Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy dials back OTAs to avoid another penalty

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is ensuring he is not going to be fined for a 3rd straight 12 months for an excessive amount of contact throughout organized workforce actions.

“Our workforce durations are principally walkthroughs and jogthroughs,” McCarthy mentioned earlier than the Cowboys’ second OTA of the offseason program. “So we cannot have a aggressive 11-on-11 drill right here in all probability ever once more within the offseason.”

McCarthy was fined in 2021 and 2022 for what the league deemed as an excessive amount of contact within the offseason practices which can be carried out with out pads and theoretically not presupposed to have any contact. A quick tussle between two gamers final 12 months led to the investigation that prompted the second superb.

A 3rd violation of the principles may result in a workforce doubtlessly dropping a draft choose.

Within the latest rookie minicamp, the on-field work was restricted. When gamers had been on the sphere, they didn’t have anyone on one or workforce drills and a lot of the follow was carried out with the gamers carrying helmets.

In Thursday’s OTA, there was a two-minute drill that was finished with out offensive or defensive linemen.

“Group drills actually will not be sensible underneath the rules, for my part,” McCarthy mentioned.

Requested if the change in format was associated to the fines, McCarthy smiled, which drew amusing from the media.

“I imply I am glad you discover humor in it,” McCarthy cracked. “My spouse and I do not suppose it is actually humorous. It is truly a sore spot with me. I am on digital camera [or] I would inform you precisely how I actually really feel. Gotta observe the principles.”