Youth concerns Cowboys' Parcells
San Antonio Express-News
Terry Glenn, Al Singleton and Terrell Owens have been there.
Ditto for Jason Ferguson, Aaron Glenn, Marco Rivera, Martin Gramatica, Jason Fabini and Drew Bledsoe.
But what do the rest of the Dallas Cowboys know about what it takes to reach either the conference championship game and/or the Super Bowl?
Very little, and that's what's been keeping Bill Parcells awake at night this holiday season.
"The thing I worry about most, quite honestly, is this particular team getting the sense of what the playoffs will be like," Parcells said.
Only 19 Cowboys have participated in the playoffs. Six have played in only one playoff game.
That's why Parcells is telling his players to do the following:
"Pay attention to detail and do more work studying your opponents. Mistakes send everybody home. Don't be the one that does it."
It's a message he's delivered to each of his 10 playoff teams. Three of those squads — the 1986 and 1990 New York Giants and the 1996 New England Patriots — rode it all the way to the Super Bowl.
Parcells knows he can count on the aforementioned veterans to adhere to it. But what about youngsters like Chris Canty?
Does Patrick Crayton have the stomach for possibly four more games? Is DeMarcus Ware prepared to fight off double-teams in January?
"To take young players who haven't been there or who may just (say), 'Well, we got in the playoffs ...'" Parcells said. "You worry about them kind of feeling pretty good about being there and forgetting there's other teams you're going to play with different aspirations."
That's where veterans like Aaron Glenn come in.
"I've been playing 13 years now," the former Texas A&M standout said, "and I've played in one AFC championship game (in 1998 with Parcells' Jets). It's not easy (to get there), and when you get a chance, you've got to take full advantage of it."
That's why Aaron Glenn is pushing his teammates with Parcells-like intensity.
"I tell young guys all the time: You're not playing for money. ... It's about being a champion. To do that, in December, you have to be way more focused and determined than you've been all year. You have to pay attention to detail. Some of the little things you did wrong or sloppy all year, that stuff's not going to fly now."
Having guys like Aaron Glenn around to preach his message makes Parcells' job easier. It also helps that the Cowboys have played so many playoff-like games this season.
Another is set for Monday. If the Cowboys (9-5) beat the Eagles (8-6), they clinch their first NFC East title since 1998 and move closer to a possible No. 2 seed in the playoffs and a first-round bye.
If the Eagles win, they retain the tiebreaker over the Cowboys for the division title and can wrap up the crown with a victory over Atlanta next week.
Parcells said the Giants, Falcons and Saints all took their "best shots" at the Cowboys and he expects the Eagles to do the same.
"If you are able to survive those and do well, that serves you well because you get battle-hardened," he said.
If the Cowboys beat the Eagles, they will be 3-1 in playoff-type games, a record that should help Parcells relax a bit.
Terry Glenn, Al Singleton and Terrell Owens have been there.
Ditto for Jason Ferguson, Aaron Glenn, Marco Rivera, Martin Gramatica, Jason Fabini and Drew Bledsoe.
But what do the rest of the Dallas Cowboys know about what it takes to reach either the conference championship game and/or the Super Bowl?
Very little, and that's what's been keeping Bill Parcells awake at night this holiday season.
"The thing I worry about most, quite honestly, is this particular team getting the sense of what the playoffs will be like," Parcells said.
Only 19 Cowboys have participated in the playoffs. Six have played in only one playoff game.
That's why Parcells is telling his players to do the following:
"Pay attention to detail and do more work studying your opponents. Mistakes send everybody home. Don't be the one that does it."
It's a message he's delivered to each of his 10 playoff teams. Three of those squads — the 1986 and 1990 New York Giants and the 1996 New England Patriots — rode it all the way to the Super Bowl.
Parcells knows he can count on the aforementioned veterans to adhere to it. But what about youngsters like Chris Canty?
Does Patrick Crayton have the stomach for possibly four more games? Is DeMarcus Ware prepared to fight off double-teams in January?
"To take young players who haven't been there or who may just (say), 'Well, we got in the playoffs ...'" Parcells said. "You worry about them kind of feeling pretty good about being there and forgetting there's other teams you're going to play with different aspirations."
That's where veterans like Aaron Glenn come in.
"I've been playing 13 years now," the former Texas A&M standout said, "and I've played in one AFC championship game (in 1998 with Parcells' Jets). It's not easy (to get there), and when you get a chance, you've got to take full advantage of it."
That's why Aaron Glenn is pushing his teammates with Parcells-like intensity.
"I tell young guys all the time: You're not playing for money. ... It's about being a champion. To do that, in December, you have to be way more focused and determined than you've been all year. You have to pay attention to detail. Some of the little things you did wrong or sloppy all year, that stuff's not going to fly now."
Having guys like Aaron Glenn around to preach his message makes Parcells' job easier. It also helps that the Cowboys have played so many playoff-like games this season.
Another is set for Monday. If the Cowboys (9-5) beat the Eagles (8-6), they clinch their first NFC East title since 1998 and move closer to a possible No. 2 seed in the playoffs and a first-round bye.
If the Eagles win, they retain the tiebreaker over the Cowboys for the division title and can wrap up the crown with a victory over Atlanta next week.
Parcells said the Giants, Falcons and Saints all took their "best shots" at the Cowboys and he expects the Eagles to do the same.
"If you are able to survive those and do well, that serves you well because you get battle-hardened," he said.
If the Cowboys beat the Eagles, they will be 3-1 in playoff-type games, a record that should help Parcells relax a bit.
posted by The Gryphon at 5:49 PM
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