Dallas Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy Undergoes Emergency Surgery

Mike McCarthy, the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, had to deal with a health this week. The Cowboys announced on Wednesday that McCarthy underwent surgery after being diagnosed with an acute case of appendicitis. He experienced abdominal pain and was hospitalized on Wednesday morning. According to multiple reports, the surgery was a success, and McCarthy is expected to be on the sidelines when the team Cowboys take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. 

"You really think that tough Irishman is going to miss this game?" defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said Wednesday, per ESPN. "We're certainly anticipating Mike being back for the game. We'll hold it down for practices. Knowing him, he'll be online tonight wanting to go through red zone and third down and everything else. We expect him to be rocking by game day."  

While McCarthy is recovering, Quinn and fellow coordinators Brian Schottenheimer and John Fassel will run practice. The procedure comes as the Cowboys are playing their best football, winning five of their last six games. Their last loss came on Nov. 5 when they fell to the Eagles 28-23 in Philadelphia. 

"What's good about Mike and the system here is it's all laid out about how we go and what we would do from yesterday, today, all the way through the game and the meetings and schedules," Quinn said. "So pretty easy in that one. You just take it and run with it. Between myself and Brian and Bones, we've got it covered and we're ready to go today, expect a great practice just like it's been set up to do. We're ready to go do that."  

Not having McCarthy at practice didn't impact the players. "Absolutely not," defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said. "I feel like Mike has built a great structure around here for us to continue to keep up the pieces and keep going. I feel like it was no stress, no struggle to the day. I feel like we did a great job of adjusting and making sure we were on time and locked in. We understand what comes with this weekend. A big rivalry game. We know the Eagles are coming into town. We're locked in, ready to have fun."

McCarthy 60, has been the Cowboys head coach since 2020. After a 6-10 finish in 2020, McCarthy led the Cowboys to 12-5 records in 2021 and 2022. The team is currently 9-3 and one game behind the Eagles for the NFC East lead. McCarthy was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018 and led the team to a Super Bowl title during the 2010 season.