That article is mostly about Flores' approach to discipline. It's refreshing, especially after Gase.

But I don't think coaching style is that predictive of success. I mean you've got your Viktor Tikhonov's that instill a level of discipline not even Belichick can match and have success arguably greater than Belichick (coach of that utterly dominant Soviet hockey team in the 80's and early 90's.. 8 world championships and 3 Olympic golds.. and concurrently! 12 consecutive Soviet league titles) and you've got your Phil Jacksons (11 NBA titles with multiple teams) that practice meditation with players lol!

So we're going to have to wait for the actual games before we see whether Flores is the real deal. Can't predict much based on these camp reports even if it's nice to know. Personally, I want to see how he adjusts to the available talent and adjusts game plans to the opponent. THAT I think is a much bigger predictor of success.

 

Exciting article to read..must win with this type of approach otherwise no one will want to join you.

I think it’s an important approach to have sustainability and long term dynasty goals.


“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”

“Morally, the life of the organization must be of exemplary nature. This is one phase where the organization must not have criticism.”

“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 good in men that really yearn for discipline.”

Lombardi

Flores has a very strong belief in his core values not just as a football coach, but as a human being, he believes a man should carry himself with these morals and values in the prefrontal cortex or their brain..

Maybe just maybe we have a man of such conviction about these morals and values that he could be the next..

 

The key to the success of any organization; be it a professional sports team, the US military, any company, et al as it pertains to the individual personnel is discipline and motivation. You have to be motivated to perform your assigned duties/tasks and have the self-discipline to execute your duties/tasks as directed.

The key to any leader, be it a professional sports coach, a noncommissioned officer or company manager is to have the respect of his personnel and that respect has to be earned.

While in the Army, I never just taught my solders “what”, I also taught them “why”. I wanted them to understand how their actions effected others and instill that self-motivation and self-discipline to take care of their battle buddies to their left and right.

Same concept here with head coaches. They have to not only be able to teach “what”, but “why” as well and instill that motivation and discipline.

Talent is great but without that motivation and discipline, you’ll never be better than mediocre

 

Not talking about Flores, but generally I have found that the bosses I have had who say communication is the key usually are the ones who totally suck at it. It’s definitely an art.

 

Funny you mention “art”...

Field Manual 22-100, Military Leadership; Military leaderships is defined as the ART of influencing others to accomplish this mission by providing purpose, direction and motivation.

It is definitely an art

 

Hard not to love what this guy is doing. Whether this gets players to follow and execute, remains to be seen. We’ve had a lot of mental mistakes that have cost us games from stupid late penalties, turnovers, players pulling themselves out of games. That doesn’t happen in a winning culture.

 

To most bosses communicate means "I'll tell you what to do and you just say yes."

 

I really like the idea of the TNT wall, provided it is used judicially. A lot of people when their boss/coach/wife is chewing them out just let their eyes glaze over and tune out, but you can’t tune out a sprint to the wall and back. However of the wall is over-used or players feel they are being sent to the wall unfairly they will rebel against it.

 

The tenets of a successful team aren't difficult: self- discipline, individual responsibility combined with commitment to the team, being professional, etc.

We've heard this same kind of thing SO many times over the years. e.g. the new coach is going to shake things up, get back to basics, instill a new ethos, etc

The theory is easy; the execution is difficult. Look how many times it has fallen down in the past, often through poor coaching decision-making, poor man-management or similar. That's when the coaches will really be tested. Until then all the slogans, wind-sprints and soundbites in the world won't matter.

 

I think it is even more than that. I think we, as fans and laymen, have no actual idea what it is like on a pro football team. i think just the fact that we believe there are team first rosters that are filled by multi million dollar alpha males who are mostly still in their 20s and early 30s, is on its face, a little ridiculous.

I think the closest you get to that is the Pats, but ultimately they generally purge super expensive young guys and also the staff cheated their way into winning which commands some respect from the players.

If you want to win consistently, your staff needs to know how to adapt to their players in scheme and in mentality. Everything else is just chaff and hokum.

 

And that's the key, I agree.

Having a great system and vision is one thing but how do you get all your players to properly 'buy in'...and not just in OTAs or training camp but during the season...and even then not just for one play or one drive but week-in-and-week-out.

That requires first-class man-management skills, alongside the usual things we demand as fans (eg. great play-calling, clock-management, handling of the media, etc). It's a tall-order.

 

Agree. I have found that managers give up too soon. They talk a big game and then fissile out because they mistakenly believe that things will stick and other things on their plate take priority. IMO, the message should be consistent and communicated often.