There is always some added pressure when you start with a new company.
No matter how beefy your resume is, or how long you've been in a similar position before, first impressions matter to you and your new co-workers anytime you begin anew. One way to set yourself up for success is making sure that you have everything around you in order. New office supplies. New wardrobe. New workout routine. Whatever it is, a new job presents an opportunity to get organized and armed to attack any challenge that comes your way.
That's what this offseason has been for Mike McCarthy as the new head coach in Dallas. New office? Check. New coaching staff? Check. A new draft class is in the works as we speak, and little did we know it, so are the detailed plans of what training camp will entail in 2020.
In an offseason littered with contract talks and free agent needs, it's nice to step away for a couple moments and remember that there is a new season on the horizon. While still over 20 weeks away, training camp for the 2020 campaign presents a unique opportunity and a crucial time in the early tenure of McCarthy and staff.
McCarthy, who was hired on January 7, 2020 is just over a quarter of the way from the start of his new gig, to the opening day in Oxnard. Events like the NFL Draft and Rookie Mini-Camp are still ahead, but the Cowboys' new head man did not shy away last Wednesday in Indianapolis from discussing his attention to detail when it comes to Training Camp.
"I'm actually going out to Oxnard here in a couple weeks," McCarthy said. "I'll spend a day out there, two Thursday's from now, just to walk the property and meet out there."
Now that the 2020 staff has been solidified in Dallas for the past few weeks, McCarthy and company recognize the importance of the time spent on the West Coast and how that could shape the upcoming year.
With the NFL scouting combine now wrapped up in Indianapolis, there is obviously still a mystery and intrigue around the upcoming Cowboys' rookie class. A class that has some added pressure on the scouting department and coaching staff, due to glaring team needs.
Training camp provides an opportunity for a new staff to implement a reinvented playbook and new style of play at an expedited rate. Also, not to mention an all-important section of time to mesh as an organization and to set team-wide expectations.
But for now, the uncertainty of 25 potential free agents from the 2019 roster makes the exact representation at training camp a guessing game and shifts the stress for McCarthy's preparation to more about the miniscule details.
"To see the operation and how it flows. I have a proposed schedule that I've already been thinking about," McCarthy said. "But the function of it is always what's most important, so we'll be working on that."
Regardless of who ends up on the field in July for the 16th year of Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, now is the time for McCarthy and his staff to get their plans together to best utilize the time on the West Coast. For a coach who is coming off a year without the process of being a head coach, he is more than ready to get back in the thick of building towards the 53-man roster in a place that allows him to be successful.
"I'm excited about it," McCarthy said. "It makes sense to go out there, and everyone in the organization speaks very highly of the training camps out there, so I think that it's something that's needed for our football team."
We're still a ways away, but it's never too early for Mike McCarthy to show a little 'California Love.'
