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By JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News
Mike Woicik (right), pictured here with the Cowboys in 1994, returns for his second stint as the team's strength and conditioning coach.
Under normal circumstances, there's no way strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik would be the most important addition to Jason Garrett's coaching staff.
These, however, are not normal times.
These Cowboys finished 6-10 and quit for 10 quarters in the middle of the season. They need some mental toughness.
Woicik can help provide it.
He did it in the early '90s for the Cowboys, and Garrett has brought him back to Dallas to forge the same type of toughness those clubs had.
He has spent the last 11 seasons as New England's strength and conditioning coach, and he's the only coach or player in NFL history with six Super Bowl rings.
Troy Aikman swears by him. So does Michael Irvin . Emmitt Smith , Darren Woodson and Daryl Johnston, too.
They talk about his ability to push players further than they've ever been — and then nudge them just a tad further. They talk about his ability to keep them strong during the season and the mental boost that provides.
So much of professional sports is about confidence and having the right mentality. Woicik helps build each of those areas.
He'll also impact every aspect of the team. Offense. Defense. Special teams. Practice squad. Rookies. Veterans.
There's not a player he won't impact.
His presence will make the Cowboys a stronger team. A faster team. A tougher team. Ultimately, he'll help make them a better team.
COWBOYS Q&A
Q: Another facet of life that would certainly improve Tony Romo's image is to be taught the art of grooming. Romo is a reasonably nice looking guy, but when you dress sloppy and haven't shaven in several weeks, you really do not look the part of the Dallas Cowboys' QB, whether you are hurt or not. This would really come in handy when standing on the sideline looking on.
Grady Brown, Denton
TAYLOR: I have to disagree. To me, there are just way too many folks concerned about whether Romo shaves or wears his baseball cap backward. It just doesn't matter. Not one bit. Get over it. It has nothing to do with leadership. Ken Stabler was as scruffy as it gets back in the day with the Raiders, and he performed just fine. All that matter is whether your guys will follow you and respond to you. Romo is a good player with immense talent who needs to become a better leader, but it has nothing to do with his appearance.
* * *
Q: What is your sense of Tony Romo's belief in whether his teammates approve of him or not?
Richard Bryan, Texas
TAYLOR: I'm not sure he understands all of the ramifications of it. A quarterback has to bond with every facet of the team. He has to bond with black players and white players. Offensive players and defensive players. The highest-paid players and practice squad players. Jon Kitna does that. It doesn't make him a better quarterback, but it makes him a better leader. But Kitna does it because he was raised in an environment where he was surrounded with all types of people, and he's comfortable doing it. Romo needs to blend with more elements of the team. He just can't be tight with the wideouts and few other guys here or there. But I don't know if he's capable of doing it because of the way he's wired. Some guys, for whatever reason, have more charisma than others. We'll see.
* * *
Q: Jerry should do what Green Bay did when Brett Favre was their quarterback. They knew Favre's time was just about up, so they used a first-round pick on his eventual replacement, Aaron Rodgers . Get my choice with that first-round pick, Cam Newton, in the upcoming draft and we won't have to wait six, seven years after Romo is done in Dallas. Any thoughts?
Glenn Guillory, Baytown
TAYLOR: If you think Newton is the best player on the board when the Cowboys draft, then fine. But I don't think they'll do that. There's too much risk involved, right now. You have no idea whether Newton will succeed. First-round quarterbacks are typically a 50-50 proposition. He has a fantastic arm, but he played in an offense that has no resemblance to anything he'll see in the NFL. He played out of the Shotgun and didn't have to read many complicated defenses. Plus, he started just one year. Maybe he'll adjust fine to the NFL and be a Hall of Famer. Maybe he won't. But I wouldn't say he's a future star, no questions asked.
* * *
Q: What does Jerry mean when he says the players were reading their press clippings. That is an excuse; many magazines had picked the Packers to be in the Super Bowl.
Prentice Freeman, Houston
TAYLOR: You assume everyone reacts the same way. Maybe the Packers ignored their press clippings, while various members of the Cowboys soaked in how great they were. Jerry said the Cowboys were arrogant — I can't argue — and it hurt them.
