Trends
Things you can't measure
Lombardi
Well we have made it to the final four and tonight will decide who will be in next week's 5A Championship. I have three topics so let's get rolling
Trends
If you were preparing for a huge contest such as we are, how much do you base on trends? I mean if you have 3 or 4 videos of your opponent, how many coaches and teams break down every player on every play? It seems like a lot of work to some people, but only seems like preparation to others.
Our company runs budgets and forecasts based upon past history with a touch of market predictability. The number crunchers will pound out pages upon pages of bar graphs and charts that will hopefully capture what the market will bring for the upcoming year.
The best teams do the same. they can tell you how many times a certain player handles his assignment versus how many times he could be the weak link in a team's offense or defense. They can tell you their success ration on a 4th and long versus a 4th and short.
All of these trends come into play, but you still have to transfer that information to each player with the confidence that "They get it". The part this most predictable in every team is that they will always stick to what was successful in getting them to where they are now.
If it gets down to one final play, you can bet that both teams will bank on what has carried them to victory. We will see tonight how trends play apart in this upcoming game.
Things you can't measure
Everybody has written about how you can't measure heart and experience. But there are other components that a lot of people don't consider that can't be measured.
Let's list some components that a lot of people never consider.
1. What if neither teams has ever seen each other play except on film? I think there is some doubt in both teams when you first see your opponent in person. Being nervous is not a negative or a positive, it is a natural instinct of he unknown.
2. Playing in a foreign environment for the first time. You can't measure each player's mind of what they are feeling when they take the field for the first time in somebody else's backyard.
3. Traveling a longer distance than normal. If you are traveling to your opponent and the distance is greater than your normal bus ride, some people handle this situation differently. You must be able to harness your emotions until the right time. It may be a factor if you get worked up at 1:30 in the afternoon and you don't play until 7:00.
4. Rituals being broken. A lot of players have a ritual that they go through before competing in any contest. Fans do the same thing. They wear a lucky hat or jacket every time their favorite team plays. What if a star player's ritual is broken?
5. How the team supports each other. We all love praise, especially when somebody says "we can't do it without you" or "good job keep it up". This is a powerful component that you can't measure. A coach can say "great job", but when it comes from your teammate, it means more. It's just something you can't measure.
We could go on and on, but let's get to my last thought.
Lombardi
NUMBER ONE SPEECH
"There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.
"Every time a football player goes to play his trade he's got to play from the ground up - from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.
"Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization - an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win - to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.
"It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there - to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules - but to win.
"And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.
"I don't say these things because I believe in the 'brute' nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he's exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."
--Vince Lombardi
I'm ready to film now.
That's A Wrap
Tonight we play the Bearden Bulldogs.
We are one game away from Murfreesboro. I can't wait.
Good Luck guys.
I have enjoyed capturing all you moments from "Behind The Lens".
How about giving me once more chance to capture you holding that Gold Bowl high above your head?
If you see us at the game give a shout or a wave. Until next week.
God bless and Take Care.
From Behind The Lens.
The Stork
“A man who truly delivers”
Football Stars For Tomorrow - www.storkmontgomery.com
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