WHAT IT TAKES
TO BE A KNIGHT
•
•
•
•
•
•
TEAM FIRST
BE ACCOUNTABLE
BE TRUSTWORTHY
TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
GREAT EFFORT
NO EXCUSES!
Any excuse for non-performance, however valid, softens the resolve. When a man
makes an excuse, he attempts to convince both himself and others that unsatisfactory performance
is somehow acceptable. He is, perhaps unconsciously, attempting to divert attention from
performance. He attempts to soften the blow to his ego while dismissing any personal responsibility
or accountability for his performance. The athlete that utilizes excuses is dishonest with himself as
well as with others. No matter how good or valid, the excuse never changes performance.
The world measures success in terms of performance alone. No man is remembered in
history for what he would have accomplished. History never asks how hard it was to do the job, nor
considers the obstacles that had to be overcome. It never measures the handicap-it only counts 1
thing-performance. No man ever performed a worthwhile task without consciously ignoring many
plausible excuses.
To excuse is a habit. We cannot have the performance habit and the excuse habit.
The more we use excuses, the more we lower our expectations and standards.
Learn to say… “We did not make enough plays to win today”, “We have to get better”
Learn not to say… “I was held”, “He missed his block”, “The referee blew the call”, “Coach
didn’t run the right play”, “The sun was in my eyes”, “We had too many injuries”
Never take credit for the teams successes, Never blame the team or coaches for your failures
LAW OF LEADERSHIP
•MYTH #1–Fact:
Good Players = Good Leaders
Leadership skills are vastly different than athletic skills.
Leadership is more tied to people skills and character traits while
athletic skills typically focus on physical talent.
•MYTH #2–Fact:
You must be loud to be a leader
Volume does NOT equate leadership
•MYTH #3-
Captains and Seniors are the only leaders on this team
•Fact:
Captains and coaches should enlist as many players as possible into
leadership. Captains and coaches do not have monopoly
on ideas or
ability. Many effective leaders can be more
effective than a small
number of outstanding leaders.
5 LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
•
LEVEL 1 Position
Teammates follow you because of the nature of the position of captain/leader/Senior
NOTE: Your influence will limited.
To achieve this level: Become a captain/senior of your sports team
•
LEVEL 2 Production
Teammates follow you because of what you have produced
NOTE: This is where leadership is perceived by most people. You have credibility with others
because you are an accomplished player.
To achieve this level: Work harder than the rest of team in off-season and in practice. Be a
player that helps his team have success and is industrious.
•
LEVEL 3 Permission
Teammates follow you because they want to
NOTE: Teammates will follow you by choice and not just because you hold the position of
captain/leader. You are a person they chose to follow rather than a position that they have been
instructed to follow.
To achieve this level: Develop positive relationship with your teammates
5 LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
•
LEVEL 4 People development
Teammates will follow you because of what you have done for them.
NOTE: Your commitment to the team and to individual teammates will insure
continued excellence and positive development of the team.
To achieve this level: Invest in your teammates-build meaningful relationships where
genuine concern for your teammates and team is the number one priority.
•
LEVEL 5 Personhood
Teammates follow because of who you are and what you represent.
NOTE: This level is reserved for leaders who have invested in relationships with teammates in
the program. Few achieve this level.
To achieve this level: Put teammates before yourself. Commit 100% to the program in all
its phases, on and off the field.
•
•
•
“Leadership is an action, not a position” Jim Tressell-OSU
“Great leaders only put themselves ahead of others in accepting responsibilities.”
“If you don’t invest very much, losing doesn’t hurt very much and winning isn’t very
exciting.” Dick Vermeil-STL Rams
•
“You can take the best team and the
worst team and line them up and you
would find very little physical difference.
You would find an emotional difference.
The winning team has a dedication. It will
have a core group of veteran players who
set the standards. They will not accept
defeat.”
– Merlin Olson, Los Angeles Rams
LAW OF BAD APPLES
•
•
Good talent does not guarantee success, but bad attitudes will guarantee
failure.
Each players attitude will either lift the team up or tear the team down.
• GET OUT OF YOURSELF AND INTO THE TEAM!
