How Mike McCarthy Compares to All Time Great Coaches

Many Cowboys fans were calling for head coach Mike McCarthy to be fired following the embarrassing loss at home to the Packers in the wild card round, marking the end of the 2023 season. I'd like to place a contrast on that, and highlight some interesting facts that place Mike McCarthy among the greatest to ever coach.

Mike McCarthy is 18th all time in wins with 167, and is currently within 6 wins of passing legends Mike Shanahan, Tom Coughlin, Pete Carroll, Bill Parcells, and Mike Tomlin who he'll face in week 5. Unless something goes terribly wrong, McCarthy will be either 12th or 13th all time after this season depending on if the Cowboys can win 6 games more than the Steelers since Tomlin has 173.

For winning percentage (with over 100 games coached) he ranks 21st all time. At .620, that's higher than Cowboy legends Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson, as well as Sean McVay, John Harbaugh, Sean Payton, Pete Carroll, among many others.

He has one Super Bowl ring, which he won at AT&T Stadium. That puts him on par with John Madden, Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, Mike Ditka, as well as the coaches mentioned in the prior paragraph: Sean McVay, John Harbaugh, Sean Payton, and Pete Carroll.

Perhaps his most impressive stat is ranking 10th all time for playoff games coached in. He will be 8th all time if the Cowboys reach the playoff this season, and is just 2 playoff games away from being tied for 5th all time - at which point only Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Don Shula, and Tom Landry would have more. His current postseason record is 11-11.

For Cowboys fans reading this, I already know what you want to tell me. "Cool... but what has he done for us?" Well, let's look at it in perspective. Three straight 12 win seasons and two division titles are nothing to scoff at. I think Mike McCarthy has done pretty well to manage all that comes with being head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and has shown improvement year after year. The offense took big strides last season with McCarthy calling the plays, the defense has had fresh talent emerge such as with Daron Bland, and they'll all have another opportunity in 2024 to prove themselves.

2024 will certainly be a big season for the Cowboys. Having a head coach, defensive coordinator, and starting quarterback all with expiring contracts will put pressure on them to win - but that's something McCarthy has proven he's capable of.