FRISCO – We’ll call this a “irresponsible rumor.”
But not because it’s impossible that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will make a coaching change in the future.
Not because it’s impossible for the Cowboys to fall short of some fictitious must-achieve playoff goal in order for head coach Mike McCarthy to keep his job.
Not because McCarthy’s heir is unlikely to be current Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
There are certainly circumstances, however unlikely we believe they are, that could lead to Jones’ disillusionment with McCarthy.
What if the 9-3 Cowboys lose their remaining games? What if the entire Dak Prescott-led locker room abruptly changes its tune and expresses disdain for the coach? What if McCarthy tells Jones that he despises the color blue?
See? Sure. CYA. Anything is possible.
The flaw in this report from “Tony Pauline” is the audacity with which he makes his claim, complete with “sources” that we are willing to state bluntly and impolitely do not exist.
“Sources tell me that if McCarthy does not lead the Cowboys deep into the playoffs and Dallas fires him, Quinn will be hired as head coach,” Pauline writes.
What we’ll tell you is that there isn’t a single person inside The Star who is privy to that kind of “private thought” or “secret plan” who could serve as Pauline’s “sources” on such a sensitive subject.
Furthermore, we’ve been dealing with McCarthy for four years. We’ve had dozens of conversations with Quinn, some of them one-on-one. Will McClay is someone we’ve known for over a decade. And we have a 34-year working relationship with Jerry and Stephen Jones.
And we’d bet anything “Tony Pauline” would push to the center of the table that none of those five people – the only five people with first-hand knowledge of such a concept – have said anything like that.
This also smells fishy because Pauline (whose bio says he writes for “Sportskeeda” but that he “previously worked for a host of NFL teams in the past”) claims to have not one, but multiple “sources.”… which would imply that not only did one of McCarthy, Quinn, McClay, Jerry, and Stephen whisper this to him, along with giving him permission to write it…
CYA is important here. McCarthy and Jones could have a falling out. Alternatively, the Cowboys could implode in December, with players demanding a change. (Of course, why listen to the Cowboys players if they collapse?) Or the Cowboys could lose 50-0 at Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs. (Of course, why promote Quinn if Dallas allows 50 points?
The truth is that this is not “sourced” content. In fact, it falls short of being a “rumor.” It’s manufactured, filthy, and irresponsible.
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