Goldenrichards83
Active Member
- Messages
- 1,612
- Reaction score
- 0
The 10-step program to building a championship culture
The word culture has become the in vogue term to describe the fiber of a franchise. Culture in the NFL sense means creating a winning environment based on shared beliefs and practices.
No franchise has spent more time in this century on the concept of culture than the New England Patriots. With three Super Bowl championships, they have become a model for changing the culture of a franchise. Bill Belichick has educated all who work for him to cultivate a team that believes in one common goal -- winning.
The Patriots, however, are by no means the only club that rid themselves of a losing culture; they are just the most recent.
Ron Wolf did it in Green Bay, Bill Walsh in San Francisco, Jimmy Johnson in Dallas, Mike Shanahan in Denver, the Mara family in New York and the Rooney family in Pittsburgh. Each had a way of developing a set of attitudes that changed the beliefs, practices and customs of an entire organization.
This year's Super Bowl pits one of the long-standing successful franchises, Pittsburgh, against the upstart Arizona Cardinals. Ironically, it was the Cardinals who tapped into the Steeler model when they hired three Steelers coaches to come to the desert and turn a lost and failing franchise into a winner.
Building a winning culture is not just an idea, but a process that takes vision and a plan. Bill Parcells proved in Miami this year that it doesn't have to take years to change the culture of a franchise.
Here are the ingredients a coach or front office executive has to look at closely if he wants to build a Super Bowl winner. You may not hit on every category, but you better hit on most of them:
1. The owner -- Everything starts at the top and the owner of the club has to know what it takes to win, be willing to listen and not turn back when things get rough. Coaches like Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh or Tom Coughlin in New York are blessed with owners that know what it takes to be successful and inherited programs with a foundation in place. Bob Kraft in New England is a perfect example of a man who learned how to win by studying other successful programs and trusting his coach. Less than half the teams in the NFL have this component covered.
2. The tradition -- Make no mistake about it, a coach or GM that takes over a club that has won in the past can influence the current group by showcasing the team's previous glory as a model. The Cowboys may not be playing very well right now, but they have tradition. The Super Bowl teams of the '70s gave rise to the Super Bowl teams of the '90s and those two experiences will eventually give rise to the next winning club. The Steelers' tradition of winning is a big reason they overcame the toughest schedule in the league this year to get to Super Bowl XLIII.
3. The quarterback -- The most important position on the field is the best place to start if a coach or GM wants to change the culture of a losing team. Trading for Brett Favre was Ron Wolf's first move when he left the Jets and went to the Packers as GM. Troy Aikman's arrival had an awful lot to do with the culture change in Dallas as did Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco. Six of the last 10 Super Bowl MVPs have been quarterbacks. Without a very good QB, changing the culture may never happen.
4. The staff -- In order to really create long-term change, a coach and GM have to fill the roster with good players who also are great men. It doesn't take too many personnel mistakes or bad apples in the locker room to drag a once-proud franchise to the bottom. Smart scouts and great teaching coaches are critical. Belichick does a great job training his scouts to go find the type of players he wants and they rarely bring back guys with character issues or a lack of intellect. Once those players are on the field, the teaching takes over, as evidenced by Matt Cassel's performance this year. Look at the Cardinals offensive line, coached by Russ Grimm. Starting left tackle Mike Gandy has improved tremendously under Grimm. Also consider the effect of Steelers defensive coordinator **** LeBeau on Pittsburgh's success.
5. A special trait -- Sometimes a coach or GM can develop a special trait that is so strong it can carry the team. Ozzie Newsome, the GM of the Ravens, built the finest defense in the NFL and it carried them to a Super Bowl win. Mike Shanahan built a running game around Terrell Davis that made the Broncos back-to-back Super Bowl champions. The Bears thought they had a special defense when they lined up against the Colts, but it wasn't good enough and they still haven't recovered.
6. The tough decision -- The coach and, more importantly, the GM have to be able to make the hard decision that appears cold on the surface, but in the long run is the right thing to do. Cutting a player, firing a coach or dismissing a scout isn't easy, but the smart teams pull the trigger when necessary. Trading away Joe Montana and going with Steve Young wasn't easy, but it enabled the 49ers to continue their winning culture. Sometimes the decision can backfire, as with Kurt Warner. You have to wonder how many more Super Bowl trips the Rams would have made if he was still there.
