With Kellen Moore out, is Mike McCarthy calling plays a good thing for the Cowboys? | You Pod to Win the Game
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab discuss the removal of Kellen Moore in Dallas. Moore’s hiring in L.A. with the Chargers. As well as what having McCarthy take over play calling duties means for Big D. Hear the full conversation on the You Pod to Win the Game podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
[AUDIO LOGO]
CHARLES ROBINSON: Kellen Moore is hired as the Chargers' OC. Dallas is going to tell you over and over. It's not a firing. We didn't fire Kellen. We mutually agreed to part ways, and you're like, all you got to do is be like, this is the contract end? Yeah. Did you renew his contract? No.
[CHUCKLING]
Like, it's not a firing, one under contract. It's like, we just didn't renew his contract. And it was mutual, and do it-- no. Man, look, you're in the NFL. If you hear this whole contract wasn't renewed and it was mutual, most of the time, that is you go ahead and view that as a firing. I think given what happened in the wake of it, which is Mike McCarthy is going to call the offense in Dallas, that was confirmed today by Jerry Jones.
How many years of waiting have we been talking about this-- because Jerry told Mike and everybody denied this-- that Kellen's really got to be your OC when you come in, and you take this job, I think Mike has wanted to call offensive plays all along. He just was waiting for the opening, it presented itself, and now Kellen is in Los Angeles with the Chargers. You got to be overjoyed if you're Kellen because young quarterbacks, if you get it right, they can mint you as the head coach. And he doesn't-- yeah, I don't think he comes out of Dallas. It's not like--
Look, did everything turn out the way it could have with Kellen? No. Did he live up to the tippy top excitement of Dallas Cowboys fans, which is pretty hard to achieve anyway? No. Is he damaged? No. I just think it didn't work out as well as it possibly could have. Some good things happen, some bad things happen. They never found an identity. Dak had a roll back year where he didn't show development.
Now he goes and works with Justin Herbert, who by the way, I talked to somebody at the Chargers and they're all like, you watch. Next year, you think you've seen him good? They're like, just wait next year. They are convinced that this is going to be the monumental step that Justin Herbert takes in year four. So if Kellen's at the OC reigns when that happens, you know, who knows? Then it's Brandon Staley stop with the Rams. Next thing you know, he's the head coach. So we'll see. It's a good place, I think, for Kellen to land.
FRANK SCHWAB: I think that it's good for the Chargers, for sure. I mean, that offense was really lacking last year. Surprisingly, they treated Justin Herbert like a dink and donk quarterback. Like there was nothing vertically going on in that offense. They'll need to add to that. They need to add a receiver. That needs to happen.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Thy were hurt. Let's be fair.
FRANK SCHWAB: They were hurt.
CHARLES ROBINSON: They were hurt a lot.
FRANK SCHWAB: But they need to add some speed, but I think if they make just the right move or two, they can have a really, really good offense. I mean, the right guy for it for sure, as far as Herbert goes. I think Moore is a good play caller. So we think-- we both think it's good for the Chargers. Do we think it does good for the Cowboys? Do we think it's good that McCarthy takes over the play clock? That's it. He's done it before. So it's not like he's unfamiliar, but it is still a tough deal, to juggle all of this.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Well it's tough in Green Bay for him. There was always-- trust me, go back to Green Bay and look through the clips. There a lot-- there was a lot of like, who's calling the plays? Mike going to call the plays? Mike going to give up play calling? Like it was just--
FRANK SCHWAB: That's the first thing that happens when things go bad. The Cowboys have a three-game losing streak, the first question on Monday is going to be, hey are you going to give up play calling? Again, that's just the nature of the beast when you're [INAUDIBLE].
[CHUCKLING]
CHARLES ROBINSON: Jerry talks after-- you get to talk to the owner and GM, every Sunday after game.
FRANK SCHWAB: That's a good point. That's a good point. But that's the first question that's going to come up. It always does. When a head coach calls plays.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Frank, by Monday, Jerry's already on the radio for the second time.
FRANK SCHWAB: Second time, yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: It's like, all right. Here we go. Put the [INAUDIBLE] last night, we rubber stamped it. Today, it's in granite. No, I--
FRANK SCHWAB: Do you think it's good? Do you think this is good for Dallas that McCarthy is taking over play calling here?
CHARLES ROBINSON: I think it makes sense because to me, if you're Mike McCarthy, you're sitting there and you're going, OK, we've had incremental progress every single year. Now we've-- year one was a disaster, year two is positive, we made the playoffs, we failed. Year three, it was positive, we made the playoffs, another 12-1 season, and we won a game. So year four is extremely important. And I think if you're Mike, you're sitting there going, listen, I know, what the expectations are here I know that Dak had a roll back season. I know that the offense failed to find an identity. I know it took way too long for us to figure out what Tony Pollard meant to this offense.
And so I think if you're Mike, you're going, listen, if I could get hired or fired at this point, I'm doing it on my calls. I'm not putting my hand-- I'm not putting my future in someone else's hands. I am an offensive guy, I should be calling the plays. And if I'm going to get fired, I may get fired based off my own calls. Screw it.
