There were many who believed head coach Mike McCarthy would suffer the consequences for his team’s poor performance in such a crucial game after the Dallas Cowboys were soundly defeated and embarrassed at home by the Green Bay Packers in their Wild Card playoff game. Emmitt Smith, a former standout player for the Cowboys, was one of those who believed owner Jerry Jones would fire the head coach.
Smith believed that the Cowboys would be better off hiring an experienced head coach like Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions or Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.
“Well, at first, I would have assumed it would be Sean Payton; at first, I would have assumed it would be Sean Payton, but who knows at this point?” Apart from trying to kidnap Dan Campbell from the Detroit Lions, I have no idea. I believe his message—that many people and children are missing—is the correct one.
The Cowboys, who finished the regular season with an 8-0 record at AT&T Stadium, were the clear winners of the NFC East this year with a 12-5 record. They were 7-point favorites over the 7th-seeded Packers among sports bettors nationwide, and they had won six of those games by 20 points or more.
