This time around, the Dallas Cowboys had all the necessary elements to go far in the postseason.
Along with having home-field advantage through the NFC Divisional Round, Mike McCarthy’s club has one of the finest wide receivers in the league, a strong defensive line, and several playmakers on both sides of the ball.
This is the reason why it was so stunning to witness them make a mistake at home in the Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers, and why a lot of people were taken aback when they learned that Mike McCarthy would still be retained.
Emmitt Smith, a team legend, is among them.
The Hall of Famer said in an interview with Andrew Perloff that he was shocked that McCarthy wasn’t fired by the team—not because of the outcome, but rather because of how awful it appeared.
Smith remarked, “I assumed that move would have been made because of how bad it looked.”
He said that he doesn’t think the organization is consistent in any way and that it’s now obvious that the coach didn’t prepare or inspire his players to produce when it counted most.
Notably, McCarthy—who isn’t exactly known for being much of a motivator—has always brought up that topic of conversation.
Nevertheless, it’s difficult to convince fans or even players that the upcoming season will be any different given his track record of postseason failures.
The Cowboys have a roster capable of competing at the greatest level, and it has been much too long since their last successful season ended in defeat.
However, if they continue to make the same errors, they might never be able to move past this setback.