[Bette]

IRVING – An NFL locker room can be a hectic place at halftime.
Broken down between offense and defense and position by position, players are moving here, there and everywhere as they sometimes change undershirts, re-tape fingers and wrists and make sure they are properly hydrated.
Off to the side, the coaches gather to discuss what they have seen from the other team before they go to their respective units. Head coach Wade Phillips gathers the entire team up for some final words and, just like that, they are back on the field – usually before the allotted 12 minutes are up.
Somehow, with all that going on, the Cowboys have proved to be pretty good coming out of the locker room in the third quarter.
This season, the Cowboys have scored five touchdowns and a field goal on their opening possession of the second half. Defensively, they have allowed just two field goals and a touchdown on the initial series after halftime this season.
Analysts like to talk about changes made at halftime, but in reality the term "halftime adjustments" might be a little bit of a stretch.
"There's no secret," quarterback Tony Romo said. "They can only play so many coverages for a full game, so you just learn what they're doing." The majority of work really is done in the first and second quarters as coaches look at photos from the previous series. By the time they get to the locker room, most of the tweaks have already been put in place.
The changes are never a complete re-write of a game plan. The offensive coaches will list a handful of runs and passes and the subtle changes and go.
Before they hear from the coaches, players will discuss possible moves as well.
Success is half of Dallas Cowboys' story | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | SportsDay: Football: Cowboys