Why Bill Belichick is the man to rescue the Dallas Cowboys

Let’s start with the obvious, shall we? The Cowboys haven’t played in a Conference Championship game since 1995, when they last won the Super Bowl. That’s not because they haven’t made the playoffs; in fact, they’ve made it to the postseason 13 times since their last Super Bowl win.

But they have only won 5 games in those 13 campaigns! Belichick, on the other hand, has won 30 playoff games since the year 2000.

Charles Dickens wasn’t referring to the Cowboys’ head coaching job when he wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the best of times.” But he very well could have been. “America’s team” has one of the best rosters in the NFL and a starting quarterback contracted until 2026.

And whatever you think about Dak Prescott, he just ended a season where he completed more passes than ever before and threw 36 touchdowns.

However, Dallas has 14 players hitting free agency in March and just five draft picks with which to refresh the roster. 

Still, if they do decide to look for a new head coach, there will be no shortage of interest. And one person should be at the top of Jones’ wanted list. Bill Belichick is the antidote to Mike McCarthy’s ability to overpromise and underdeliver.  

Bill Belichick is the perfect person to be the Cowboys next head coach

The current Cowboys team has shown how good they can be by averaging 37 points at home. But their downfall is their inconsistency. Despite being unbeatable at home, they had a losing record away from Dallas.

Even in this horrendous season, the Patriots won more road games than home games. Since Mike McCarthy took over in Dallas, the Patriots have won more road games than the Cowboys have (20 to 17). And they’ve only made the playoffs once in that period. Belichick is quite philosophical about the issues road games throw into the mix too. 

Dallas' offense might have been eye-catching when they’ve played at home, but their defense has been in the top 5 in the league for the last two seasons. They’ve got two cornerbacks who specialize in making interceptions, but they can both get caught if they fail to come up with the ball. And that’s where Belichick can help. Belichick’s first job in New England was in 1996 as the defensive backs and assistant head coach.  

The Cowboys’ standout defensive back this season was Stephon Gilmore. He’s a free agent in March but won a Super Bowl ring with Belichick in 2019. So, the 33-year-old might be persuaded to come back for a year by the right coach. And Belichick signed him to a five-year $65 million contract in 2017. 

If Trevon Diggs and Daron Bland can become more like Gilmore, the Cowboys' pass coverage will be the best in the league. And if receivers have to battle to get open, quarterbacks have to hold the ball longer, allowing Micah Parsons to get home for even more sacks. 

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys need to improve their run game. They were ranked 17th in McCarthy’s first season. That rose as high as 9th during his tenure, but it was back down to 14th this past season. That may well be a play-calling issue; when an OC is desperate to establish the run (as the Patriots were this season), they can become predictable with their early play-calling. 

Rico Dowdle does look like he could be the one to kickstart the run game in Dallas, but he had some injury issues this season. The Erhardt-Perkins offensive scheme the Patriots traditionally used under Belichick’s stewardship is essentially a modified version of the old-school smashmouth football. And with Jerry Jones being a former offensive lineman at the University of Arkansas, he’d surely be up for some old school football. 

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