Sunday, January 4, 2009

In the postseason, the smallest detail can cost you

The Dolphins' first postseason game with first-year head coach Tony Sparano kicks off today.

To illustrate how difficult it is to even reach the postseason, Coach Sparano "asked all 43 veterans to stand up, and then asked those vets who have not been in a playoff game to sit down and only 18 remained standing. Of those 18, only 11 have ever started a playoff game, emphasizing how an opportunity like this doesn't come around every year."

"That made it seem real and made us realize you have to take advantage of the opportunity that you have and just go out and try to make the best of it," said [rookie DE Kendall] Langford.

According to Coach Sparano, who was a member of the Bill Parcells' Cowboys staff that endured "heartbreaking losses to the Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants" the last two postseasons:

"When you get into this you're talking about the details and that's one of the things I learned out of the playoffs - the smallest of detail can cost you in this and there's no do-overs. The details, the minor details are really major at this time of year, and if you stop coaching them and you stop talking about them I think you're going to get in trouble in this situation."