7. The team -- The locker room is where teams can be made or dismantled. There is no fooling the players when there is a weak link in the locker room or a player interested in his own self-promotion over what's best for the team. The present Dallas Cowboys may suffer from this issue and it may be what holds them back from a return to glory. On the other hand, the strong winning culture of the Patriot locker room has helped players like Rodney Harrison, Randy Moss and Corey Dillon flourish in their new home.
8. The building -- There's probably not enough attention paid to this issue. I learned a number of valuable lessons from Parcells and Belichick when they came to the Jets. Everyone was under evaluation. The doctors, trainers, equipment men, travel department, security, public relations and grounds keepers were all under the microscope. Too often, people in contact with the players that have little or nothing at stake professionally breed a losing culture in the building. I like to call it the "here we go again" way of thinking. It exists in every business and as long as it does, losing will creep back into the work place.
9. The media -- Public information can be devastating to the security of an operation. I know the media has a job to do, but they don't have a right to know a club's inner workings. Let a leak get out that the GM is trying to trade a player and watch what it does to the locker room. The media can't help improve the culture of a team, but they sure can help destroy it with a few ill-timed stories -- usually leaked to them by disgruntled employees. I don't think it has to be a "one voice" mentality, but I do think the best teams restrict the flow of information.
10. A bit of luck -- Every team needs some luck. For example, the last four teams left standing in this year's playoffs all got 16 starts out of their QB. Great preparation is more reliable than luck, but if something fortunate happens like getting a borderline call or an opponent missing an easy field goal, it doesn't hurt.
Complete package
When you think about the Steelers, it feels as if they hit on all 10 points -- and that makes them tough to beat.
When Mr.Rooney walks into that locker room before the game, all of the players will have a special feeling for the history of the Steelers.
When the Cardinals come together in their locker room they will sense they are on the verge of something brand new to the organization. They have the quarterback, the staff, the team and maybe a little luck helps them break a losing tradition.
What Mike Tomlin has carried on isn't easy and what Ken Whisenhunt is building is probably even tougher, but there's no doubt these teams now have a winning culture.
1 Comment | 1 Recommendation | E-mail
The word culture has become the in vogue term to describe the fiber of a franchise. Culture in the NFL sense means creating a winning environment based on shared beliefs and practices.
No franchise has spent more time in this century on the concept of culture than the New England Patriots. With three Super Bowl championships, they have become a model for changing the culture of a franchise. Bill Belichick has educated all who work for him to cultivate a team that believes in one common goal -- winning.
The Patriots, however, are by no means the only club that rid themselves of a losing culture; they are just the most recent.
Ron Wolf did it in Green Bay, Bill Walsh in San Francisco, Jimmy Johnson in Dallas, Mike Shanahan in Denver, the Mara family in New York and the Rooney family in Pittsburgh. Each had a way of developing a set of attitudes that changed the beliefs, practices and customs of an entire organization.
This year's Super Bowl pits one of the long-standing successful franchises, Pittsburgh, against the upstart Arizona Cardinals. Ironically, it was the Cardinals who tapped into the Steeler model when they hired three Steelers coaches to come to the desert and turn a lost and failing franchise into a winner.
Building a winning culture is not just an idea, but a process that takes vision and a plan. Bill Parcells proved in Miami this year that it doesn't have to take years to change the culture of a franchise.
Here are the ingredients a coach or front office executive has to look at closely if he wants to build a Super Bowl winner. You may not hit on every category, but you better hit on most of them:
1. The owner -- Everything starts at the top and the owner of the club has to know what it takes to win, be willing to listen and not turn back when things get rough. Coaches like Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh or Tom Coughlin in New York are blessed with owners that know what it takes to be successful and inherited programs with a foundation in place. Bob Kraft in New England is a perfect example of a man who learned how to win by studying other successful programs and trusting his coach. Less than half the teams in the NFL have this component covered.
2. The tradition -- Make no mistake about it, a coach or GM that takes over a club that has won in the past can influence the current group by showcasing the team's previous glory as a model. The Cowboys may not be playing very well right now, but they have tradition. The Super Bowl teams of the '70s gave rise to the Super Bowl teams of the '90s and those two experiences will eventually give rise to the next winning club. The Steelers' tradition of winning is a big reason they overcame the toughest schedule in the league this year to get to Super Bowl XLIII.
