Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy has had 'very positive conversations' with Jerry Jones

One day after the Dallas Cowboys were unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told local radio station 105.3 The Fan he "absolutely" believed head coach Mike McCarthy would keep his job through the winter months. 

Per Todd Archer of ESPN, McCarthy spoke with media members Wednesday and said he's had "very positive conversations" with Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones about his future. Coming off those discussions, McCarthy is beginning offseason work as the team's coach. 

"I think for people in this profession, it's accepted," McCarthy said of speculation about his future after he guided the Cowboys to a division title but also to a one-and-done postseason appearance during his second campaign with the organization. "It's part of the job. I get that. I understand why you're asking the question. It's part of the job. You have a job to do and I have a job to do here today in answering your questions appropriately and respectfully. But, yeah, I don't put a lot into it because I know personally what I put into this.

"I understand what goes on here every day. I know how to win. I know how to win in this league. I know how to win playoff games. I know how to win a championship. So I have great confidence in that. What we've built here in two seasons, I feel very good about, and I think with that you just stay true to that. The hard part is the personal. We all have kids, so that's the part that I don't like. I would hope people are respectful to that."

As noted by ESPN stats, the Cowboys were penalized 14 times for 89 yards in the loss to San Francisco. McCarthy made it clear that's unacceptable.

"… our number one focus moving forward is the penalties," he added during his comments, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "It’s way too many . . . you look at the pre-snap (penalties), there’s no excuse for it. That’s been a focus all year. You know, the thing I struggle with as a head coach doing this now for a number of years is, I have comparables over a 15-year period and this team here is clearly one of the better teams I’ve coached as far as their mental preparation and their mental execution. . . . Our mental grades don’t coincide with the penalties, because they usually go together. That’s something we’ll take a very hard look at." 

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore are taking interviews with other teams about head-coach opportunities, and McCarthy admitted he may have to make staff changes between now and the start of the new NFL year in March.