Jerry wouldn't let Campbell have full reins either. Nor would Campbell or even Belichick stop Dak from making idiotic plays/picks in every playoff!
MM took this squad to three consecutive 12 season wins w/2 division titles. He's not on the field dropping passes, tossing picks, committing crucial penalties & running a soft defense. If MM gets the boot, he'll be picked up right away. Quinn's the one that needs to go. Good thing Garrett isn't still here or we'd be complaining about another 8 win season lol.
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It's a 17 game season, so let's compare it to being an 11 win season.
Garrett's 8 win seasons came when the OL was being rebuilt. McCarthy would not have won 12 games with Phil Costa and Ryan Young (who was an OT at Miami) at center. Nate Livings, Gary Bernadeau. Montrae Holland, Kyle Kosier, Doug Free etc.
Garrett's three 8 and 8 seasons happened 3 years in a row. In EACH of them, Dallas came ONE GAME away from winning the division and making the playoffs.
In each of those 3 years it came down to the last game of the season. Another win at the end and they would have been in the playoffs.
How much different is that from being in the wild card game and LOSING? To me, it's not that much different.
Garrett/McClay etc handed McCarthy a good foundation. The OL did not need to be rebuilt from scratch. The DL also had a cornerstone in D-Law, but the defense had more turnover and needed more work than the offense.
The game is still won and lost in the trenches and McCarthy wasn't dealt a terrible hand in those areas.
Why does keeping 12 wins in the context of a 17 game season matter?
Well, Garrett won the division (after rebuilding the OL into the best in the NFL) 3 times.
The Cowboys records were:
- In 2014, they had a 12-4 record.
- In 2016, their record was 13-3.
- In 2018, they achieved a 10-6 record (a 10 win season is pretty close to 11 wins)
But you'll say that is not 3 in a row. Okay, it's not 3 years in a row, but my point is that given the talent that McCarthy inherited. Dak was already developed etc etc, having 3 12 win seasons is not some sort of miraculous result, especially if we consider that it is a 17 game schedule.
And in 2014 and 2018 at least Garrett WON the wild card game!
I want Belichick! We missed out on Sean Payton. We can't miss out on Belichick. The man did not forget how to coach and the game has not passed him by. They had Jerod Mayo contractually signed to take over for Belichick. The Pats just made the decision that now is the time.
For Mayo to already be designated as the next coach under contract means the Pats basically just followed their plan. Belichick wanted a change of scenery, some new walls, some newness and Kraft wasn't going to stand in his way.
It's basically the same thing Kraft did with Brady who I believe could still play and still be a top 10 QB, if not top 5.