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The Cowboys' McCarthy snaps at a reporter who asks about the players' comments

The Cowboys have three games left in their season. The last two were embarrassing home defeats in which player performance played an important role.

And the cracks are already showing.

Head coach Mike McCarthy became downright testy with one of the reporters in the media pool during his press conference on Monday. The exchange highlighted how frustrated everyone around The Star is after a 28-25 loss to Baltimore dropped the club to 1-2, the Cowboys' worst start since 2020.

Several Cowboys players, including Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Jourdan Lewis and Dak Prescott, have offered their own views on a current issue that appears to go beyond simple Xs and Os. But when Fort Worth Star-Telegram Reporter Nick Harris asked the coach how to address such concerns in an already short week of practice, McCarthy opted to get nasty and sarcastic.

“That’s pretty dramatic, Nick,” McCarthy said from the podium.

“I'm telling you, you have to practice this,” he added, before finishing with a noticeable grimace and an exaggerated “Geez…”

McCarthy often indicated that he disliked all the question-and-answer duties that came with his job, and occasionally bumped into members of the media on certain lines of questioning, but that seemed out of character for him.

McCarthy got into trouble in January 2023 when he appeared to shove a cameraman shortly after the Cowboys' 19-12 playoff loss to San Francisco. The videographer for NBC 5 in Dallas said the stiff arm on his camera lens wasn't as strong as it looked; McCarthy later met with him to apologize.

After his initial comments against Harris on Monday, McCarthy appeared to back down a bit. But the rest of his answer was a convoluted word salad that didn't contain much that resembled an actual answer:

“Well, hey, the schedule for Thursday. I mean, that's what we're all about. I mean, we didn't win the game. I think that's part of our situation. So, yes. I think they can answer your questions well. After the game it is emotional, so I will never channel emotions on the field or after a game.”

None of this answers Harris' completely fair, respectful and legitimate question about how the coaching staff handles the big issues that the players are already raising in a short week of preparation.

It wasn't inappropriate Understood Kind of an ambush by Harris, who until a few weeks ago was a team employee writing for dallascowboys.com, and that in no way justified McCarthy treating it that way.

Several other reporters had already asked about various players' comments and the team's reaction. McCarthy stated, “What needed to be said has been said, and we're with the Giants,” but declined to elaborate on what that meant, saying, “This isn't show-and-tell.”

The coach (not to mention his entire staff) is reportedly working this season without a contract for next year, so tensions will undoubtedly – and understandably – be high with any misstep the club makes on the pitch. But him denouncing Harris in front of the rest of the media pool was an over-the-top reaction that seemed really strange under the circumstances.

Is McCarthy feeling the pressure of a short week of practice for a division opponent? Secure. Is he frustrated with the team's poor performance over the last two weeks? Clearly. Would he prefer not to get questions about his own players complaining about basic things like effort and detail and teammates getting their jobs done? Absolutely. Has the pressure in the facility increased due to the second defeat in a row? Apparently.

Well, the coach simply changed the narrative. By impatiently biting the head off of an experienced reporter be McCarthy responded that his question was kind of over the top and made sure people would Also talk about it The Now… Additionally to find out what's wrong with the Cowboys on the field.

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