Daily Thought - Mike Tomlin

"The standard is the standard."  Mike Tomlin

Below are a few examples of adversity the Pittsburgh Steeler's have overcome to make an appearance in Super Bowl XLV:

Ben Roethlisberger 4 game suspension

Trade of WR Santonio Holmes

Injury losses to T Willie Colon, T Max Starks, DE Aaron Smith, P Daniel Sepulveda

Fines and frustration of James Harrison for helmet to helmet hits

Midseason change in kickers from Reed to Suisam

Despite all that, the standard never wavered.

Why The Head Coach Should Coach The Offensive Line…

A post from youthgridironcoach.com
http://goo.gl/fHgFB

You decide if you agree or not.  At any rate, I believe often times offensive line play is overlooked.  The best teams focus on this area.  Don't neglect this important part of your team.

Hall of Fame Coach Would Trade In All His Victories

http://bit.ly/fEq1QP

Nice article about coach Bob Hurley and the impact he's had on players lives. 

3 Factors of QB Success

Attended a quarterback clinic last night by utahqbschool.com.  According to Coach Smith, the 3 biggest factors in determining a quarterback's success are:
1. Decision Making
2. Timing
3. Accuracy

Overcoming Obstacles To Play In The NFL - Tony Dungy

http://t.co/fGIAVCE

Coaches,
Check out the link above.  Some nice examples to share with your players about overcoming obstacles and perseverance.  Thanks to All Pro Dad for the link.

Characteristics Of Great Players

A must share email I received today.  The following list is from Kevin Eastman, Boston Celtics assistant coach.  Here is part of his bio:

• NBA Assistant Coach for the 2008 World Champion Boston Celtics (7th season)
• 22 years as a an assistant or head college basketball coach
• 9 years as Division 1 Head Coach (UNC Wilmington and Washington State)
• 3 years as small college Head Coach (Belmont Abbey College)
• former Nike Basketball National Director of Player Development for the nation’s elite College and High School Players

Characteristics of Great Players
Just got to thinking how fortunate I've been to be in the NBA and observe all the great players -- but not from a “wow" standpoint.  I get to see how they operate and what makes them special.  Among many other things, here's a list of separators:

• They have tremendous focus on the floor and whenever a coach is talking
• They want to know anything a coach can give them that will improve their game; always willing to learn
• They want to get their work in every day
• They go every bit as hard in practices as they do the games
• They stay on the practice floor or in the drill until they get it right
• They know the little things often separate them from the rest of the players in the league; they pay attention to details
• They can’t stand players that don’t work
• They very seldom sit out of practices
• They don’t mind being corrected and coached when they know the coach is right and the coach is telling them the truth
• They want to hear the truth
• They are committed to all aspects of their game -- their skills, their bodies, their training, their conditioning, the food they eat……everything
• They hold themselves personally accountable
• They will also hold their teammates accountable for their roles
• They despise losing
• They understand that great players need great teammates; they appreciate team basketball

Daily Thought - Warren Buffet

"It's better to hang out with people better than you.  Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction."  Warren Buffet, CEO Berkshire Hathaway

Same principle as the mule in the Kentucky Derby.

Mule In The Kentucky Derby

Once upon a time there was a farmer who entered his mule in the Kentucky Derby.  People were amazed!  One of his neighbors said, "Surely you don't think that this old mule has a chance in the world to beat those thoroughreds, do you?"
"Of course not," the farmer replied.  "But I think he'll profit from the association."

Coaches, a mentor can be an invaluable benefit.  There are many coaches who are willing to share and offer advice.  Don't be afraid to ask questions.  Surround yourselves with others who are better, more experienced.  You can profit from their "association".

The Hard Is What Makes It Great

In A League of Their Own, a movie about a women’s professional baseball team during World War II, the star catcher Dottie Henson told her manager Jimmy Dugan that she was quitting the team because, “It got too hard.”

The manager said, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it were so easy everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”

"The hard is what makes it great."

