As we know, Shaq is never shy about dispensing advice, especially sports-related advice. And it doesn’t even have to be about basketball. Just this week O’Neal weighed in on the coaching situation for the Dallas Cowboys. Like a lot of other fans, O’Neal wants Mike McCarthy out. His suggestion for a replacement is raising a few eyebrows.
Shaq says Cowboys owner Jerry Jones should reach out to “Prime Time” – Deon Sanders – and offer him the job of next head coach. Will Jones listen? That remains to be seen. Shaq certainly has a big following on social media and broadcast TV, and he might stir up some interest in making the change.
On a recent episode of his podcast – The Big Podcast – Shaq called out Jones by name: “I’m putting this out right now. Deion Sanders is the next head coach for the Cowboys. Jerry Jones, this message is from Shaquille O’Neal Incorporated. Deion Sanders for the next coach of the Cowboys.”
Shaq suggested Deion would bring some much-needed discipline to the Big D. “You want to get Dallas back rocking? Bring Deion to the fold. Deion will hold those players accountable. Deion Sanders for the next Cowboys coach. Put it out. Tweet it, d******. TikTok it. Instagram it. OnlyFans it. Put it out.”
Insiders are saying there’s nothing wrong with McCarthy. He’s certainly an old-school, nose-to-the-grindstone kind of coach. And while there’s certainly a place for that in the NFL, does it work in Dallas?
There’s no doubt Jones could create some big-time hype around the Cowboys if he were to hire Sanders as new head coach. He’d sell plenty of tickets and merchandise, but would it make sense in the quest for another Super Bowl?
On the one hand, Sanders does know a thing or two about bringing a Lombardi home to Dallas. He was a big part of the 1995 Dallas squad that won the Super Bowl. That was 27 years ago, and the Cowboys haven’t won it since, let alone made the NFC Championship game.
In case you haven’t been following him, Sanders is already working as a head coach, at Mississippi’s Jackson State University. It’s not exactly a “prime time” gig, but Sanders has been doing a great job for the Tigers, putting in an 11-2 record in 2021. Still, this is (so far) his only bit of coaching experience. A jump from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to the NFL could be pretty tough, even for an NFL legend like Sanders.
As for Shaq, it seems he believes the real problem in Dallas is discipline. Most NFL analysts would agree. Cowboy reference: they certainly shot themselves in the foot, more than a few times. They were penalized 14 times in the Wild Card loss, and they led the league in penalties committed with 127. That’s 7.4 penalties per game. For context, the Green Bay Packers committed only 69 total penalties for the entire 2021 season.
The Cowboys had (and have) a really nice pool of talent, but have failed to live up to expectations. Yes, that most likely falls on McCarthy, which is why he’s on such a hot seat this offseason.
And it’s why Shaq likes Sanders. The Cowboys need discipline, and he clearly doesn’t believe McCarthy is the one who can instill that much-needed trait.