Former Raiders offensive coordinator Tom Walsh described a play in a
loss to the Browns in which a play-action pass was called and Randy Moss
was asked to run a square-in on the weak side. The linebacker was sucked up
inside by the fake, according to Walsh, and Moss was expected to run the inroute. As Walsh recalled it, "He runs a 9 [deep go] route. "Andrew Walter makes
the play-fake and a huge hole opens up for Randy in the middle of the field but
he's running down the sideline. When Randy gets to the sidelines, [wide
receivers coach] Freddie Biletnikoff says, 'What were you doing?' "Randy told
Fred, 'I didn't feel like running the 6 route on the dirt part of the infield.' That
summed up the days failure. There were some games where out of 28 plays
he'd have 13 or 14 busts. Wrong routes, wrong reads. Dogging it. Whatever.
LAW OF THE CHAIN
• A TEAM IS ONLY AS STRONG AS ITS
WEAKEST LINK
• DON’T BRING DOWN THE TEAM!
– ACADEMICALLY
– SOCIALLY
– EMOTIONALLY
– ATTITUDE
– EFFORT
– PERFORMANCE
LAW OF CHEMISTRY
•
•
•
•
On the tower that sits right in the center of Tech's two practice fields, there's a huge
banner that reads, "None of Us Are As Good as All Of Us.""In the big picture, it's
really the chemistry of the football team that's the most important issue," said
Coach Beamer. "We've had very talented teams that didn't win as many games as
they should, and we've had teams not as talented that won the ACC championship.
Whether this team is the most talented since 1999 era? ... That doesn't really matter.
Chemistry is the real issue.“
Top teams have players that put the good of the team above themselves
“WE mentality”
There are no short cuts, success cannot be bought, but it can be earned.
DEALING WITH MEDIA
• News media is great exposure for our
program
• Be courteous and on time
• Never criticize or compare opponents
• Look for opportunities to praise a
teammate
• Never complain, Be POSITIVE!
• Never give information that could help an
opponent.
3 Types of Games
1) Consistent Battle
•
•
•
Fight from start to finish
Great competitors love this type of game
Opponents must fear entering the 4th
quarter with us in this type of game
1 Play at a time
• "Not everybody likes these situations," La
Russa said. "A lot of guys talk about it, say
they want to be in these moments, but
they don't. They don't like the heat. They
can't handle the pressure. And more
important than all of that, they hate the
possibility that they might fail. Albert ain't
afraid of failing. Guys who like these
moments like them because they find
success in these moments. The more
success they have, the more they expect
to have success every time they are in the
moment."
• And so it is with Pujols. "I know that if I continue my
approach to the game, I'm going to get a good swing
on the ball," he said. "If I get a good swing, that's
all you can ask. Sometimes you get a good swing
and it's a double down the line. Sometimes it goes
over the fence. Sometimes, like the other night when
I took it to center field and it was a 400-foot out, that
was a good swing, too. Somebody just caught it. But
I know that as long as I take that same approach
every night, every at-bat, every swing, I'm going to
be OK."
3 Types of Games
2) Come From Behind
•
•
•
Require great poise and ability to refocus on what is ahead, not behind usmental toughness
Offense work fast!
Defense get off the field!
1 Play at a time
3 Types of Games
•
•
•
•
3) Significant Lead
Require great poise and ability to keep
the pedal to the metal
Offense control the clock and protect the
ball
Defense no home runs
Play at highest level regardless of
personnel
1 Play at a time
Pete Carrol-USC
• To me, I think the mark
of a great
championship player, or
a great championship
program, is the ability
to continue to show
who you are and not be
affected by what's
going on around you, or
in the past, or what
you're heading into.”
LAW OF UNIFORM
•
•
•
•
•
•
Legally equipped-NFHS rules
– No jewelry/No Visor on Helmet
– Towels must be black, no logos, 4 inches wide 12 inches long
– All required pads for pants (5)
– Brace/cast=sleeved/padded
– Unaltered mouthpiece attached to facemask
– Sweatbands-must be within 3 inches of base of thumb
– Hair-braided but no beads
Team socks
– Round Table will select
Eye black used as intended
– 1 inch in height, width of eye
Black Shoes
Shirt tucked in
Undershirt
– Round Table will select
PRE-GAME CONDUCT
• Loose and confident
• SILENT on bus rides (Mental Reps)
• Be who you are but respect how other
teammates prepare mentally to compete
• Warm up is both mental and physical
• Get your mind and body ready to compete
• Pay no attention to opponents or fans
during pre game warm-up
CONDUCT DURING GAME
• Talk only to your coaches and teammates
• Never come out of the game until someone comes in for
you
• Always have your helmet with you
• When you leave the field, get a quick drink and see your
coach
• Treat officials and opponents with respect
• No Sir/Yes Sir, Look to sideline on penalties
• Injury on the field, take a knee
• Have fun but not at the expense of others
• Celebrate with your team in a way that acknowledges
each other and does not draw attention to you. Big plays
deserve team-oriented, enthusiastic celebrations!