Daily Thought - Kevin Eastman

"To enter into the world of great in anything you undertake CONSISTENCY has to be part of the DNA.  Great does it every day!"  Kevin Eastman
Kevin Eastman is an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics.  Some of the things he shares via Twitter are absolutely amazing.  Follow him on Twitter for coaching tips and advice.  @kevineastman

Importance of Reading

Thought I'd share a few quotes I read this morning about the impact reading can have on one's life:

“I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot."  Bill Gates

"I knew there was a way out. I knew there was another kind of life because I had read about it. I knew there were other places, and there was another way of being."  Oprah Winfrey

"The person who can read AND DOESN'T has no advantage over the person who can't read."  Mark Twain 

Daily Thought - Bill Gates

“Great organizations demand a high level of commitment by the people involved."  Bill Gates

2 Ways To Win

"Football is always a game in which there are two ways to win - be better or be smarter."
Tim Layden Blood, Sweat and Chalk

Doc Rivers On Coaching

“I love coaching. Even when it was bad I loved it. I love the winning and I’m miserable when we lost any time, but whether we were good or bad, whether we were the favorite or the underdog, I still convinced myself we would win. I thought we’d win every game I’ve coached. You get your heart broken every night when you lose, but to me it’s a joyous job. Miserable joy, but it’s great work."

Steelers Expectations

Wanted to share with you something I heard last night on Sportscenter.  Steeler's Chris Hoke basically said, "We don't hope to win in Pittsburgh, it's an expectation."

Here are a couple more quotes along those same lines:

"High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation." - Charles Kettering

LOW EXPECTATIONS = NO DISAPPOINTMENTS

"Our expectations are to win every game. I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen, but no one ever rises to low expectations.” Chip Kelly

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS? 

Webinar Tonight - Glazier

If you are a Glazier season pass holder, there is a Webinar tonight at 9pm (Eastern Time Zone) presented by David Wilkerson of South Panola High School.
Topic:  Quick Passing Game Out of Empty

All youth coaches can register for scholarship and get Glazier season pass for free.  Any coaches above youth level can purchase season pass for individual $99. 

Daily Thought - Pat Summitt

"Discipline is about more than just punishment.

Discipline is the internal structure that supports your organization. Used properly, it can help you maintain order without ever having to actually do the unpleasant work or punishing people. It is the basis of leadership.

Discipline is the only sure way I know to convince people to believe in themselves.

Discipline is the internal mechanism that self-motivates you. It gets you out of bed in the morning. It gets you to work on time and it tells you when you need to work late. It drives you. It is essential to success, whether individually or in a group.”

Pat Summitt

Glazier Clinics Youth Scholarship

Glazier Clinics is making all of their online content available to Youth Coaches for FREE.  You simply need to apply for scholarship at glazierclinics.com and they email you a log-in and password.  FREE access to online clinics, webinars, instructional videos, clinic notes, etc.  Take advantage of this FREE service.

Daily Thought - David A Feigley

“The importance of winning has been considered by virtually every adult involved in youth sports.  Clearly, there can be too much emphasis on winning; however, those who advocate the position that winning is not important often miss the point that without an attempt to win the contest, the activity is no longer sport.  The essence of sport is striving to win; without that attempt, the activity is of a different nature.”  David A Feigley, Ph.D.   Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

THE TOP 10 THINGS WORLD CHAMPIONS KNOW THAT YOU DON'T

The following is taken from Brian Cain's "Peak Performance Newsletter":

Having worked with world champions in The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the Olympic Games, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and in the National Football League, all of these world champions, and those who win national championships at the collegiate level or state championships at the high school level, know things that most competitors don't. I want to share with you ten of those things they know, that you probably don’t.

1. Acting Changes Everything (ACE)

The ACE card that they have up their sleeve is a key weapon in the world champion’s toolbox.  What does ACE stand for?  ACE stands for Acting Changes Everything. Those athletes understand that they're not athletes, they're actors.  See number two.

2.  Force Yourself To Act Different Than How You Feel

It is a lot easier to act yourself into feeling than it is to wait around and feel yourself into action.  So if you are not confident, that is OK, just act confident, if you are scared, that is OK, just act as if you are not scared. The Karelian Bear Dog chases the grizzly bear not because he's bigger or stronger, but because he believes he's bigger and stronger.