* * *
Q: I still am shocked that Garrett kept Dave Campo and Hudson Houck. I hope you are right about the new strength and conditioning coach. Devil's advocate: If he was so good, why did New England let him go?
Craig Jones
TAYLOR: That's a legitimate question. I don't know the answer, but here are some thoughts. He'd been there 11 years and maybe the Patriots thought his assistant was ready to be the No.1 guy — which is what happened — and they could hire him at a lesser cost. It could be that Garrett contacted him, let him know he was interested, and Woicik was never really interested in re-signing with the Pats. Maybe the Patriots thought it was time for a different voice after 11 years and wanted to go in a different direction. A lot of good coaches leave teams for a variety of different reasons. I wouldn't read too much into Woicik's departure.
* * *
Q: If I were choosing sides in an all-time greatest football game and had first pick, it would be Deion. I'm no member of his fan club. I've never met the man. But I sure do get tired of all the stupid comments from ignorant fans who obviously know little to zilch about the game of football or, for that matter, life. Thoughts?
Tim Allen, Tulsa
TAYLOR: It's pretty obvious to me: Deion is an outspoken guy who can say exactly what he thinks because he has power and money, and he truly doesn't care what you think about him. If you can do that, it's liberating. But it also infuriates other folks, in part because they wish they could get away with it. Deion is also polarizing because he was an athlete who showboated — and if you didn't like that, then too bad. He's an original, and not everyone is equipped to handle it.
* * *
Q: Why has the NFL evolved into a pass-happy league?
Craig Jordan, Sacramento, Calif.
TAYLOR: I'd say the rule changes that have prevented defensive backs from putting their hands on receivers and essentially legalized holding has made it so much easier to pass the ball. You can move the ball so much easier in the air than you can on the ground that it has become a passing league and you can accumulate yardage so much faster. You win with big plays on offense — and most of those come in the passing game. Plus, there just aren't as many dynamic running backs in today's NFL. Emmitt Smith's record is going to last a long time because we've moved into an era where the running back has become de-emphasized. Only five runners averaged more than 20 carries a game last season.
Mike Woicik (right), pictured here with the Cowboys in 1994, returns for his second stint as the team's strength and conditioning coach.
Under normal circumstances, there's no way strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik would be the most important addition to Jason Garrett's coaching staff.
These, however, are not normal times.
These Cowboys finished 6-10 and quit for 10 quarters in the middle of the season. They need some mental toughness.
Woicik can help provide it.
He did it in the early '90s for the Cowboys, and Garrett has brought him back to Dallas to forge the same type of toughness those clubs had.
He has spent the last 11 seasons as New England's strength and conditioning coach, and he's the only coach or player in NFL history with six Super Bowl rings.
Troy Aikman swears by him. So does Michael Irvin . Emmitt Smith , Darren Woodson and Daryl Johnston, too.
They talk about his ability to push players further than they've ever been — and then nudge them just a tad further. They talk about his ability to keep them strong during the season and the mental boost that provides.
So much of professional sports is about confidence and having the right mentality. Woicik helps build each of those areas.
He'll also impact every aspect of the team. Offense. Defense. Special teams. Practice squad. Rookies. Veterans.
There's not a player he won't impact.
His presence will make the Cowboys a stronger team. A faster team. A tougher team. Ultimately, he'll help make them a better team.
COWBOYS Q&A
Q: Another facet of life that would certainly improve Tony Romo's image is to be taught the art of grooming. Romo is a reasonably nice looking guy, but when you dress sloppy and haven't shaven in several weeks, you really do not look the part of the Dallas Cowboys' QB, whether you are hurt or not. This would really come in handy when standing on the sideline looking on.
Grady Brown, Denton
TAYLOR: I have to disagree. To me, there are just way too many folks concerned about whether Romo shaves or wears his baseball cap backward. It just doesn't matter. Not one bit. Get over it. It has nothing to do with leadership. Ken Stabler was as scruffy as it gets back in the day with the Raiders, and he performed just fine. All that matter is whether your guys will follow you and respond to you. Romo is a good player with immense talent who needs to become a better leader, but it has nothing to do with his appearance.
