Mike McCarthy led the Dallas Cowboys to the playoffs, but the early exit was a bitter disappointment. Still, the head coach is amazed at the stories and rumours surrounding the Cowboys and himself.

Dallas – The Dallas Cowboys are special. Head coach Mike McCarthy is noticing that now. And pretty intensely so.

For example, he recently saw owner Jerry Jones get a little too gushy about defensive coordinator Dan Quinn staying in Texas despite the advances of numerous teams. In doing so, he verbally opened the door for Quinn to one day take over as Cowboys coach.

The coach’s chair with the Cowboys is always somehow more warm at times, less warm at others, but definitely has a permanent temperature.

Bitter exit in Wild Card Round

McCarthy had a strong 12-5 season with the Cowboys and made the playoffs, but was eliminated in the Wild Card Round by the San Francisco 49ers. Too little for the high ambitions and a team that was actually in win-now mode.

Jones has committed to McCarthy for 2022. But at the same time, he’s also talking publicly about how great Sean Payton, most recently retired by the New Orleans Saints, is. And, of course, Jones knows what such remarks do.

For McCarthy, it’s all disconcerting.

“Are these stories unusual? Absolutely,” McCarthy said on the Rich Eisen Show. “I’ve never dealt with anything like this before. Honestly, I’ve always been about winning. I’ve always turned a blind eye or an ear to things like this, but that’s not the case when you’re working here.”

McCarthy revealed that he had spoken to Jones and Quinn about Quinn’s future and to Jones about Payton. The message, according to McCarthy: “You and I are back to back on this. It’s a partnership. Focus on what we need to do moving forward”. Clear message.

Excellent relationship with Jerry Jones

He has an excellent relationship with Jones, McCarthy stressed. “At the end of the day, we both want the same thing: to win the Super Bowl,” he said. Certainly the stories are unusual, McCarthy says, “but at the end of the day, I think you have to trust the relationships, the communication and the connection that you have in our leadership group. We’re doing everything we can to build a title team here.”

Sometimes, though, that’s not enough. Especially not in Dallas.