Jimmy Johnson

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I think as far as any kind of pressure on a football team or on an individual in professional sports really depends not only on that individual but the leadership they have on the team and the leadership they have on the coaching staff. A lot of times, they can divert some of those pressures off of the individual and off of the team.
- Jimmy Johnson
Collection: Leadership
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Do you want to be safe and good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?
- Jimmy Johnson
Collection: Chance
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The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a person as if he were where he could be and should be, and he will become what he could be and should be.
- Jimmy Johnson
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The only thing worse than a coach or CEO who doesn't care about his people is one who pretends to care. People can spot a phony every time.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Give people enough guidance to make the decisions you want them to make. Don't tell them what to do, but encourage them to do what is best.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Like I always say, it's not how many great plays you make; it's how few bad ones you make. I know fans, and even some losing coaches, are enamored with long pass completions or the great run plays, but that doesn't offset the interception or the fumble.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Football is such a team sport, so no one individual does it. No one coach or no one assistant coach or no one player, it's a great team sport, so I don't get carried away with a bunch of accolades.
- Jimmy Johnson
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You can't really compare teams just because of two or three players.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I've heard all the coaches complaining about the new CBA rules limiting padded practice. I don't like the reduction to just 15 padded practices during the season. When I coached, we always practiced in pads; and three days a week.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Military leaders aren't made. They are born. To be a good leader, you have to have something in your character to cause people to follow you.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I want to do what I want to do, when I want to do it.
- Jimmy Johnson
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How 'bout them Cowboys!?
- Jimmy Johnson
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An objective truth and individual reason are feared above all.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I'm not really good with predicting.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I can't confirm any rumors. I'm happy doing what I'm doing. I have no interest in going back to coaching.
- Jimmy Johnson
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But I was always a bit of a gypsy, anyway. I spent five years at Oklahoma State, five years at Miami and moved on after winning the national championship, and five years with the Cowboys. So, I was ready to move on. We won back-to-back Super Bowls, and I felt that I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish.
- Jimmy Johnson
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You can't be a sloppy football team and be successful in the NFL.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Two to three years down the road, other companies not on a model like Dell's will be in trouble.
- Jimmy Johnson
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The other thing was that when I was at the University of Miami, we ran a pro-style offense and defense. I started each year by going to a pro training camp, I visited with various pro coaches, and I did this for five years.
- Jimmy Johnson
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And the main thing was that I wanted to live in south Florida. That's why I left the Cowboys; to live in south Florida.
- Jimmy Johnson
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There is a way to practice hard and be physical without pads. You can still be a physical football team and be efficient in practice without pads. The 49ers practiced like that for a long period of time in the 1980s under Bill Walsh and were extremely successful when all the other teams were practicing in pads.
- Jimmy Johnson
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With 'Survivor' - I didn't get any sleep, there was no food, we had to boil our water... plus, it was physically taxing during the day. That's what made it more difficult than three-a-day practices.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Anybody who has ever been around me knows I'll give you my opinion.
- Jimmy Johnson
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In some ways 'Survivor' might have saved my life.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Football rewards the guys that are in great condition.
- Jimmy Johnson
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A lot of coaches could ration out their time. They could delegate. They would make time for their family. But when I was coaching I would almost laugh at those guys. I knew we were working the extra hours to get an edge on them.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I've seen every second of 'Survivor' since it started.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Of all the programs, I watch sporting events live and I watch 'Survivor' live. Everything else I TiVo.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I don't miss a minute of 'Survivor.'
- Jimmy Johnson
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You've got to make sure that every body's putting in the work and you've got to have the discipline to go out there and get the job done.
- Jimmy Johnson
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A head coach has to be able to oversee all facets of the team and of the game.
- Jimmy Johnson
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In fact, one of the conversations I had with Jason Garrett, you know, sometimes X's and O's get so complicated, and a coach gets so into that that he forgets the most important thing is players win ballgames. Make sure that the players are properly equipped and motivated to do their jobs.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I know as a coach and a player we had three a day practices and that was physically taxing but at least we had food in our stomach and a good nights rest and plenty of cold water.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I could start a fire from scratch.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I'm really impressed with Kolb there in Philadelphia. He's a very talented quarterback.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I was the personnel director there with the Cowboys.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Just following 'Survivor' over the years, sometimes if an individual is not a threat and he doesn't rub anybody the wrong way and he can get into an alliance, he can hang out there for a while.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I think the biggest thing was that when I was in college, I really concentrated on personnel. That was my strength, and I was, in essence, my own recruiting coordinator. And when I went to the pros, I did the same thing.
- Jimmy Johnson
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When I went to the Dolphins, we retained most of their coaching staff, and of course, we had a few veteran players. So, I just tried to add a few pieces here and there.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I'm not a bad man.
- Jimmy Johnson
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I don't want to lose the feeling I have for players, but the pro system almost causes you to be cold and insensitive, when you have to release players yearly.
- Jimmy Johnson
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Elliott's bigger, stronger, maybe even a step faster than Emmitt Smith, but they're both very similar. I think, you know, Ezekiel Elliott is a more powerful runner. He runs over people. Both of 'em can make people miss, so you don't really get a big shot on 'em. But Elliott will take on tacklers, whereas, you know, Emmitt never did this.
- Jimmy Johnson