* * *
Q: What is your sense of Tony Romo's belief in whether his teammates approve of him or not?
Richard Bryan, Texas
TAYLOR: I'm not sure he understands all of the ramifications of it. A quarterback has to bond with every facet of the team. He has to bond with black players and white players. Offensive players and defensive players. The highest-paid players and practice squad players. Jon Kitna does that. It doesn't make him a better quarterback, but it makes him a better leader. But Kitna does it because he was raised in an environment where he was surrounded with all types of people, and he's comfortable doing it. Romo needs to blend with more elements of the team. He just can't be tight with the wideouts and few other guys here or there. But I don't know if he's capable of doing it because of the way he's wired. Some guys, for whatever reason, have more charisma than others. We'll see.
* * *
Q: Jerry should do what Green Bay did when Brett Favre was their quarterback. They knew Favre's time was just about up, so they used a first-round pick on his eventual replacement, Aaron Rodgers . Get my choice with that first-round pick, Cam Newton, in the upcoming draft and we won't have to wait six, seven years after Romo is done in Dallas. Any thoughts?
Glenn Guillory, Baytown
TAYLOR: If you think Newton is the best player on the board when the Cowboys draft, then fine. But I don't think they'll do that. There's too much risk involved, right now. You have no idea whether Newton will succeed. First-round quarterbacks are typically a 50-50 proposition. He has a fantastic arm, but he played in an offense that has no resemblance to anything he'll see in the NFL. He played out of the Shotgun and didn't have to read many complicated defenses. Plus, he started just one year. Maybe he'll adjust fine to the NFL and be a Hall of Famer. Maybe he won't. But I wouldn't say he's a future star, no questions asked.
* * *
Q: What does Jerry mean when he says the players were reading their press clippings. That is an excuse; many magazines had picked the Packers to be in the Super Bowl.
Prentice Freeman, Houston
TAYLOR: You assume everyone reacts the same way. Maybe the Packers ignored their press clippings, while various members of the Cowboys soaked in how great they were. Jerry said the Cowboys were arrogant — I can't argue — and it hurt them.
* * *
Q: I still am shocked that Garrett kept Dave Campo and Hudson Houck. I hope you are right about the new strength and conditioning coach. Devil's advocate: If he was so good, why did New England let him go?
Craig Jones
TAYLOR: That's a legitimate question. I don't know the answer, but here are some thoughts. He'd been there 11 years and maybe the Patriots thought his assistant was ready to be the No.1 guy — which is what happened — and they could hire him at a lesser cost. It could be that Garrett contacted him, let him know he was interested, and Woicik was never really interested in re-signing with the Pats. Maybe the Patriots thought it was time for a different voice after 11 years and wanted to go in a different direction. A lot of good coaches leave teams for a variety of different reasons. I wouldn't read too much into Woicik's departure.
* * *
Q: If I were choosing sides in an all-time greatest football game and had first pick, it would be Deion. I'm no member of his fan club. I've never met the man. But I sure do get tired of all the stupid comments from ignorant fans who obviously know little to zilch about the game of football or, for that matter, life. Thoughts?
Tim Allen, Tulsa
TAYLOR: It's pretty obvious to me: Deion is an outspoken guy who can say exactly what he thinks because he has power and money, and he truly doesn't care what you think about him. If you can do that, it's liberating. But it also infuriates other folks, in part because they wish they could get away with it. Deion is also polarizing because he was an athlete who showboated — and if you didn't like that, then too bad. He's an original, and not everyone is equipped to handle it.
* * *
Q: Why has the NFL evolved into a pass-happy league?
Craig Jordan, Sacramento, Calif.
TAYLOR: I'd say the rule changes that have prevented defensive backs from putting their hands on receivers and essentially legalized holding has made it so much easier to pass the ball. You can move the ball so much easier in the air than you can on the ground that it has become a passing league and you can accumulate yardage so much faster. You win with big plays on offense — and most of those come in the passing game. Plus, there just aren't as many dynamic running backs in today's NFL. Emmitt Smith's record is going to last a long time because we've moved into an era where the running back has become de-emphasized. Only five runners averaged more than 20 carries a game last season.
