Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy gets skewered by fans and media for his on-field acumen, but his players love him for what he does off the field, per the NFL Players Association’s first NFL Player Team Report Cards.
NFL players rated their teams on eight factors, including the quality of team facilities, staff, food, travel accommodations and treatment of families. In all, 1,300 players were surveyed as part of the initiative meant to help NFL free agents determine their next stop.
Per the Cowboys’ report card, McCarthy scored high for setting “aside time every week for his players to recover” from games and practices — a huge reason why he is “one of the most well-liked coaches in the league.”
Overall, Dallas is one of several teams to score high grades.
Dallas’ shortcomings are in the training staff — which players say is understaffed — as well as in travel, where players complained about the lack of first-class travel accommodations. The team’s report card stated Dallas is one of seven teams not to offer players first-class travel.
While not great, it’s hardly the most egregious thing an NFL team does — or better yet, doesn’t — do.
Here are the good, bad and “The Washington,” per the NFLPA survey.
The good
The Vikings were the only team to receive all A’s.
Minnesota recently invested in upgrades for its staff and facilities, and the investments have paid off with the most satisfied players in the league.
The Vikings report card stated, “Their facility was recently built and is considered state of the art,” and Minnesota is “a shining example of what is possible when a concerted investment is made in both staffing and facilities.”
A big surprise is seeing Houston viewed in such high esteem. The Texans received the fourth-highest grade in the league thanks to the freedom it gives its players, both on the road and at home. Per the NFLPA’s report, “Their team travel philosophy ranked the best in the league. On road games, they give the players plenty of room … for home games, they allow veteran players to stay in their own homes.”
The bad
One wild takeaway from the report cards comes from New Orleans. The Saints scored high across the board except in the one category: food.
In New Orleans? Really.
Players rated the quality of the team’s food as the fourth worst in the NFL. The organization is one of three teams not to offer three meals per day, per the survey.
New Orleans, which offers a daycare and family room, scored a B+ (tied for fifth) in its treatment of families. The same can’t be said of the Bengals, who have serious work to do.
Per Cincinnati’s report card:
Players report that there is nowhere safe and warm for mothers and children to go during the game, and that breastfeeding mothers have sat on the public restroom floor to nurse their babies.
The Washington
The Commanders unsurprisingly finished with the worst report card, receiving Fs for their facilities, travel and treatment of families.
According to the report card, “Players had significantly more concerns with each area of the facility than the player respondents on any other team,” with constant mentions of the training room being understaffed.
Oh, and players complained about drainage issues in the showers.
If owner Daniel Snyder thinks he can get $7 billion for this mess of his own creation, he’s even more out of his element than we thought.
