Poise & Great Communication

Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article on Butler coach Brad Stevens: "Sometimes we'll be in the huddle during a tight game and look up at coach Stevens and he's just so calm," senior Zach Hahn said. "You wonder 'How's he doing that?' But it definitely has an effect on everyone else. We don't get rattled easily." Butler sophomore Chase Stigall said Stevens is a master of motivation, with an ability to mold his style to fit different players. When the Bulldogs were on a three-game losing streak in February — something unheard of for many of the players on the current roster — Stigall said Stevens didn't panic or do anything desperate. He just did what he does best, communicate. "He has a different way with every player," Stigall said. "When he's tuning into a certain player, he has a different way of treating each guy. He knows that my high school coach was a yeller, and he knows that I can be yelled at and that's how I respond the best. Other people can't respond to that — and he knows it."

Staying Even-Keeled

"I think his approach has been pretty even-keeled, and I think that certainly helps him. Doug's not one that is going to get too disappointed in himself for too long when things aren't going right, nor is he going to pat himself on the back for very long when things are going well.”

-Creighton Coach Greg McDermott on his son Doug earning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year & Player of the Year

Jeter on Brady

Derek Jeter speaking on what he thinks of Tom Brady:

"I think of a winner, a champion....The [Super Bowl] that stands out the most is the first one he won [2001 versus St. Louis], leading the team down the field when time was running out. You could just see in his face that he remained calm. As a teammate, if you're looking at the leader and he's calm, it rubs off on everyone."

Jeter on Brady staying in the elite class of NFL QB's:

"The only way you can maintain a certain level of play is you can never be satisfied with what you've done. You have to look forward to the next challenge. That's what he's done."

Calm in the face of a storm

Teammates and coaches have raved recently about the composure and poise that Carson Palmer has shown while the Bengals have won 3 straight comeback games with Palmer leading the game winning drive on all three occasions. Palmer is showing his teammates the face they need to see in adverse situations.

Said coach Marvin Lewis two weeks ago after a big home win against Pittsburgh:

"We've got a quarterback who's comfortable at those points in the game. He's got a calm about him."

Here is what WR Chad Ocho Cinco had to say after a comeback last week against Cleveland:

"The whole thing keeping me going is No. 9. He's so confident in the huddle. The way he has been the last two weeks is unbelievable. Especially the situations we've been in.

After the comeback win today over Baltimore, Ocho Cinco said the same thing:

"That was Carson in the huddle, being very confident, being very sound, keeping everybody calm. When he talks the way he does in that huddle, with that confidence and that swagger like that, there's no doubt that we're going to go down and score."

Tough vs. Dumb

From Coach Kevin Eastman:

In the Chicago – Boston series, both teams have very competitive players, staffs, and organizations. Both teams want to win so badly. Both teams are pretty evenly matched. So, without a doubt, emotion enters the equation. But it is important that it be intelligent and positive emotion. It is positive emotion that helps your team get over the hump. It can’t be bravado emotion that only registers with those who don’t understand the game anyway.

Both teams have to make sure that they make tough plays and not dumb plays. Tough plays are plays that are made of hustle and grit; often times they don’t even require skill. But they are definitely within the rules. Dumb plays are those made doing something that looks tough but gets your team nowhere and often times hurts your team. Players need to understand this if they are going to be champions. Championship teams make sure they protect their turf but they do so in an intelligent, disciplined, and tough way!

Truth be told, players today have to understand that in a run for a championship, often times the tough play is the one where you don’t retaliate to something done by the other team. Instead, you beat them on the scoreboard. The toughness comes in from the discipline that champions have to be bigger and smarter than the moment.