• It’s not about you
• Respect the game and your opponents
POST GAME
• Line up at the 50 Yard Line to shake hands
• Helmets on keep composure regardless of outcome
• After victory, gather in front of our fans to sing the fight
song.
• Gather after fight song or handshake in the middle of the
field (Home) or on our sideline (Away)
• Visit briefly with someone who came to watch the game
and support us
• Get to the locker room and on the bus a.s.a.p.
• Coach will have a sign out sheet for away games
parents must sign you out and you must leave with
parents
QUALITIES OF
LOSING TEAMS
• Absence of Trust
– Coach to Coach
– Player to Player
– Player to Coach
– Coach to Player
• Lack of Accountability
– Making Excuses
– Blaming others for the lack of success
QUALITIES OF
LOSING TEAMS
• Lack of Commitment
– Excalibur Club
– 7 on 7/Linemen Basketball
– Spring Drills
– Camps
• Lack of Focus on Team Results
– Pursuit of Special Interests
– Pursuit of Self Interests
Bill Belichick-5 Super Bowl wins
Article excerpt of an interview conducted with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
• Despite his vast knowledge of the X's and O's part of the game, the
New England Patriots coach pointed at character evaluation and the
work ethic of players as the most critical aspect for building winning
program. "When a player is first discussed, the most commonly
asked questions our scouts and personnel people consider are: Is he
tough? Is he smart? Is he dependable? Does he work hard? Of
course, a player's skill level is important, but if the players are similar
in skill level, those other factors usually come into play at some point."
2007 National Champions LSU
• “No team that I have ever
been a part of was as
competitive as they were.
No team had a stronger
view of their roles within the
team. Championship teams
all have the same
characteristics. It is not the
helmet that makes LSU-it is
the players wearing those
helmets. It is what they are
willing to do for each other.”
QUALITIES OF
WINNING TEAMS
Reactive People
Proactive People
Affected by physical environment: If the
weather is good, they feel good; if not,
they don’t and their performance suffers
“Carry” their own weather; Rain or shine
makes no difference; driven by their values
to do good quality work regardless of
weather
Feel they don’t have to put in time and
effort to make themselves better.
Commit to improving themselves physically,
mentally, and emotionally every chance
they get.
Mistakes are blamed on others,
rationalized as being inevitable,
uncorrected, repeated. Look out the
window to avoid blame.
Mistakes are acknowledged instantly, and
corrected. Look in the mirror to solve
problems.
QUALITIES OF
WINNING TEAMS
• An effective team member has a sense of collective responsibility
and demonstrates it by taking personal accountability and action for
whatever happens to him. He has come to the realization the work
and practice are the surest way to improve. When things are not
going well, he looks at himself first to see where he can make a
difference.
• An ineffective team member will find himself blaming everyone but
himself when things do not go well. This type of person continues
to focus on distractions instead of goals. He hesitates to attack his
problems head on, preferring to sidestep any responsibility for
individual or team improvements. He is an excuse-maker and
blame defector, finding it difficult to accept responsibility.
Dallas Cowboys 2008
• “Multiple sources close to the
team paint a picture of
turmoil inside the locker
room far greater than
originally thought... Sources
say there were many issues
this season that call into
question team discipline,
commitment.”
Team
• It's unselfish play, guys
caring about each other,
guys that hang out
together off the field,
guys that have
relentless effort and
they're not going to fail,"
Meyer said. "That's
great chemistry. They're
not going to let each
other down.“
– Urban Meyer
QUALITIES OF
WINNING TEAMS
• Can I trust you? Do what is right when no-ones watching
•
•
•
•
On the Practice and Game Field
In Public
In the Classroom
In the Off-Season
• Are you committed to excellence? Do your best
• Consistent Desire to Improve
• Excalibur Club/Daily Effort
• Do you care about me? Treat others as you wish to be treated
• Respect for Others
• Positive Impact on your Teammates at all times
Great teams can say “yes” to all three questions.
Senior Tony Temple is making sure that Freshman Derrick
Washington will have every chance to show how well he can play.
“Whenever I need anything, when I need to know anything, I go to
him” Washington said
Temple told Washington: “If you have any questions; I don’t care if
it’s the smallest question in the world or if it sounds like it’s stupid,
you ask me, I’ve been there, I know what it’s like. I am here for
you.”