The Dallas Cowboys will look entirely different on offense after the firing of offensive coordinator and play-caller Kellen Moore earlier this offseason. Moore had been one of the more sought offensive minds, so it certainly came as a bit of a shock. Head coach Mike McCarthy revealed his reasoning for the decision on Wednesday.
When asked about his time with Moore, McCarthy detailed a difference in opinion on the offensive side of the ball, saying that Moore wanted to “light the scoreboard up” while McCarthy wants to run the ball more often.
“I’ve been where Kellen has been,” said McCarthy via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Kellen wants to light the scoreboard up. But I want to run the **** ball so I can rest my defense.”
Mike McCarthy spoke highly of his time with Kellen Moore. He said the Cowboys former OC did a hell of a job and continued to improve over the last three years. But it’s clear they had their differences. This quote from today explains some of that pic.twitter.com/GXueydVzTA
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 1, 2023
McCarthy also added that he will be able to control things better now that he will be calling plays next season.
“Being a head coach and being a play caller, you’re a little more in tune with everything. I don’t desire to be the No.1 offense in the league. I want to be the No.1 team in the league with a number of wins and a championship. And if we gotta give up some production and take care of the ball better to get that, then that’s what we’ll do, because we have a really good defense.”
McCarthy’s decision to be both head coach and play caller is something that he has already received criticism for. However, he may have a point in terms of limiting the team’s turnovers and helping out their already impressive defense.
Despite only starting 12 games last season, starting quarterback Dak Prescott had a career-high 15 interceptions in the regular season.
Limiting those turnovers appears to be a huge point of emphasis for McCarthy, and it sounds like running the ball more is how he plans to fix those mistakes.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, it seems unclear who exactly will be the lead running back next season in Dallas. Both Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott appear to have uncertain futures with the team.
