Natalie Pierre

Tallahassee Democrat

For the last six months the phrase "Dallas to Dallas" has been used to get Florida State fans excited.

Reigning Heisman Trophy-winner Jameis Winston began the campaign of sorts in February.

"That's our little slogan — from Dallas to Dallas," he said during a trip to North Texas to accept the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top college quarterback. "Hopefully, we'll end up in the last game."

With Winston back for his sophomore season, a veteran offensive line and a defense glittered with stars, those three words represent the goal for the reigning national champions and their supporters this year.

But before Florida State took the practice fields for the first time this week, ahead of its season-opener against Oklahoma State at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, which will also serve as the site for this year's national championship game, Jimbo Fisher addressed those three words in the team's pre-practice meeting.

"It was good for preseason," said fifth-year senior wide receiver Christian Green of the team using the "Dallas to Dallas" phrase and the meeting Fisher had to address it. "We talked about it and a lot of hype surrounding us and the Dallas-to-Dallas thing, but he told us to focus in on what we have to focus in on, and that's Oklahoma State."

With the Seminoles, who enter this weekend's game as the consensus preseason No. 1 team in the country, eliminating the "Dallas to Dallas" slogan from their lingo, they have recently adopted a new phrase to motivate them.

"Don't eat the cheese" is what Fisher and multiple players have said this week to answer questions about all the expectations and hype surrounding their team.

"Don't buy into everything everybody's telling you — how great you are, how this, how that," Fisher explained. "Don't be the rat that eats the cheese."

It is just the latest Jimbo-ism the fifth-year head coach has used to inspire his team.

Last year, Fisher would often tell his players things like, "play don't care who makes it," "find a crumb" and "eliminate the clutter" to motivate them.

Those phrases became a regular part of many players' vocabulary as they were out at practice or fielding questions from media members.

Coming off of a 14-0 national championship season, the Seminoles say the little phrases that Fisher constantly uses played a big role in their level of focus, and ultimately, their success last year.

"Jimbo is Jimbo and he does what he does. What he says as a coach is very inspirational in my opinion," fifth-year senior offensive lineman Cameron Erving said. "It helps me a lot. When I'm tired and I'm thinking, 'I don't want to do the next play,' I just think about 'Find a crumb.' It may sound cliché, but it definitely works when you think about it."

Fisher added: "It resonates with players. You don't want to have to sit there and tell them a long sentence every day. Key words, trigger words, things that they understand the meaning of that puts things in perspective for the whole philosophy of what we're trying to do is."

That philosophy, and the Seminoles' game-by-game approach they try to take, is the reason that "Dallas to Dallas" is no longer something you will likely hear from FSU coaches and players now that the season is underway.

"We're not worried about reaching the national championship. We're worried about playing well," Fisher explained. "Our goal is to be in the national championship every year. I want this team to be the best team it can be, play as good as it can play, then we'll live with the results."

Even though FSU assistants like tight ends coach Tim Brewster used the Dallas-to-Dallas hashtag on Twitter as recently as Sunday — a day before Fisher's meeting with the team — the phrase is one of few that the program used and will now retire.

Fisher says "play don't care who makes it," "find a crumb" and "eliminate the clutter" will all likely remain in his rotation and will be used as they are needed.

"We're just going to take it one day at a time, one game at a time and eventually we'll reach Dallas," junior defensive tackle Derrick Mitchell said. "That's how he told us to approach it."

As far as the FSU fan base continuing to say "Dallas to Dallas," Fisher has a plan to address that as well.

"I don't listen," the head coach said with a laugh. "I'm going to Dallas on Thursday."

Following the Seminoles' practice Thursday afternoon, they will board a plane and head to Dallas.

Saturday's Cowboys Classic game between No. 1 FSU and Oklahoma State is set to kickoff just after 8 p.m. EST at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.