“I think players play better when they’re not worried about making mistakes.” – WW PC

[Givincer]

Notice the difference in approach here.

Wade Phillips - "If you make a mistake, it's on me."

Bill Parcells - "Don't be the one to make the mistake that costs your team the game."

Anyone else think Wade's quote is kind of brilliant? I think it is, myself. Of course the players shouldn't take it entirely literally, but they should know to go out there and play at full speed, rather than worrying about making a mistake. Because if you're worrying about making a mistake, you're probably not as good as you could be.

 

[Seven]

Notice the difference in approach here.

Wade Phillips - "If you make a mistake, it's on me."

Bill Parcells - "Don't be the one to make the mistake that costs your team the game."

Anyone else think Wade's quote is kind of brilliant? I think it is, myself. Of course the players shouldn't take it entirely literally, but they should know to go out there and play at full speed, rather than worrying about making a mistake. Because if you're worrying about making a mistake, you're probably not as good as you could be.

Where'd this quote come from? I missed it.

BTW - I think they're both applicable..............First one let's the team know he's behind you and he's got a job to do too. The second one should help you prepare and stay focused.

 

[Givincer]

I think Wade's approach, though, is that the players know, just by virtue of being players, that they don't want to be the one who costs their team the game due to unpreparedness. So, like adults would, they'll prepare. And part of it is Wade's (formerly Bill's) job to get them prepared.


The Wade quote came from his PC yesterday. The Parcells quote was said by him on numerous occasions.

 

[BulletBob]

Interesting comment from Wade’s Press Conference yesterday. He stressed that he tells the players not to worry about making mistakes during a game. If they do, Wade says that they can put the blame on him.

This is a 180-degree shift from last-year’s coaching philosophy.

I was always concerned last year with Parcells’s penchant for dwelling on the players avoiding making mistakes. He brought it up in just about every press conference.

While I definitely believe in accountability for mistakes, I have always felt that dwelling on the subject (as Parcells certainly did) tends to make a team overly tentative, since the idea of avoiding mistakes is foremost in their mind as their leader’s primary success evaluation criteria.

Wade’s philosophy is the pendulum having swung to the complete other extreme. He wants the team to play almost on pure instinct without worrying at all about making the potential mistake.

If there is a happy medium, we won’t get to see it this year. In fact, I’d posit that the team still hasn’t completely let loose. It takes a while to fully appreciate that you won’t be punished for making a mistake, so you proceed cautiously, but eventually the fear of repercussion fades over time, and you start to play without inhibition (think about your own experience with kids or pets). Of course, the downside is that you may play so recklessly that the mistakes in the end kill you.

It will be interesting to judge the results – the early returns seem to indicate that Wade’s philosophy will eventually win out, and I don’t think the team has even yet reached the point where it is playing completely without fear of making mistakes.

It is a compelling experiment to be observed in the realm of leadership philosophies. I am interested in the outcome not only from the fan perspective, but also because the experiment results might just hold true in the business world as well.

 

[BulletBob]

Sorry - I didn't see your OP.

I posted a thread on the same topic.

Mods, feel free to merge ...

 

[Hostile]

I think Parcells was often too focused on not letting players feel good about themselves, and part of me understands that. The few times he let up, they let down. It had to be draining on him and them.

This team looks like it is having fun and I don't think that can be under emphasized. They aren't afraid of not being perfect and it is helping them relax and let the game come to them.

Parcells gave them focus. Wade is giving them confidence.

 

[Kangaroo]

Bulletbob the question is does he let them slide in film study. That is where the corrections are made week to week and sometimes on the side line. Wade may go with the mentality ok you screwed up now you owe me one come over here lets fix it attitude.

 

[LandryFan]

Wholeheartedly concur, Bullet Bob. Great post!

 

[DC_Addict]

Maybe Flozell figures he can false start all the time and blame it on Phillips.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I think Parcells was often too focused on not letting players feel good about themselves, and part of me understands that. The few times he let up, they let down. It had to be draining on him and them.

This team looks like it is having fun and I don't think that can be under emphasized. They aren't afraid of not being perfect and it is helping them relax and let the game come to them.

Parcells gave them focus. Wade is giving them confidence.

That's a good perspective. Wade applauded Bill quite about the discipline this team has..and that's all laid at the foundation of Parcells. Now Wade is getting them to apply that same discipline, but also go balls out on the field.

The one thing that's consistent between the two are the penalties.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

If there is a happy medium, we won’t get to see it this year. In fact, I’d posit that the team still hasn’t completely let loose.

Yep, did you see Brian Stewart's quote in an article from today? He said it's like when you tell a dog not to bark, and he learns not to. Then later, when you tell him it's okay to bark, he's not really sure it's okay to do so.

So I'm with you. I think that besides Parcells, who constantly emphasized not screwing up, Zimmer was anal about playing his exact technique on defense (especially among the DBs) or else they got a good chewing. It'll take a little while to unlearn that, but I think our guys will get there.

Good thread as usual, Bob. Wade's attitude seems to be a lot more like Jimmy's: Emphasize the postive, and allow your players to be aggressive in trying to make plays. If you beat into a person's head that "You better not screw this up", guess what? He's going to screw up. That's just basic psychology.

 

[Frozen700]

Yep, did you see Brian Stewart's quote in an article from today? He said it's like when you tell a dog not to bark, and he learns not to. Then later, when you tell him it's okay to bark, he's not really sure it's okay to do so.

So I'm with you. I think that besides Parcells, who constantly emphasized not screwing up, Zimmer was anal about playing his exact technique on defense (especially among the DBs) or else they got a good chewing. It'll take a little while to unlearn that, but I think our guys will get there.

Good thread as usual, Bob. Wade's attitude seems to be a lot more like Jimmy's: Emphasize the postive, and allow your players to be aggressive in trying to make plays. If you beat into a person's head that "You better not screw this up", guess what? He's going to screw up. That's just basic psychology.

yo you are dead on!

because i play football every sunday morning with a few friends (about 14 of us maybe sometimes more) and not to be cocky, im pretty good, especially playing corner, but when i make 1 bad mistake, and you know you have to stop them, and the other teammates are saying things like "come on are you ready 4 this? no matter how good you are there gonna throw the ball to him your way, you have to stop him" even tho im sure NFL players may go through worst than that, it kinda makes me hesitant, and i start to worry to much, and then i will make a mistake

but when i just play my game...even after a mistake, and i go back out and know i have 2 stop him or game over, and no 1 is in my ear, it gives me a chance to talk to my self 4 a few seconds, and just get my back on track with no worries, and i end up doing good

for instance, i was covering 1 of the better Receivers out there, they were about on the 20, about to score, and they were going my way and everyone knew it, and we had to stop them, well the play was ran, we were in the end zone, i looked back to soon, and slowed down, and he slipped behind me and caught it in the end zone, but lucky me, he stepped out of bounds

so they had 1 more shot(they were going my way again everyone knew it, but nobody got in my head, or talked crap) they tried to hit me with a double move, i didn't bite on the first move, then he went for the quick skinny post, i let him get in front of me, relied on my speed, i undercut it at the last second batted it in the air, and a teammate of my mine picked it off, we won

but if somebody got in my head, i would have played more passive and probably, would give up a catch, for a td? i don't know!