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Friday 19 January 2024

Mike McCarthy sells belief in playoff breakthrough that has eluded

Cowboys

By SCHUYLER DIXON McCarthy won a Super
AP Pro Football Writer Bowl and went to three
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Mike other NFC championship
McCarthy sifted through games in 12-plus seasons
several versions of selling as coach of the Packers.
his belief that the Dallas That’s why Jones hired him
Cowboys can find a level in 2020 after 10 years of
of postseason success that watching Jason Garrett’s
has eluded the storied fran- teams fail to get past the
chise for nearly three de- divisional round.
cades. The most recent time Dallas
The coach faced report- reached an NFC title game
ers a day after a meet- was the last of the fran-
ing with owner and gen- chise’s five Super Bowl titles
eral manager Jerry Jones during the 1995 season.
ended with them agree- While McCarthy has to own
ing McCarthy would return being the coach of the first
for a fifth season despite a team with three consecu-
stunning wild-card loss to tive 12-win playoff seasons
Green Bay. not to reach a confer-
The Cowboys won the NFC ence championship game,
East and entered the post- there’s only so much history
season with a chance to he can take.
play at least twice at home, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, responds to questions during a news conference “I’m going to take no re-
where they had a 16-game at the team’s NFL football headquarters in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. sponsibility, and I talked
winning streak. Associated Press to the players too, and
They exited as the first No. they have no responsibil-
2 seed to lose to a confer- loss to the Packers. win. We know how to train ing to be sitting here talk- ity on what’s gone on here
ence’s last team in since “We have established a to win. We have the right ing about. But I know how in the 20-plus years be-
the 14-team format was championship program. It’s people. to win. We will get over that fore this point,” McCarthy
adopted in 2020. Dallas just not a world champion- “But we have not crossed threshold. I have total con- said. “We’re responsible
trailed by 32 points in the ship yet,” McCarthy told a the threshold winning play- fidence in that, and that’s for what’s going on the
fourth quarter of the 48-32 packed news conference off games,” McCarthy said. why I’m standing here to- program.q
Thursday. “We know how to “It’s extremely disappoint- day.”

Reba McEntire, Post Malone and Andra Day to sing during Super

Bowl pregame

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. performances that will air on CBS. Actor Daniel Du- rant will perform the na- pany and Emmy-winning
AP Entertainment Writer tional anthem in American producer Jesse Collins
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Coun- sign language. He’ll follow will serve as co-executive
try music star Reba McEn- his “CODA” film castmate producers of the halftime
tire will grace next month’s and Oscar winner Troy Kot- show. McEntire, a three-
Super Bowl stage to sing sur, who took on the role time Grammy winner, has
the national anthem while last year. become a country music
Post Malone will perform Model-dancer Anjel Pi- icon with more than 30 stu-
“America the Beautiful.” ñero will sign “America the dio albums that includes a
The performances will take Beautiful” and “Lift Every variety of hits such as “Fan-
place Feb. 11 at Allegiant Voice and Sing” will be cy,” “Consider Me Gone”
Stadium in Las Vegas be- signed by actor-dancer and “Does He Love You.”
fore the championship Shaheem Sanchez. Emmy The highly decorated per-
matchup and halftime winner Adam Blackstone former was inducted into
show featuring Usher. An- will produce and arrange the Country Music Hall of
dra Day will also perform Reba McEntire performs during the 2023 CMA Fest on Friday, the national anthem and Fame in 2011 and received
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” June 9, 2023, at the Spotify House in Nashville, Tenn. “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” a Kennedy Center honor in
as part of the pregame Associated Press Jay-Z’s Roc Nation com- 2018. q