America’s Team is Back: Can Dallas Cowboys Mount a Super Bowl Push?
The return to form of ‘America’s Team’ may well have left the majority of NFL fans angry, they are, after all, considered the most hated team in the league, but that won’t concern coach Mike McCarthy who will just be elated at the Dallas Cowboys’ 5-1 record.
Last season proved a massive disappointment for Cowboys’ fans, their side collecting a losing record for only the third time in 18 years. This season, things are different, and a lot of that success can be put down to the terrific form shown by quarterback Dak Prescott, who has 16 passing TDs to his name and just four interceptions, with only Tom Brady conceding less.
So, where does this leave the Cowboys in terms of the sports lines and odds? Well, you can currently secure a tempting (+1400) on Dallas going all the way to Super Bowl glory, and those odds were even more enticing after their week one loss to Tampa Bay.
Fortunately for McCarthy, his side quickly rebounded from that defeat and has now racked up five straight wins, the latest of which came in the form of an overtime win over the New England Patriots.
Indeed that win over the Patriots did cause a fair amount of consternation for McCarthy, who came under fire for his decision-making, despite the win. There is a common theme that emerges when it comes to McCarthy, and that is the lack of respect and credit he gets, especially when the Cowboys are in form.
This is something that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is well aware of:
“That’s a lack of understanding of how teams work. Those guys aren’t there but at the behest of Mike. I can assure you he was there with both [Moore and Quinn] hard and with commitment. So that should tell you Mike’s coaching them is a great asset.
“At the end of the day, you hear about complimenting each other on offense and defense, and that is also the head coach’s job, the bringing together, the complementing, plus being the lead person in setting the tone of the team relative to body language, relative to the kinds of things you’re trying to tell the players as a team. He’s your leader and doing an outstanding job.”
The Cowboys last won the Super Bowl in 1995, and while it may be too early to start thinking too far ahead, there is certainly a great deal to be optimistic about. Last season’s 6-10 record was down in no small part to injury issues, and McCarthy will hope that this isn’t a factor they have to worry about this time around.
Part of McCarthy’s job is to calm expectations and provide something of a buffer from the press and those who would seek to dent the Cowboys’ morale, and it’s a part he plays well.
“It’s definitely needed in a position of leadership,”
McCarthy Adding.
“I think it’s like all of us, you learn things not only about the game, the preparation part of it, the performance part of it, but you definitely have to learn about yourself. I’m a big believer in listening to your own language. I think you’re coaching a different generation today than when I got into the league in the early ’90s. I think that’s part of the learning process. Again, if you want consistency, you have to have consistency from the leadership position.”
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