manage his players, saying he was “a little bit baffled” at the coach’s inability to deal with personnel issues.
Favre then offered a striking theory about McCarthy (per Total Pro Sports): “I think maybe part of the problem is he’s pretty stubborn and strong minded and a disciplinarian.”
With that statement, Favre seemed to be placing the Cowboys’ struggles — and their related chemistry issues — squarely on McCarthy’s shoulders.
Other factors at play for Dallas
Brett Favre was quick to add that, even if McCarthy’s coaching style has made for a bumpy transition, he doesn’t deserve to take all of the blame. Favre pointed out that it was equally important for players to “take ownership” over the problem. The only challenge there is that there isn’t just one single problem that needs fixing.
On the contrary, the Cowboys have struggled on multiple fronts. In the last few weeks, as discussed above, it’s been the offense that just can’t seem to click.
A lot of that comes down to the devastating series of injuries that the Cowboys have faced this year. It also doesn’t help that McCarthy’s offensive schemes have been unable to make up for the team’s personnel deficits.
Yet the Cowboys have arguably been even worse on the defensive side of the ball. They have given up more than 20 points in all eight of their games so far — and more than 30 in five of those games.
The loss of key players in the offseason, injuries to the defensive line this year, and ineffective scheme changes have all contributed to the problem. Despite these many struggles, the Cowboys are still very much alive in the playoff hunt because of how dismal the NFC East has been.
