FRISCO, Texas — In a compressed, unprecedented training camp, Mike McCarthy is focused on the day ahead. Friday happens to be the Cowboys' sixth installation practice here at Ford Center at The Star. With the season opener at the Rams less than a month away, each prep day is critical.
But when asked before practice about the big picture — specifically, a 'Super Bowl or bust' mentality — McCarthy was clear about his goals every single year.
"If you're not trying to win a Super Bowl, I don't know what you're even doing in this business," he said. "I think that's what every team starts their offseason with. The ones that don't talk about it are probably trying to under-promise, overachieve. But I've always been very upfront about it with every team I've ever coached. We're in this to win a championship, make no bones about it."
It wasn't a prediction. More like a standard he wants to set for his program, regardless of the circumstances.
Some observers might temper expectations for the 2020 Cowboys. Due to the nation's COVID-19 crisis, McCarthy and largely a new coaching staff didn't have an in-person offseason program to implement new schemes and philosophies on the field.
Nevertheless, the Cowboys' first-year head coach — a 2010 Super Bowl champion in Green Bay — continues to aim high.
"The schedule is what it is. I'm not a big fan of that statement, but we're all in a pandemic," he said. "Every coach is coaching in this training camp environment. The players are doing a great job with the COVID challenge.
"It's going to be a long, long year. It's going to be a huge challenge to get that championship. That's the reality of it. But at the end of the day, we're on Install 6, and we've got a lot of work to do."
