First came the “mutual” decision over the weekend separating Kellen Moore from the only NFL organization he’s ever worked for, thus enabling Mike McCarthy to use his playsheet as something other than a coaching prop.
Then came Tuesday’s news that Sean Payton will coach the Broncos, removing the media’s option for Jerry Jones and a thorn from McCarthy’s side.
A moment of silence, please.
Thank you.
What McCarthy has done to deserve all this good fortune on the heels of another ignominious ending at the hands of the 49ers is a mystery to me. As I wrote last week after Mike told us that Jerry wants him to last as long as Tom Landry did, think what Jerry would have done if his head coach had actually beaten San Francisco.
Next thing you know, he’ll let McCarthy cut in front of Jimmy Johnson in the line for the Ring of Honor.
Maybe McCarthy will even deserve it one of these days. Look, he gets my vote if he turns around the worst season of Dak Prescott’s career.
Not that it matters, considering the stars never aligned, but I liked Payton’s odds of ending a quarter-century Super Bowl drought better. My colleague, Tim Cowlishaw, likes to note there’s really not much difference between McCarthy and Payton. Each owns a Lombardi, and Payton’s winning percentage (.631) isn’t much better than McCarthy’s (.614). I’d add that Bill Parcells’ percentage (.569) isn’t as good as either of the above, not that it factors in their rankings.
McCarthy also won his Lombardi with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, and even if we concede the weird element, he remains one of the greatest talents ever to play the position.
Payton made a Hall of Famer out of Drew Brees, a quarterback adrift before washing ashore in the French Quarter.
One of the reasons the Broncos’ new owners dropped a bank on Payton was their confidence that he can fix what ails Russell Wilson. My guess is he will. Even if he doesn’t, they’ll at least know no one can. Sometimes certainty is enough.
Payton not only could have done the same for the Cowboys and Dak, he knows how to play Jerry, which is not to be underestimated. But if Jerry was actually tempted, a point insiders doubt, it’s all moot now that the Broncos have used all that new money to make Payton an offer he couldn’t refuse. Maybe as much as $20 million a year, according to reports. As compensation to New Orleans, which still holds Payton’s rights, Denver will also send the 29th pick of this year’s draft as well as a second-rounder next year in return for Payton. Denver also will receive a third-round pick in the trade.
Pretty stiff price for a guy who’s not even suiting up on Sundays, and that alone might have been enough to scare Jerry. He needs that first-rounder this year, particularly given the poor job the Joneses have done handing out contracts lately. Six players (Dak, DeMarcus Lawrence, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, Zeke Elliott and Michael Gallup) take up 63.8% of their salary cap. Of that bunch, only Lawrence and Martin are earning their money.
And soon enough the Joneses will have to start paying their real stars, namely, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb.
The problem in the cap era isn’t paying huge sums of money. It’s paying huge sums of money to the wrong players.
The Joneses can work around some of those issues by letting Zeke and Tyron go. Same with a few of their higher-profile unrestricted free agents. But it’ll be McCarthy’s task to fix Dak and Gallup. You could say his career rides on it.
Gallup might be an easier case simply because next season he’ll be another year removed from a serious knee injury. He also still has a thing or two to learn about playing the position. For someone his size, he too often gets outmuscled by defensive backs. Occasionally looks like an innocent bystander.
Resurrecting Dak’s career will require more heavy lifting. As noted in this space previously, McCarthy should start by leaning on Dak for 30 passes or fewer a game. His winning percentage in that range is much better. What it means, of course, is that the running game should play an even bigger role than it did this season.
Can a re-signed and rehabbed Tony Pollard do that without Zeke? Good question. At 6 feet, 209 pounds, Pollard isn’t really built for 20 carries a game. His upright running style, leaving him exposed to big hits, doesn’t help. Frankly, I don’t know how he’s stayed healthy until now.
For that matter, should the Cowboys consider drafting a running back in the first round? Maybe Texas’ Bijan Robinson, as Mel Kiper suggested in his first mock draft? Normally I don’t consider it a good idea to spend a first on a running back, because, unlike Emmitt Smith, most don’t end up deserving a second contract.
But replacing Pollard and Zeke with Bijan and whoever might not be such a bad idea given the cap considerations over the next four years, which might be the Cowboys’ window.
Whatever happens, the Cowboys will look different next season. Not as different as they would have looked with Payton, but that ship has sailed. Probably never would have anchored here anyway. Still, it was nice to daydream about. My teachers used to tell my parents that was my problem. Kid just can’t deal with cold, hard facts.
Twitter: @KSherringtonDMN
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.