What’s ‘The Jimmy Johnson Test’? Dak Prescott Aces It for Playoff-Ready Cowboys
FRISCO - Jimmy Johnson, the pyschology-minded Hall-of-Fame coach, used to preach to his Dallas Cowboys players on the subject of preparation.
“You’re never nervous when you’re studying for a test,” he’d drawl, “if you already know the answers.”
In Saturday’s Week 18 blowout win at Philadelphia, Dak Prescott - with five TD passes in the game and a franchise-record 37 for the season - aced “The Jimmy Test.”
"Obviously, knowing who's come before me and who's played the quarterback position here before me, I'm just the beneficiary of a lot of hard work, great play-calling, offensive line protecting, bunch of different guys making plays," Dak said.
The 51-26 win gives 12-5 Dallas an enormous booster shot of confidence as heads to the NFL Playoffs. At the top of that class right now is the quarterback, who jokingly admitted he could’ve gotten the record sooner if not for some ups and downs.
"Hell of a year for a guy who was in a slump," joked Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy.
Admittedly against an Eagles JV defense, Dak had all the answers, finishing 21 of 27 for 267 yards in about three quarters of work. And in his last four games, he’s got 13 touchdowns to zero interceptions.
"The stats and all that, the way we finished was great. It's what we wanted to do, build momentum, get in a rhythm – but none of that matters anymore," he said. "You get into this tournament, and it's one game at a time. It's must-win. So that's the focus."
And so the studying for that next test becomes that focus.
"I think he's special. He's a special man," McCarthy said.
Dallas’ first crack at proving that in the postseason? We won’t know next week's opponent until Sunday night. But then?
Regarding records and regular season, Dak said, “You've got to turn the page.”
Jimmy Johnson would agree. Turn the page … to learn more answers.
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