3. Losing Is Not An Option

World champions know that losing is not an option, it’s essential.  In order for you to become a world champion, you're going to lose.  You’re going to lose because you're competing against the best of the best. And when you get higher and higher in levels of competition, talent and physical skill means less and less because everyone has got it. It's inevitable that we'll eventually lose so know how you should respond when it happens.  Learn from it and leave it.  Failure is positive feedback.

4. Confidence Is A Choice

Being a champion is also about learning how to respond when you are faced with adversity and how to respond when you don’t feel good.  Do you respond with confidence?  Remember confidence is a choice. You see, champions don't wake up one day and say, “Mmm, well the sun and the moon and the stars are all lined up today, so I will be confident”.  It doesn't work that way with champions.  Champions make the choice everyday to jump out of bed and be confident. They know their 'ABCs' are to 'Always Behave Confidently' because confidence is a choice.

5. What Will Other People Say? What Will Other People Think?

There are ten deadly words that if you say them or believe them you will crush your performance.  If you're trying to be excellent, if you're trying to get to the top of your field, if you listen to these ten deadly words, you are going to sabotage your career.  Those ten deadly words are, “What will other people say? What will other people think?” It doesn't matter what other people say. It doesn't matter what other people think. In your pursuit of excellence, people are going to try and pull you down and talk trash about you because you are better than they are.  When people stab you in the back or say things about you behind your back it is because you are in front of them.  Be more concerned with your character, what you know is true than what other people say or think about you.

6. Champions Are Made, They're Not Born

Very few people are truly committed to the pursuit of excellence. Get used to looking yourself in the mirror, and answering to yourself. Because every night, when that head hits the pillow, that’s the person you’re going to answer to. Other people are going to tell you, you can't do it.  That you’re not big enough, fast enough or strong enough.  Or even worse, you may be surrounded by a bunch of yes people who tell you that you’re the best when you are really quite average. You just can't listen because champions know it doesn't matter what people think because champions are made – they're developed - they're not born, and ANYONE can be a champion if they are committed to excellence and follow the fundamentals.

7. Motivation Is A Daily Decision

To stay motivated, you've got to surround yourself with things that motivate you.  Do you have a vision board posted in your office, room, car or locker that shows you what you want to accomplish?  Consider this advertising to yourself.  Coke and Pepsi are the two most famous soft drinks and that is largely due to the fact that they saturate the market and your head with advertising.  You want to advertise to yourself on a daily basis with vision boards, photos of your next opponent, quotes or goals written on your bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker and by reading a little a lot from good books.

8. Your Time Is Now

Your time is the present moment. 1984 Olympic gold medal winning Team USA Hockey Coach Herb Brooks said it best in the great movie; 'Miracle' when he said “Your time is now.” The time is now, the place is here. Your career is the sum of your today’s.  The only factor that is the same amongst all MMA fighters in the world is that they have 86,000 seconds in a day to either spend or INVEST in the development of their potential.  Maximize your time management and priority management skills and you will get the most our of your days.

9. Stop Counting Down The Days And Start Making Those Days Count

World champions also know that you don’t count the days till the next fight, but make the days count.  They set long term goals of where they want to be at the end of the year, but commit 100% to the days goal, to the here and now.  They realize that yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift that’s why we call it the present.  They live for today and get the most out of today because they know their career and life will be the sum of their today’s.

10. WIN = What's Important Now

Right now today. What are you going to do today to get better?  What is your goal for today?  Do you see a pattern developing here?  Through out each day there are going to be distractions, fish hooks that rip you out of the water while you are searching for your goals.  When you get side tracked, get off the wrong exit on your way to work, realize that you must get back in the moment.  That winning is an end result that takes care of itself if you win the moment, you win the moment by remembering What’s Important Now!

 11. BONUS

The BONUS eleventh thing that world champions know that you don't is the  Opponent Is You. Your toughest opponent in life will be to master yourself. And once you become a master of the mental game, you give yourself the best chance to become a world champion.

