Getty Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones.
Sunday’s tilt between the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers pits what is versus what could have been.
In January 2020, before hiring Mike McCarthy as head coach, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did extensive research on Matt Rhule, then-Baylor’s rising coaching star. Jones was asked about that research — and how it stacked against McCarthy — two days before his team squares off with Rhule, now the 3-0 Panthers’ rising star.
“At the end of the day, I liked (Mike McCarthy’s) experience. Mike, for pro football, had more skins on the wall,” Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
The pool of candidates to replace Jason Garrett featured Rhule, ex-Ohio State HC Urban Meyer, and ex-Bengals HC Marvin Lewis. McCarthy, a former Super Bowl-winning head man in Green Bay, earned the job after wowing Jerry and Stephen Jones with his decorated NFL resume during the interview process.
The Jones’ locked on to McCarthy from the get-go, and it appears their cross-hairs barely, if at all, deviated from its target, according to several Cowboys insiders.
“A lot of research but I was told he never picked up the phone,” NFL Network’s Jane Slater said of Jones’ interest in Rhule.
“The #Cowboys never contacted Rhule about his interest,” ESPN’s Ed Werder reported Friday.
“Let me politely say: it’s somewhere between ‘misleading’ and ‘disingenuous’ for #Cowboys to claim they seriously considered Rhule vs. McCarthy. #IsThatPoliteEnough?” SI.com’s Mike Fisher added.
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‘All The Respect’ for Rhule
In his Friday interview with 105.3 The Fan, Jones was nothing but complimentary toward Carolina, a surprising — but perhaps legitimate — NFC contender following three straight victories to open the season.
Under Rhule’s sophomore guidance, the Panthers’ defense ranks first in total yards, yards per play, and touchdowns allowed per game and second in scoring. In other words, they might prove to be the foil for Dallas’ high-flying offensive attack, which ranks fourth in TDs per game, fifth in yards per game, and sixth in points per game.
“They got an idea of what they want to be and making a good use of their personnel,” Jones said. “I have all respect in the world for Rhule the coach. I really thought he is one of the top coaches in the country. Consequently, they’re putting a team together that I think could be competitive.”
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Jerry Talks Bucs-Pats
Rhule wasn’t the only NFL coach on Jones’ mind amid his weekly radio hit. He also discussed Sunday’s blockbuster contest between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots — Tom Brady vs. Bill Belichick, Round 1.
“Man, I’m interested to just see the matchup because they know each other so well,” Jones said. “It’s a great story. I don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have these stories of exes and relationships. I’ll never forget this television executive told me the great thing about NFL football is all of the things off the field…Belichick and Brady are doing their part to keep people interested in NFL football.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL
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