3. The quarterback -- The most important position on the field is the best place to start if a coach or GM wants to change the culture of a losing team. Trading for Brett Favre was Ron Wolf's first move when he left the Jets and went to the Packers as GM. Troy Aikman's arrival had an awful lot to do with the culture change in Dallas as did Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco. Six of the last 10 Super Bowl MVPs have been quarterbacks. Without a very good QB, changing the culture may never happen.
4. The staff -- In order to really create long-term change, a coach and GM have to fill the roster with good players who also are great men. It doesn't take too many personnel mistakes or bad apples in the locker room to drag a once-proud franchise to the bottom. Smart scouts and great teaching coaches are critical. Belichick does a great job training his scouts to go find the type of players he wants and they rarely bring back guys with character issues or a lack of intellect. Once those players are on the field, the teaching takes over, as evidenced by Matt Cassel's performance this year. Look at the Cardinals offensive line, coached by Russ Grimm. Starting left tackle Mike Gandy has improved tremendously under Grimm. Also consider the effect of Steelers defensive coordinator **** LeBeau on Pittsburgh's success.
5. A special trait -- Sometimes a coach or GM can develop a special trait that is so strong it can carry the team. Ozzie Newsome, the GM of the Ravens, built the finest defense in the NFL and it carried them to a Super Bowl win. Mike Shanahan built a running game around Terrell Davis that made the Broncos back-to-back Super Bowl champions. The Bears thought they had a special defense when they lined up against the Colts, but it wasn't good enough and they still haven't recovered.
6. The tough decision -- The coach and, more importantly, the GM have to be able to make the hard decision that appears cold on the surface, but in the long run is the right thing to do. Cutting a player, firing a coach or dismissing a scout isn't easy, but the smart teams pull the trigger when necessary. Trading away Joe Montana and going with Steve Young wasn't easy, but it enabled the 49ers to continue their winning culture. Sometimes the decision can backfire, as with Kurt Warner. You have to wonder how many more Super Bowl trips the Rams would have made if he was still there.
7. The team -- The locker room is where teams can be made or dismantled. There is no fooling the players when there is a weak link in the locker room or a player interested in his own self-promotion over what's best for the team. The present Dallas Cowboys may suffer from this issue and it may be what holds them back from a return to glory. On the other hand, the strong winning culture of the Patriot locker room has helped players like Rodney Harrison, Randy Moss and Corey Dillon flourish in their new home.
8. The building -- There's probably not enough attention paid to this issue. I learned a number of valuable lessons from Parcells and Belichick when they came to the Jets. Everyone was under evaluation. The doctors, trainers, equipment men, travel department, security, public relations and grounds keepers were all under the microscope. Too often, people in contact with the players that have little or nothing at stake professionally breed a losing culture in the building. I like to call it the "here we go again" way of thinking. It exists in every business and as long as it does, losing will creep back into the work place.
9. The media -- Public information can be devastating to the security of an operation. I know the media has a job to do, but they don't have a right to know a club's inner workings. Let a leak get out that the GM is trying to trade a player and watch what it does to the locker room. The media can't help improve the culture of a team, but they sure can help destroy it with a few ill-timed stories -- usually leaked to them by disgruntled employees. I don't think it has to be a "one voice" mentality, but I do think the best teams restrict the flow of information.
10. A bit of luck -- Every team needs some luck. For example, the last four teams left standing in this year's playoffs all got 16 starts out of their QB. Great preparation is more reliable than luck, but if something fortunate happens like getting a borderline call or an opponent missing an easy field goal, it doesn't hurt.
Complete package
When you think about the Steelers, it feels as if they hit on all 10 points -- and that makes them tough to beat.
When Mr.Rooney walks into that locker room before the game, all of the players will have a special feeling for the history of the Steelers.
When the Cardinals come together in their locker room they will sense they are on the verge of something brand new to the organization. They have the quarterback, the staff, the team and maybe a little luck helps them break a losing tradition.
What Mike Tomlin has carried on isn't easy and what Ken Whisenhunt is building is probably even tougher, but there's no doubt these teams now have a winning culture.
1 Comment | 1 Recommendation | E-mail
