Mike confident that his job in Dallas is secure

McCarthy said he does not fear losing his job after meeting with team owner Jerry Jones last Monday following the team’s Divisional Round elimination to San Francisco in the Divisional Round.

“Speculation about job security is part of this job, but I pay little attention to that because I know how much (work) I’ve put into this,” McCarthy said at his season-closing news conference. “I know how to win. I know how to win Playoff games. I know how to win championships.”

McCarthy said he is motivated to return next season with a team that, he promised, will be better in every aspect, including Playoff performance, after the Cowboys were eliminated in the Wild Card Round by the San Francisco 49ers.

The coach acknowledged that the season was a failure after not meeting the goal, which was to reach the postseason, as the Cowboys have not done since 1995, when they won their last championship.

However, McCarthy considered that the team progressed in all aspects, but pointed out that they will have to evaluate the internal processes and other details, in addition to the player personnel and their own staff, especially because practically all the teams looking for a head coach have requested an interview with their offensive and defensive coordinators, Matt Moore and Dan Quinn, respectively.

“We’re going to be better. I have confidence in the process and our staff. You have to recognize what our staff did in all departments and with the players from what we did last year,” McCarthy said. “The turnaround we had defensively, from a player and staff standpoint, is the biggest I’ve ever been a part of.

“It’s going to be a challenge. You can’t keep everybody, but that’s the era we’re in. We’re going to look at who we have and have another excellent draft. This is the first year since I’ve been here that we’ve had a normal preseason, so I’m sure next year will be better,” he added.

McCarthy noted that, for now, he is focused on player exit interviews and then he will look at the many factors that contributed to Dallas’ latest playoff failure, such as the 14 penalties against the 49ers and being the team with the most tissues in the regular season.

Troy Aikman, upset with Cowboys’ elimination

Troy Aikman, the last quarterback to be a champion with the Cowboys, criticized McCarthy’s performance this season.

“Most people would probably say his grade was a ‘C,’ because he had a good season and that gets you to the Postseason. Fair or unfair, and I think it was fair, expectations are high with this team and because of the talent they have,” Aikman lamented in an interview with 1310 AM The Ticket Dallas.

“You could have a season (with a record) of 13-4, 12-5 or 17-0. If you don’t get anything done in the Postseason, really, at the end of the day, you’re no different than the Jacksonville Jaguars or the New York Jets, who didn’t even get into (the Playoffs),” the Hall of Fame quarterback added.

Aikman agreed with McCarthy that the Cowboys’ on-field discipline problem is serious and must be corrected immediately.

“That’s not winning soccer. It’s rare to see a team win that beats itself and has to come back on a regular basis,” Aikman concluded.