Mike McCarthy: how should the cowboys approach each quarter considering all the injuries?

KRLD-FM / 105.3 The Fan

Head coach of the Dallas Cowboys Mike McCarthy gives a preview of the game against the 49ers. He discusses that they bye has given them time to reset mentally and approach the game with confidence.

Transcript

00:00Mike McCarthy joining us here on 105 through the fan coach.

00:18How tough is it to prepare for a game like this?

00:22How much scouting goes out the window with all the injury questions that are out there

00:26on both sides, but obviously you guys trying to figure out San Francisco with all these

00:31question marks.

00:32I wouldn't say it goes out the window.

00:34I think clearly, you are who you are as far as what you believe in and the approach to

00:41the game.

00:42So, I mean, the way they line up on defense and offense and conceptually how they're going

00:47to attack in each and every situation will definitely be some similarities.

00:52It's always a variation of something that you've done that's part of your foundation.

00:57So the biggest thing I think you've already made the point is just make sure you educate

01:03and get as much film on the individuals you think are going to play.

01:06So I'm sure they're doing the same with us.

01:09Coach, Belichick has always talked about the stages of the season to develop and figure

01:15things out, but the stages of a game, do you approach it the same way like first quarter

01:19feeling out, second quarter adjustments, a quarter by quarter kind of sparring that

01:25takes place and does that take place even more for a game where both sides are playing

01:31a lot of backups possibly?

01:33Oh yeah, definitely.

01:34I think it's clearly not only the way you play the game, but it's the way you train.

01:40Like for instance this morning, I'm sitting here working on the first 15 because our Friday

01:46schedule is called Fast Start and Furious Finish Friday, so we really emphasize the

01:52beginning of the game and at the end of the game because those are two important parts

01:58of the game, going off to what you've already asked.

02:02What we talk about is the ebb and flow of every game because all the plays and all the

02:06situations in every football game are the same.

02:09It's just a matter of what order that they come in and that's why every single game is

02:15never the same.

02:17So you've got to be in tune with the ebb and flow of the game because there's things that

02:20go on early in games and your instincts and awareness anticipate that and you have the

02:26ups and downs throughout the game and then when you get down to the fourth quarter, there's

02:30some situation specific keys that you have to be on top of, especially the score of the

02:37game, obviously the timeouts, where you're at on the field, the momentum, and you have

02:43to be able to apply all the things that happened during the course of that game to go win the

02:48thing in the fourth quarter.

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