Cowboys: Mike McCarthy has stubborn take on Mike Nolan

The Cowboys defense is not working as constructed. Even Mike McCarthy knows that.

McCarthy’s decision to hire Mike Nolan as his defensive coordinator is much maligned at this point in the season. There’s no point in rehashing the simple fact that, quite frankly, Nolan wasn’t in line for any other major NFL coordinator job before McCarthy called. Yet, the first-year Dallas coach insists he didn’t call in a favor. Hiring Nolan purely based on his merit.

“When you’re given an opportunity, especially the opportunity of being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, there’s a hiring process. You’re putting together a staff upon fit. I went with a different approach this year as I did in prior years, I went with newer people. I was at one place for a long time. I felt that I needed fresh, new experiences and took that approach,” McCarthy said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic.

McCarthy remains stubborn about a bad decision

Nolan’s scheme has backfired, making an already-struggling unit even worse over time. Either the players aren’t grasping it, or Nolan has yet to adjust. Either way, that’s on the coaching staff, and the Cowboys defense is just one week removed from getting bludgeoned by the Ravens on the ground, further proving that Dallas has the worst run defense in the entire NFL. Second place isn’t all that close.

“I think our staff as a whole is not where we need to be,” McCarthy said. “And that’s ultimately my responsibility. We’re going through things for the first time, as all first-year staffs do. But there is not a lot of continuity between coaches because most of us have not worked together before.”

Sure, it’s their first year together in a strange 2020 season. That’s fair. But with only three weeks remaining in a disappointing season, the Cowboys have yet to see Nolan’s system pay dividends. There is no silver lining, the performances just keep getting worse week over week.

Taking the blame was a savvy move by McCarthy, but it’s become increasingly clear that Nolan is not the right man for the job. The sooner he comes to terms with that, the better.