“Brett Favre didn’t like it” – Mike McCarthy says Cowboys staying away from Hall of Fame QB’s tendencies for Dak Prescott

Mike McCarthy will return to a familiar play-calling role during the 2023 NFL season. While it will be the first year he will be doing so with the Dallas Cowboys, he has plenty of experience in that role as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. He previously served as the play-caller for both Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre.

McCarthy inherited his new role with the Cowboys following Jerry Jones' decision to fire offensive coordinator Kellen Moore during the offseason. Brian Schottenheimer replaced Moore, but he will not be the one calling the offensive plays.

During a recent interview with "Shan and RJ" on The Fan in Dallas, Mike McCarthy was asked about his strategic plans for calling plays this year. He discussed one element he intends to implement this season that Favre apparently disliked, but Rodgers was in favor of during his Packers spell.

Here's what McCarthy had to say:

"When I got to Green Bay, Brett didn't like the motion because he, you know, at this point of his career, he felt like he knew when they were coming. He wanted to be able to throw hot, he wanted more separation. And then we started with a little more motion when Aaron got going, as he got into more of like the bunch and stacks and so forth."

"But anyhow, there's an ability to that because you can line up in two by two and three by one all day with Aaron Rodgers and run every constant in football. So a lot of benefits from motion. I think we're going to use it, but I think we're going to be more detailed on when we use it."

Incorporating offensive motion in a pre-snap routine is a valuable tool in diagnosing a defense and keeping them off-balance. It helps a quarterback determine certain factors, such as blitz pick-up and whether the coverage scheme is either man or zone. It can also disrupt the opposing defense when organizing their individual assignments before a play.

According to Mike McCarthy, the amount of motion in his play design with Dak Prescott will fall somewhere between Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Apparently, Favre was mostly opposed to it with McCarthy in Green Bay, while Rodgers preferred to use it excessively.

How many years did Mike McCarthy spend with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers?

Mike McCarthy

The Green Bay Packers hired Mike McCarthy to take over as their head coach ahead of the 2006 NFL season. Before the franchise transitioned to Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre spent the first two years as the starting quarterback. McCarthy served as Rodgers' head coach for his first ten full years as a starter before being fired in year 11.

Like Rodgers, Favre won just one Super Bowl ring during his career but did so with Mike Holmgren as his head coach for the 1996 NFL season. Rodgers and McCarthy won a ring as a tandem for the 2010 NFL season, with the head coach also serving as the play-caller.