Continuity and chemistry seem to be a priority for Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys coaching staff

We are officially two weeks in to the Mike McCarthy era and the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff continues to come together under him. Friday brought with it the news that Adam Henry is joining the group (and that Jason Garrett is joining the one with the New York Giants!) and he is one of the only new additions that doesn’t bring head coaching experience with him.

McCarthy seems intent on targeting leaders to fill the staff at The Star in Frisco and there’s certainly no harm in that. While it’s easy to draw that conclusion from names like Mike Nolan, John Fassel, Jim Tomsula, and Joe Philbin, it’s hard to know the full details of what McCarthy is trying to build.

This is why every word that the head coach says over the next few months will prove to be pivotal. We are learning about him and what his intentions are, and in his appearance on the mothership’s Cowboys Huddle he noted how important continuity and chemistry are for his group.

Question: How important is it when you put your coaching staff together, do you look at chemistry and how different coaches work with each other?

Mike McCarthy: It’s of most importance. I think not only the chemistry of it but the order of how you hire your coaching staff. You try to build that chain of command. Hire the coordinators first then the assistants second, just to make sure it all fits together. But the personality of each coach, how it fits, not only just with the offensive staff, but the defensive staff. So like Mike Nolan’s interviewed some offensive coaches, vice versa. So it’s important for everybody to be part of the process because you want that chemistry and continuity.

It’s interesting to see how McCarthy isn’t limiting defensive assistants to exclusively being hired by his defensive coordinator. Spreading out responsibilities and duties is a smart and interesting approach, hopefully it yields success.

Of course, what sticks out here as far as Cowboys history (and Jason Garrett history) are concerned is that McCarthy is specific about the order that his coaches are hired. Noting that coordinators should come before assistants and what not so that a chain of command can be established makes sense, which obviously reminds us all of when Jerry Jones hired Jason Garrett to be the team’s offensive coordinator in 2007 before he hired Wade Phillips to be head coach.

A lot has changed in 13 years.