In complimenting Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown fired an (indirect) barb at his predecessor, the ringleader of the previous (failed) regime.
“So far … it’s just, it’s a totally different environment walking in the building now,” Brown told reporters following Friday’s training camp practice, via RJ Ochoa of Blogging The Boys. “It’s kind of like a breath of fresh air when you walk in right now with Coach McCarthy coming in. The players have a lot more leeway to say what we want to do and like, he gives us more opportunities to express ourselves, I would say.”
Brown, of course, is striking a sharp contrast involving McCarthy, the Cowboys’ new head coach who this offseason replaced Jason Garrett, ending a decade-long reign. One of the knocks on Garrett was the inflexibility he and his staff imposed on the players, particularly defensive players.
Tellingly, Brown isn’t the first Cowboys defensive back to criticize the old guard, nor the first bellowing a tangible sigh of relief to be done with it. Stepping from Garrett and ex-defensive/secondary boss Kris Richard to McCarthy and new DC Mike Nolan are wholesale upgrades that should fix elementary errors — historically the club’s Achilles’ heel.
“It’s about the pre-(snap) disguised looks,” CB Chidobe Awuzie said earlier this month, via SI.com. “Last year, everybody knew what we were running – not that that was bad; we had great players … Now, we’re trying to be a little more multiple.”
Garrett often pointed the finger instead of turning it on himself. Little accountability, even on the hot seat (for what felt like an eternity). Compare this locker room culture to that being instilled by McCarthy, whose influence extends to Jerry Jones’ doorstep.
The two recently huddled with team vice president Stephen Jones and personnel boss Will McClay to discuss the potential signing of Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas. The Joneses have final say and love to assemble star power, but McCarthy — a widely respected coach who, unlike Garrett, lists a Super Bowl title on his resume — has the clout, and consequently the absolute trust of his superiors.
And so Thomas, as of this writing, remains a free agent.
McCarthy’s leadership stretches beyond the football field. Well beyond, into more important matters — real-life matters, unfortunately, of life and death. For someone whose inaugural offseason in Dallas consisted primarily of socially-distanced Zoom meetings, he’s sure established a quick rapport with those around him.
Those similar. Those different. Those of every walk of life. Forward-thinking progression, mutually relatable on a human level.
What a concept.
“I don’t think I can sit, even though I’m in front of a microphone or in front of the room as the leader of the football team, and even for a second know exactly what the Black community is going through,” McCarthy said Friday, via USA Today’s Jori Epstein. “I think the biggest thing that I can be is honest and, frankly, listen to make sure there is a clear understanding, because I am one of the key communicators in our football operation. Just to make sure that you keep the messaging and the understanding and the support flowing to the players.
“Hopefully, everybody can be part of the progress that obviously needs to happen here.”
It’s certainly early for McCarthy, and every NFL team is spouting sunshine and riding pink unicorns in (a preseason-less) August. Remember, there was a time when hope sprung eternal for Garrett and his trademark clapping.
But, from such burgeoning accounts, it’s irrefutable the Cowboys are in better hands. Reliable hands. Proven hands. Hands that have experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows. Hands attached to a man who’s scaled football’s mountaintop and is determined to do it again. A man actually capable of fulfilling that goal.
The right man for the job.
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‘Breath of Fresh Air’: Cowboys CB Relieved to Go From Garrett to McCarthy