Head coach of the Dallas Cowboys Mike McCarthy is in his last year of employment. He recently suffered a heartbreaking 48-32 wild-card playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.

In a recent interview with Clarence Hill of DLLS, Jerry Jones, the general manager and owner of the Cowboys, revealed that one of the reasons McCarthy has been given the burden of leading the team through a “lame-duck” season is “the Green Bay thing”.

“We essentially had everyone say, ‘OK, what are you going to do about this?’ after we lost to Green Bay. Yes, this was more than a game. How will you handle this situation? And as a result, everything we do was noticed,” Jones stated.

Up until the 2023 season, McCarthy’s Cowboys had three straight 12-5 regular seasons, but throughout that span, his teams had a 1-3 record in the postseason. Working in the final year of a contract is “a challenge,” as McCarthy admitted earlier this summer. Dak Prescott is also in the final year of his contract, which may make things more difficult as Jones is allegedly unwilling to commit to the star quarterback fully and long-term. Prescott bears the blame for his career postseason record of 2–5.

“I don’t know that there’s any more urgency but I have tried to look at places that we are complacent or ways not to be complacent,” Jones explained. “I’m trying to find a means to make sure they can’t claim that I have a framework that encourages laziness. Contracts may be involved. Conversations may be used. Player choices may be included.”

It would be utterly foolish to overlook the reality that the Cowboys are frequently brought up as a possible destination for head coach Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion. Jones is 82 this fall and is probably sick of waiting for his Cowboys to return to the conference championship game for the first time since they won Super Bowl XXX in January 1996. Belichick, on the other hand, will be 73 when training camp begins next summer.

“You have to make some adjustments,” Jones stated in reference to what he “heard from fans with even more emotion” after Dallas’ January loss to Green Bay. “I can still hear it now. I didn’t alter anything. However, I tried to put more pressure on myself and all others involved while staying within the parameters of not changing everything and completely replacing people. And I believe that’s the topic of discussion. I believe this to be the cause of the angst.”

The Cowboys were classified as the fourth-best betting favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX as of Wednesday morning at +700 odds by DraftKings Sportsbook.

McCarthy will go into this Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Cleveland Browns knowing that Jones would probably make significant coaching changes in the offseason if the Cowboys don’t make it to the title game in February.

Cowboys: “Why Do I Play With Passion?” Sean Flournoy Describes.

While some players sneak onto the final 53 when it comes to roster cuts, others make the team choose them. For example, rookie receiver Ryan Flournoy made the Dallas Cowboys squad.

The sixth-round selection has performed admirably in training and in Dallas’ two preseason touchdowns; his aggressive playmaking has drawn similarities to Dez Bryant.

With his inclusion on the roster, all eyes are on the Cleveland Browns and Week 1. Before what is expected to be his NFL debut on Sunday, Ryan is feeling confident because to the banked repetitions he completed with Dak Prescott this offseason.

Flournoy mentioned, “I’ve been getting significantly more practice reps with Dak lately, and I’m starting to feel more comfortable with him and his style of play. Dak is an excellent quarterback, so whenever I’m on the field, I aim to perform at a high level without any dropoff when I’m alongside B. Cooks and CeeDee [Lamb] – I want it to be seamless and consistent.” Even though he’s further down the depth chart, Flournoy is ready to make the most of any chances that come his way.

If the rookie plays at all against the formidable Browns defense, it will be a baptism of fire; yet, Flournoy is a man of passion, having declared that it is his greatest strength.

Flournoy remarked, “I play with so much passion because I love this game.” “I’ve put everything into this game, and I love it so much that even when I block, I just try to be as tough as I can to clear the path so the running back can score. My superpower is my passion.”

With the Cowboys gearing up for the season’s first game, everything is set to go. The team is under immense pressure to perform well from the start, so a mistake now would not be tolerated.

Perhaps Flournoy’s enthusiasm for the game will spur his teammates to start strong and leave Cleveland with a sizable, delicious victory.