If you really want to master the mental game, pick up Cain’s new book Toilets, Bricks, Fish Hooks and PRIDE: The Peak Performance Toolbox Exposed and get more tips and techniques to unlock your potential and start fighting your fight.  Visit www.briancain.com for your copy today and to sing up for Cain’s free newsletter.

More On Success

Here are some more thoughts about success, taken from the book "How to Succeed in the Game of Life" by Christian Klemash:
Brian Billick - "First of all, you have to define your definition of success.  Because there's always going to be somebody who thinks tha you could do it better or differently....But for me it clearly is maximizing the talent that you have."

Nick Bollettieri - "Success is beating the success you've had and really putting yourself out on a limb where only a few people would ever take that chance.  Success is continued success, meaning along the way you're going to have ups and downs, but over time, the pendulum keeps going up and up and up.  That's why only a few people make the big time and climb the highest of mountains.  That, to me, is success."

Angelo Dundee - "This is the key to success: You gotta have fun.  If you don't have fun at it, you should get out of it."

Tony Dungy - "I would define success as doing the absolute best that you are capable of doing.  That's not the same as winning every game - it's being as good as you could possibly be.  And if you do that, I think you're successful."

Herman Edwards - "I think for me, success in life has nothing to do with what you gain and accomplish for yourself, it's really what you do for others that matters."

Bill Parcells - "I would say that success is never final, but failure can be.  In my business,
success in never going to satisfy anybody.  It's only a temporary gratification.  They're gonna want more.  So I've learned to deal with that.  You have to go forward.
     "No matter what you achieve, you've gotta move forward.  It's gotta be onward and upward because it's not final.  You can go from being pretty successful to pretty downtrodden and you can do it very quickly, particulary in this business."

Bill Walsh - "Success is progress.  It's becoming better at what you do.  That's what I always emphasize with the players, that if you can improve your skills and take advantage of it, that's success.  I don't necessarily measure it in winning and losing, although that's always a factor.  But if you've improved, that's success."

The Benefits of Using Jet Motion in Youth Football

http://EzineArticles.com/5615898
Coaches, a nice little read about the benefits of Jet Motion.  Written by Jeff Hemhauser of youthfootballonline.com. 

Daily Thought - Gus Malzahn

Auburn Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn
"I'm not scared to be different, put it that way.  You've got to trust your philosophy no matter what the outside world thinks. You've got to be who you are because this is a very high-pressure profession. If you really don't believe what you're doing, you can be challenged at times.“

Daily Thought - John Gruden

"Football is really all I know....it's really the only interest I have outside of my wife and our three boys. I'm not a scratch golfer, I don't know how to bowl. I can't read the stock market. Heck, I have a hard time remembering my wife's cell phone number. But I can call, Flip Right Double X Jet 36 Counter Naked Waggle at 7 X Quarter, in my sleep.“  John Gruden
 

Link - Offensive Innovations

http://t.co/c2F8OqK
A nice article written by Jon Solomon, The Birmingham News.

Daily Thought - Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy."  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Required Reading - The Miracle of St. Anthony

Yesterday in high scool basketball, #4 ranked (nationally) St. Anthony High of New Jersey beat #20 ranked Dematha High of Maryland 75-25 in a game televised live by ESPN.  That score may shock some, not likely anyone who has read the NY Times Bestseller "The Miracle of St. Anthony" by AdrianWojnarowski.  The book chronicles a season and life of Coach Bob Hurley, a Hall of Famer, who is generally regarded as the most successful High School basketball coach.  Any coach looking to gain an edge would be well served to add this book to your coaching library.  A couple of snippets from the book:

"Defense is like your conservative savings.  You know what you're going to get.  Offense is like the stock market."

"At St. Anthony, they were so conditioned to always think of the team that no one else ever seemed to consider stats and scoring.  No one even knew the 1,000 point scorers in the school's history.  There were no banners for them.  Just state championship banners, just winning."

In preparation for a championship game Hurley told his team, "Be the same as we are every day tomorrow."

"It's never about winning here.  It's about performance."

Daily Thought - Brian Cain

"Many people ask me to name the single most important factor that determines success in any and all sports acitivity beyond natural athletic talent; and to them all I answer "mental toughness" - the ability to handle adversity in it's many forms including mishaps, errors of judgement, weakness, untimely coincidence, injury, pressure, unexpected strategies, cheating, physcological tactics, and hostility."  Brian Cain, Peak Performance Coach
http://www.briancain.com/

Definition of Success

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden's definition of success:  "Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction  in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."


Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel expanded upon this definition in his book "The Winners Manual":  "Success is the inner satisfaction and peace of mind that come from knowing I did the best I was capable of doing for the group."

Tressel simply added the team component to his definition.  Great words of wisdom.

Absolutes in Coaching

Although this is written by former coach Dr. Jack Ramsey pertaining to basketball, it applies seamlessly to the sport of football.  

Absolutes in Coaching
By Coach Jack Ramsey

1. Basketball, like every other sport, is predicated on the execution of the fundamentals.
2. The coach is a teacher; his subject is the FUNDAMENTALS.
3. The highest level of achievement is attained by the teams with the best-conditioned players.
4. Even the greatest players have a level of improvement to achieve.
5. Even the greatest players accept coaching and value the need for discipline and the order it brings to the team.
6. Winning is more related to good defense than good offense.
7. Breakdown drills, under simulated game conditions, are essential to team success.
8. Teams that play together beat those with superior players who play more as individuals.
9. There are no physical limits to individual achievement.
10. Although the game has become more sophisticated, simpler is better in developing and teaching a system of play.
11. Players draw confidence from a poised, alert coach who anticipates changing in game conditions.
12. Teams that never concede defeat can accomplish incredible victories.

The Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches

By Jeff Janssen, M.S.
University of Arizona Peak Performance Consultant
www.jeffjanssen.com

Have you ever wondered why some coaches achieve so much success with their athletes and teams - winning championships and everyone's respect along the way - while others continually fall short or struggle to get their teams to play over .500? If you are like most coaches, you have probably found yourself both fascinated and frustrated by the following questions:

How do some coaches build and maintain championship level programs year after year even though everyone else is trying desperately to knock them off?

How do some coaches come in and resurrect losing programs with a long and demoralizing history of defeat and quickly bring them to a championship level?

How do some coaches consistently get the most out of their athletes while others have athletes who chronically underachieve?

How do some coaches gain their athletes' confidence, trust, and respect while others have athletes who never buy into the coach and what he or she is trying to accomplish?

To answer many of these intriguing and important coaching questions, my friend Greg Dale and I interviewed many of sport's top coaches including Mike Krzyzewski, Pat Summitt, Roy Williams, and Gail Goestenkors. Based on our interviews, we discovered a new style of coaching, we call credible coaching, that is helping coaches get the absolute most out of today's athletes. Unlike the traditional style of coaching, which used fear and intimidation to motivate athletes, credible coaching focuses on developing solid relationships with athletes based on trust and respect. Coach "K" probably said it best in our interview with him - "Coaching is about relationships. It goes way beyond X’s and O's. You have to create an environment of trust among your staff and athletes. Without trust, you have nothing. If you do have trust, you will be able to accomplish great things."

Credible coaching has seven primary components associated with it, which we call the Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches. As you look over the components, see how you might rate on each of them.

Credible coaches are...
1. Character-based
Credible coaches seek to do the right thing. They are honorable people with high ethical standards and great integrity. They tell the truth to their athletes and never manipulate or play mind games with them. They conduct themselves in a professional manner and take pride in representing their teams and athletes with class. Credible coaches look to surround themselves with people of solid character because they know that character is just as important as talent in the long run.
2. Competent
Credible coaches have a thorough understanding of the strategies and fundamentals of the game. They know how to make the appropriate adjustments and are seldom out-coached. Despite their solid understanding of the X's and O's, they are highly inquisitive people who continually look for innovative and improved ways of doing things. They are lifelong students of the game. Further, they understand that admitting their limitations and mistakes is actually a sign of strength, not weakness. Even though they are highly capable and often revered people, credible coaches tend to remain humble and keep their success in perspective.
3. Committed
Credible coaches are highly committed people. They create successful visions for their teams and are more than willing to put in the time required to make them happen. They have a true passion for sport and coaching which fuels their intense drive and enthusiasm. They also have incredible reserves of energy and resiliency, which enables them to weather the inevitable storms of adversity. Credible coaches tend to be highly competitive people who really enjoy competing and winning at the highest levels.
4. Caring
Credible coaches care about their athletes as people. They sincerely want the best for their athletes in all aspects of their lives and are willing to help them in any way possible. Credible coaches invest the time to get to know each of their athletes on a personal level, showing an interest in their athletes' families, friends, faith, and future goals. Further, this caring does not end when a player's eligibility or career is over, but often extends throughout a player's lifetime.
5. Confidence-builder
Credible coaches continually build their players' confidence. They plant seeds of success in their athletes' minds and convince them that they can and will be successful. Credible coaches have a special knack for making people feel good about themselves, capable of achieving almost anything they set their minds to. They are demanding and set high standards yet are patient enough to help athletes develop and improve. When athletes do fall short, as all of them eventually will, credible coaches use a good balance of being challenging and supportive to help people get back on track.
6. Communicators
Credible coaches are excellent communicators. They are open, honest, and direct when communicating with individuals and the team. They continually remind and refocus people on what they need to do to be successful. Credible coaches seek to involve their athletes as much as possible and value the input they receive from them. They have they remarkable ability to truly listen to their athletes. They take the time to understand where people are coming from and are able to make decisions accordingly. Because of their ability to listen, credible coaches are often aware of concerns and conflicts and proactively address them before they become major problems or distractions.
7. Consistent
Credible coaches develop a sound philosophy of coaching. This philosophy remains stable over time, but they are flexible enough to adapt to changing situations or personnel. Credible coaches bring a consistent mood to practices and games, regardless of whether their team is winning or losing. They control their emotions in the heat of battle and convey a sense consistency to their athletes by not letting the highs get too high or the lows get too low. Further, they maintain a consistent approach to the rules and standards of the team. They tend to have few rules, but are consistent in how they apply them whether a player is a starter or reserve. Finally, credible coaches tend to be highly organized people who take their practice and game preparation very seriously.

Being a credible coach is certainly a challenging task. However, the rewards of more motivated, committed, disciplined, and committed players are well worth it.

Daily Thought - John Wooden

"Being average means you are as close to the bottom as you are to the top."  Coach John Wooden

Freeze Play

http://ezinearticles.com/5710288
Coaches, check out the above link.  Something to think about adding to your offensive arsenal next season.

Daily Thought - Chip Kelly

Chip Kelly on offensive numerical goals: "We have one numerical goal that we talk about all the time and that's winning."

Why We Win

From time to time I will share quotes from the book, "Why We Win" written by CBS Sports commentator Billy Packer.  Billy interviewed 16 of the most successful coaches in different sports and published this book in 1998.

Red Auerbach - "The most important thing in coaching in my book, is communication.  It's not what you say as much as what they absorb.

John Wooden - "No one wins championships without talent.  No one.  However, not everyone wins with talent."

John Wooden - "When you are in a leadership position, you're always learning.  To the day you die, you should always be learning." 

Ara Parseghian - "Next Saturdays game is not going to be won on last Saturday's performance."

Anson Dorrance - "I think one of the great mistakes that all the young coaches make as they are entering the profession is the feeling that they  have to be liked.  It's much more critical to be respected."

The Most Important Word

 I'm not sure where this came from but it has tremendous value to coaches of any sport:

The six most important words:  "I admit I made a mistake." The five most important words:  "I am proud of you."
The four most important words:  "What is your opinion?" The three most important words:  "If you please." The two most important words:  "Thank you."
The most important word:  "We" The least important word of all:  "I" 

Daily Thought - Archie Manning

"Football is the essence of America, but not because of championships or titles.  The drive to compete - the guts to play - the will to come from behind - the grace to walk off the field a loser - that's the essence of football." Archie Manning

Under Construction - Coming Soon

New blog with the aim to help train, educate, motivate, and inspire Football Coaches.