INDIANAPOLIS — It turns out that Jerry Jones isn’t the only representative of the Dallas Cowboys who can throw a fastball.
Head coach Mike McCarthy dumped on former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore when explaining the decision to make a change not long after the Cowboys led the NFL in total offense (407 yards per game) and scoring offense (31.2 points per game) in 2021.
“I’ve been where Kellen has been: Kellen wants to light the scoreboard up,” McCarthy told reporters at the NFL combine.
“But I want to run the damn ball so I can rest my defense. I don’t desire to be the No. 1 offense in the league.
“I want to be the No. 1 team in the league with a number of wins and a championship.
“And if we have to give up some production and take care of the ball better to get that, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Moore, the former Cowboys backup quarterback who McCarthy inherited as a coach from Jason Garrett, was fired in January and quickly hired by the Chargers.
McCarthy promoted Brian Schottenheimer, who called plays for the Jets from 2006-11, from an analyst position to replace Moore.
How will it impact Dak Prescott?
Especially with running backs Tony Pollard (free agent) and Ezekiel Elliott (possibly salary cap casualty) as candidates to leave.
“We can all use a new voice,” McCarthy said. “We all can use a sense of motivation. This is a new challenge for [Dak], his words. He’s excited about it.”
After years of chasing quick-fix veteran quarterbacks, it is assumed the Colts will draft a first-round quarterback.
They hold the No. 4 pick, but could they trade up to No. 1, over the AFC South rival Texans at No. 2?
“When we meet as a staff and we say, ‘OK, this is what we need to do. This is the guy for the next 10 to 15 years,’ sure we’ll do it,” general manager Chris Ballard said. “But who’s to say we won’t get one at No. 4?”
Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson all could be top-10 picks.
To trade up to No. 1, the Colts must know “that this is no freaking doubt the guy,” Ballard said.
The Panthers are interested in re-signing former Jets draft pick Sam Darnold, according to ESPN.
Darnold is 8-9 with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions since he was acquired.
If the Panthers are going to draft a quarterback, Darnold makes sense in the caretaker and backup role.
No surprise here, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell — author of the “biting kneecaps” quote — is old-school when it comes to player evaluations.
The former Giants tight end sees value in the combine for interviews and medical exams. The testing results?
“You grade them off the tape,” Campbell said. “You don’t grade off somebody out here in pajamas, running the 40 [yard dash] with no defender around.”