FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott started shaking his head before the question was over.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback knew where this was headed. And he didn’t buy it.
Mike McCarthy, coach for his job at Monday night’s wild card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
“In a way, it’s weird,” Prescott said Friday afternoon. “Consecutive 12 wins (seasons) in you all, tell me how long, and we’re talking about a man’s job that’s in jeopardy? That just shows you what it’s all about playing for this organization.
“That’s why it’s important to build these walls around us. Create that safe space in our dressing room. What matters is the men who go out and stand between the lines and work all week so we can go out and win.”
The Cowboys will look to perform in Tampa on Monday that has eluded the franchise. Dallas hasn’t won a road playoff game in 30 years and hasn’t advanced to a conference championship game (let alone a Super Bowl) in 27 years. Cowboys history continues to play a big role against Bucs quarterback Tom Brady: Brady has played against the Cowboys seven times in his career. He won all seven.
McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, was hired by Dallas three years ago to change that.
Nonetheless, this week he has tried to downplay outside distractions and remind the Cowboys that they are playing against the entire Buccaneers team and that they are responsible for what they do during their tenure — not the franchise ghosts of the past decades.
To further underscore just how far the Cowboys are from the futility they’re being held accountable for, McCarthy polled his team this week. How many players were actually still alive on January 17, 1993 when the Cowboys beat the San Francisco 49ers for their final postseason road win? Eleven active players were there. Ten baby pictures submitted for McCarthy’s presentation.
“We had 10 players’ baby pictures and the dates they were born and obviously acknowledged that,” McCarthy told the San Francisco Game.
The story goes on
“This is about our chance. It’s about what lies ahead.”
Several Cowboys players confirmed this week: playoff runs like this will define their legacy. All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons said, “This is where legends are made.” Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb chimed in that “stars are born in playoffs,” the real mark of players as they “perform in elimination rounds.”
Players cited a renewed surge of energy around meetings and locker rooms, anticipation of a game in which they are 2.5-point favorites but also face off against a seven-time Super Bowl champion known for comebacks and playoff promotion is.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (left) is not concerned about coach Mike McCarthy’s job security ahead of Monday’s playoff game against the Tampa Bay Bucs. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
“You have to love playing in those moments,” Prescott said. “If you don’t do that, this league, this sport is not the place for you. So for me it’s about embracing the moment. Stay with me. It’s not time to do something new, to create something new.
“Trust my teammates, trust the way I’ve been preparing all this time and go out there and stay in the moment.”
Expect Prescott to lean on his confidence to use his legs to extend plays, while Lamb’s playoff mantras include staying calm even as the Bucs return to their oft-used strategy of double-covering a No. 1 receiver . Lamb will remember that the more defenders cheer me on, the more my teammates will face one-on-ones.
The centre-backs will aim to disrupt Brady’s pocket ahead of his quick 2.45s release time, while the secondary members will seek to over-communicate amid fears Brady will attempt to confound their game diagnoses.
Each player will work to avoid the fate they suffered last year: a wildcard upset and an early departure from the home. Emotions are fresh, that disappointment 12 months away is “what we’ve built our team on this year,” DeMarcus Lawrence said on the defensive end.
“You have to use that as energy to get into these playoffs,” Lawrence said. “I’m not getting any younger. This is the time.”
But while the Cowboys ponder their postseason goals and ways to shape their legacy, players insist they are not focused on this game’s impact on McCarthy.
Since the 1994-1995 season, he officiated the Cowboys’ most successful two-year regular season. Jerry Jones, team owner and general manager of the Cowboys, insists McCarthy has more than playoff success to judge his third-year head coach.
The outside call will swirl. If the Cowboys lose to the Buccaneers in an alarming manner, Jones’ emotions are likely to fuel speculation further. But Cowboys players won’t tune in. They believe that the responsibility for victory lies with them.
“We as players love Mike,” Lamb said. “We love playing for him and everything he has done for us to put us in the best position to win. You can see it in the way we play and like you said, 12-5 in consecutive years.
“I feel like the only way we can really pay him back is if we win all season. And let the rest take care of itself.”
Follow Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein