Does Letting DA Go Make THIS Much Difference Or Was It Also a Function of
And I remember an interview with Roger Staubach at a later date, referencing the interview with Landy and Landry's sideline demeanor. Roger confirmed that Landry's demeanor was the same whether you threw a TD pass, or threw a pick-6. But he was quick to add that was NOT the Landry you'd see in Monday's practice. Come Monday....that was Landry's time to coach, and he was gonna be ALL OVER you about it. If players made mistakes during the game, Monday's practice was not something to look forward to.
I think the definition of a "fiery, emotional coach" needs to be clarified. Based on what I've read, practice Landry fit that mold even if game Landry did not. Jim Harbaugh is a pretty fiery guy (not a fan of him, just citing example) who has made the Chargers pretty competitive in just his 1st season. Andy Reid is probably the current gold standard of NFL head coaches, and he probably has the most stoic sideline demeanor of current HCs. I wonder what he's like in practice?
A very popular cliche is that "practice makes perfect." And intuitively, it makes sense. But one of MY favorite cliches disputes that notion by clarifying that "PERFECT practice makes perfect." Practice does help your performance. But if you have sloppy practices, you're just perfecting sloppy. I think the GREAT HCs demand perfection, even in practice. Attention to detail...ALL details, sends the message that the little things matter, because they DO matter. The NFL is full of talented players...the best of the best at whatever they do. The difference between NFL capable (practice squad); NFL caliber (starter); All Pro (top 5-10 at your position); and HOF (one of best to EVER play the game) are the accumulation of the little things a player does just a little better than everyone else. A GREAT HC demands that from his players.
I'm not sure stoic vs fiery is the discussion to be having. I think it's attention to detail; setting the standard; and ensuring the details are attended to in order to achieve that standard. And "fear of loss is a greater motivator than opportunity to gain". I'm not talking W-L "loss", I'm talking about something greater, something internal that DRIVES. A HC has to recognize that different players have different currencies, and every player has to fear repercussions from the HC. If there are no repercussions, there is no fear of loss.
So I think the criteria is probably:
I remember reading an article about Landry where the interviewer was questioning his stoic sideline demeanor. I'm paraphrasing, but the gist of Landry's response was that as HC, his job was to prepare his team Monday-Saturday for the upcoming game; and it was his coordinators' jobs to execute the prepared plan; and his players' jobs to actually play the game on Sundays. He considered Sundays his "report card" for what kind of job he did as HC Mon-Sat. As a young football player at the time (pee-wee football), his response was foreign to me and totally blew my mind. But it also explained everything I saw on the TV on gamedays.It's interesting, isn't it? A fiery guy can work out great as a head coach, a rah-rah guy can work, and a calm, quiet guy can work too (see below). All depends. But it just never clicked for Allen.
And I remember an interview with Roger Staubach at a later date, referencing the interview with Landy and Landry's sideline demeanor. Roger confirmed that Landry's demeanor was the same whether you threw a TD pass, or threw a pick-6. But he was quick to add that was NOT the Landry you'd see in Monday's practice. Come Monday....that was Landry's time to coach, and he was gonna be ALL OVER you about it. If players made mistakes during the game, Monday's practice was not something to look forward to.
I think the definition of a "fiery, emotional coach" needs to be clarified. Based on what I've read, practice Landry fit that mold even if game Landry did not. Jim Harbaugh is a pretty fiery guy (not a fan of him, just citing example) who has made the Chargers pretty competitive in just his 1st season. Andy Reid is probably the current gold standard of NFL head coaches, and he probably has the most stoic sideline demeanor of current HCs. I wonder what he's like in practice?
A very popular cliche is that "practice makes perfect." And intuitively, it makes sense. But one of MY favorite cliches disputes that notion by clarifying that "PERFECT practice makes perfect." Practice does help your performance. But if you have sloppy practices, you're just perfecting sloppy. I think the GREAT HCs demand perfection, even in practice. Attention to detail...ALL details, sends the message that the little things matter, because they DO matter. The NFL is full of talented players...the best of the best at whatever they do. The difference between NFL capable (practice squad); NFL caliber (starter); All Pro (top 5-10 at your position); and HOF (one of best to EVER play the game) are the accumulation of the little things a player does just a little better than everyone else. A GREAT HC demands that from his players.
I'm not sure stoic vs fiery is the discussion to be having. I think it's attention to detail; setting the standard; and ensuring the details are attended to in order to achieve that standard. And "fear of loss is a greater motivator than opportunity to gain". I'm not talking W-L "loss", I'm talking about something greater, something internal that DRIVES. A HC has to recognize that different players have different currencies, and every player has to fear repercussions from the HC. If there are no repercussions, there is no fear of loss.
So I think the criteria is probably:
- leader of men; others want to follow your lead. not simply "willing", but genuinely WANT to
- attention to detail; EVERYTHING matters. stack enough grains of sand and you have a beach. but it starts with ONE grain.
- motivator; can provide genuine fear of loss of whatever currency a particular player trades in