CCBoy
09-03-2012, 09:13 AM
The Cowboys Must Win The Fourth Quarter in 2012
by One.Cool.Customer
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2012/9/3/3227494/the-cowboys-must-win-the-fourth-quarter-in-2012
In our coverage of camp this year, rabblerouser and I both noted how at the end of each practice, Jason Garrett would have the players run windsprints. This isn't something the Cowboys did in previous camps. Garrett explained why he insists on these windsprints:
"We're going to play 16 fourth quarters this season," Garrett said. "They're going to be tough and we're going to be tired, but that's when you have to focus. That's when you have to have poise and mental toughness and continue to do things the right way."
Garrett is emphasizing fourth quarter performance for a very good reason: you may find this hard to believe given how the Cowboys were seemingly overmatched in many games over the last two years, but in 20 of the 32 games the Cowboys played in the last two seasons, the difference in points between the Cowboys and their opponents at one point during the fourth quarter was three points or less. And one of the reasons the Cowboys finished both seasons the way they did is because their record in those 20 games was only 8-12.
It's not hard to imagine that even a slight improvement in your fourth quarter performance could have a pretty strong impact on your overall W/L record, and for the Cowboys this year, winning the fourth quarter will be the difference between making the playoffs and another top 15 pick...
by One.Cool.Customer
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2012/9/3/3227494/the-cowboys-must-win-the-fourth-quarter-in-2012
In our coverage of camp this year, rabblerouser and I both noted how at the end of each practice, Jason Garrett would have the players run windsprints. This isn't something the Cowboys did in previous camps. Garrett explained why he insists on these windsprints:
"We're going to play 16 fourth quarters this season," Garrett said. "They're going to be tough and we're going to be tired, but that's when you have to focus. That's when you have to have poise and mental toughness and continue to do things the right way."
Garrett is emphasizing fourth quarter performance for a very good reason: you may find this hard to believe given how the Cowboys were seemingly overmatched in many games over the last two years, but in 20 of the 32 games the Cowboys played in the last two seasons, the difference in points between the Cowboys and their opponents at one point during the fourth quarter was three points or less. And one of the reasons the Cowboys finished both seasons the way they did is because their record in those 20 games was only 8-12.
It's not hard to imagine that even a slight improvement in your fourth quarter performance could have a pretty strong impact on your overall W/L record, and for the Cowboys this year, winning the fourth quarter will be the difference between making the playoffs and another top 15 pick...