Such circumstances would destroy most quarterbacks, but not Prescott. If he goes down at any point, the season dies. We all saw what the Cowboys are without him, too. Now, all he has to do is stare down the most bloodthirsty pass rush in the sport in front of the entire country on Thursday night. A shoulder injury sidelined him this entire preseason. Prescott hasnвЂ™t played a down of live football since his leg snapped in half on Oct. TonightвЂ™s season opener against Tampa Bay will be a daunting challenge. He is one of the best leaders in the sport and he, alone, gives this embattled franchise hope in unlimited supply. You could travel the globe and fail to find anyone whoвЂ™ll say a negative word about this teamвЂ™s quarterback. More specifically, this franchise possesses a national treasure: Dak Prescott. This is arguably the best unit Dallas has fielded since the early 90вЂ™s and the best McCarthy has had since all of his firepower graced the cover of SI midway through a 15-1 season in 2011. And the CowboysвЂ™ offensive personnel is undeniably loaded. WeвЂ™ve spent plenty of time dissecting JerryвЂ™s World but even if he and McCarthy have not changed, the game is still played on the field. Nor is Moore slingshottinвЂ™ at quarterback (like he did back at Boise State). Nor is a mustached McCarthy playing tight end (like he did at Baker University in 1986). ItвЂ™s not like Jerry Jones is lining up on the O-Line as a 182-pound guard (like he did on ArkansasвЂ™ 1964 national title team). (Those massages didnвЂ™t go over well with Rodgers and others.) And when McCarthy showed up in Big D, his first order of business was to retain Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator and playcaller, which made sense but also reeked of Cosmo Kramer in that business suit - what would McCarthy even do around here? Off the field, in trying to take a вЂњCEOвЂќ-like approach, McCarthy came across as distant to many players. Any droplets of respect that complicated fella of a quarterback had for the coach completely evaporated by вЂ™18 when Rodgers freelanced at will. There was no motion, no misdirection, no creativity. On the field, modern football seemed to pass McCarthy by in Green Bay. No doubt, the question facing Mike McCarthy is the same one facing his boss: Has he changed? McCarthy convinced Jones that his year off - that вЂњprojectвЂќ - changed him as a coach. вЂњYou do what you have to do, right?вЂќ said McCarthy, with Stephen Jones cackling to his right and Jerry smiling to his left.

Turns out, he did not watch every snap of the 2019 season as he told Jones. Then, came the introductory press conference when McCarthy admitted he lied in his interview. Clearly, everything he did through his 2019 pause was a major reason Jones hired him, too.

McCarthy told the world he was basically living 24/7 inside that film bunker at home studying tape and trends and XвЂ™s and OвЂ™s. The same guy who loved declaring that вЂњstatistics are for losersвЂќ was, suddenly, Mr. Then again, McCarthy did say in all those interviews with all those national outlets that he used his one-year sabbatical to truly change as a coach. The hire was neither imaginative, nor inspiring. By the end of his run in Green Bay, several sources detailed just how checked out the head coach had become and how his relationship with Aaron Rodgers soured beyond repair. Yet, this hire also deserved every ounce of criticism it received. After that, McCarthyвЂ™s Packers were the thorn in his side, knocking Dallas out of the вЂ™14 and вЂ™16 divisional round. McCarthy won a Super Bowl right in JonesвЂ™ 80,000-seat palace with the 11,520-square foot screen. Like the white knight he is, in came Jerry Jones to wipe those tears away. We wonвЂ™t need it in the future but we need it right now.вЂќ Right there, the fired head coach detailed how he was still studying film and breaking the game down with a mini coaching staff in-waiting to stay sharp for his next opportunity.ДЄt the top, McCarthy is bold: вЂњIвЂ™m not trying to just go win oneвЂ¦ IвЂ™m trying to win them all.вЂќ The apex, of course, was вЂњThe Mike McCarthy ProjectвЂќ on the leagueвЂ™s own television network. Around the league, there was a good amount of eye-rolling from other scouts and coaches as this comeback tour raged. If there was a PR guru behind this, hereвЂ™s hoping that person received a good chunk of McCarthyвЂ™s salary to become the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. From the top of the mountains, story to story, Mike McCarthy essentially screamed, вЂњHire me! Please!вЂќ The campaign accelerated at 100 MPH right through the offseason.

Illustration by Brave Buffalo Miss part of the series? Catch up right here: JerryвЂ™s World, An Introduction JerryвЂ™s World, Part I: A twisted system JerryвЂ™s World, Part II: The maddening What-IfsвЂ¦

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