DALLAS -- Every time I hear a reporter ask a player or a coach if they want to "get off to a fast start," I think of Bill Belichick when he was with the Browns during the P.G. (Pre-Genius) Era of 1991-95.
Belichick seemed to get that question a lot. I always liked how he answered it, even though he sounded like a jerk when he did it.
Belichick would pause, look down for a second, look up and ask something like, "Are you asking if we would like to start the game by scoring points and not allowing the other team to score points?" Then he'd pause a little and say something like, "Yes. That is what we would like to do."
A fast start has been a hot topic in Dallas this week. It's considered vital to the Cowboys surviving the Metrodome. Take a first quarter lead, put doubt in the Vikings' head and watch as all the fans with decades of scar tissue sit there stunned and quiet.
I noticed one key stat was uncovered during the whole "fast-start" discussion: The Cowboys' defense has not allowed a point in the first quarter of a road game this season. That's amazing, and a trend that's worthy of concern for Vikings' fans. (Then again, in the NFL, Favre and the Vikes could take a 35-0 lead into the second quarter).
Cowboys players seemed shocked by the news they hadn't allowed a point in the first quarter in eight road games.
"Really?" safety Gerald Sensabaugh asked. "I didn't know that. That should tell you something though. We're prepared and focused when the game starts. Can't get any better than that."
As a footnote, I will also mention my favorite Belichick answer from the P.G. Era.
