FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy will be back in the facility on Friday just two days after having surgery to remove his appendix on Wednesday afternoon, and he is expected to be ready to coach from the sideline on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
When asked about if there are any contingency plans should McCarthy not be available to coach on the sidelines on Sunday, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said that it is "full steam ahead" and that they "don't anticipate anything different."
McCarthy was in communication with the coaching staff and players as soon as he got out of surgery on Wednesday afternoon as he has participated in Zoom meetings and extended phone calls with various team personnel.
His weekly Thursday meeting with Schottenheimer and quarterback Dak Prescott to go over the practice week and upcoming game plan will carry on as usual, just with McCarthy calling in via Zoom.
McCarthy has only missed one game in his 17-year career – a game against the New Orleans Saints in 2021 for testing positive for COVID-19. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn stepped in for McCarthy for that game as the acting head coach and has five-plus seasons of head coaching experience from his time in Atlanta.
When asked if there was any concern around McCarthy's availability on Wednesday afternoon, Quinn threw some humor at reporters while stating his confidence that the coaching staff will be at full strength when he said, "You think that tough Irishman will miss this game?"
The Cowboys held practice on Wednesday and Thursday without McCarthy but will have their head coach back in the building for Friday's walk-through and Saturday's session.
