EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Before Sunday night's kickoff against the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys will do a lot of waiting. And waiting.

Such is the life of waiting for the prime-time games. So what does coach Jason Garrett do to break up the boredom during the day?

“It’s an age-old issue,” Garett said. “You’re always asking about the schedule to try to make sure your players are at their best when you kick it off. Typically what we’ve done through the years is have some kind of walk-through the day of the night game to get them out of bed, moving around, thinking football and then giving them some times in the afternoon before the pregame meal and getting on the bus and going to the stadium.”

Players can get antsy during the day. Several players said they would watch at least some of the afternoon games. Others said they would review the game plan or just sleep some more to save energy.

“Some games you’re like, ‘I’m just ready to get it on,’ and it takes forever,” cornerback Brandon Carr said. “For the most part it goes by pretty quick.”

The thought of playing at night is a real motivation.

“Obviously you’re amped for every game, but you know the whole nation is watching,” defensive tackle Nick Hayden said. “It’s even better because you have the showcase and you can show the whole nation what the Cowboys are about.”