Coach discusses field-goal choice
Mike Mccarthy talks about the importance for players and coaches to refill their emotional tank, to escape the grind for a few days and spend time with family and friends during the Cowboys' open date.
He does this from the back closet of a local restaurant after slipping away from a table shared with several other families to celebrate a mum exchange with his youngest daughter ahead of the school's homecoming game.
Listen, when you compete in a sport as all-consuming as the NFL, when you pour as much of yourself into the season as the players, Mccarthy and the rest of his staff do, this is what unplugging looks like.
The Cowboys‘ head coach carved 30 minutes out of his schedule one evening earlier this week for a radio interview. Among the topics Mccarthy spoke about were his decision to go for a field goal at the end of the first half of the team's 20-17 victory over the L.A. Chargers and the singular focus required to navigate an NFL season.
The decision to kick the field goal is an interesting place to start since it provides a glimpse into Mccarthy's thought process for similar decisions that are sure to follow this season.
Dallas found itself with the ball on the Chargers' 14-yard line with eight seconds left in the first half. The score was tied. The Cowboys had two timeouts remaining.
Use one immediately to
stop the clock and go for a touchdown. If you fail to convert, you still have time to settle for the field goal.
“A young Mike Mccarthy would have definitely taken a shot at the end zone,'' he said.
But current Mike Mccarthy — sounds better than old, doesn't it? — viewed it differently.
This was a bumpy game in the words of the Cowboys'
coach. There wasn't much offensive flow.
Left guard Tyler Smith was called for holding three plays earlier in the drive. Dallas had been flagged for an illegal shift earlier in the period.
Mccarthy always has two plays on the tip of his tongue. The one he's just called and the one that will follow.
“You've got your foot on the gas,'' Mccarthy said of the approach.
“The discipline comes really in the ability to pull off and make a conservative decision. It's a lot easier to keep your foot on the gas and go has been my experience.''
Seven seconds. That's the threshold for Dallas inside the 15-yard line. Anything less and there's concern that the clock will not stop on an unsuccessful attempt inside of two seconds.
“You can never let the clock get below two seconds because now you're in the hands of the timekeeper at the stadium,'' Mccarthy said. “I think that's a general consensus in game management.''
Seven seconds results in a spirited conversation. Anything less leans immediately toward the field goal.
Eight seconds? Deciding to hold there while letting the clock run down before kicking a field goal is the conservative call.
The Chargers were getting the ball to start the second half. That also factored into Mccarthy's risk/reward assessment.
“It was important for us to get points there,'' Mccarthy said. “It's fun to call pass plays. I mean, anybody who has ever called offensive plays, I think would readily admit to that. But I think there's a discipline in being conservative.
“It's not popular. But at the end of the day, when you make decisions in a game that results in a win, it's the right decision whether you agree with it or not.''
Brandon Aubrey's 32yard field goal was good to lift the Cowboys to a 10-7 lead at the half.
On another topic, Mccarthy says the week off is always a brief, yet welcome, respite.
Mccarthy will never minimize the mental and physical demands the sport imposes on players, coaches and support staff. In the same way, he will never lose sight of how the season challenges the families of all of those involved.
“We get to wake up early, get that first cup of coffee and the players, coaches, we're together all day,'' Mccarthy said. “We're working on a singular goal. We're shielded from what's going on externally.
“Really the families are the ones that have to listen to it and deal with it. Most guys are not as engaged as people think they are.
“This is the time for players and coaches to be with their families, be with their loved ones and fill up that emotional tank because at the end of the day, this is a special time in our lives, players and coaches. You only get so many opportunities, and you have to take advantage of it.
“Our families sacrifice so much,'' he continued. “It's important to spend that time this weekend, and I know our guys will.''
A few minutes later, the interview ends.
Mccarthy then opens the closet door and returns to the table to enjoy the rest of the evening with family and friends.