An Undrafted Rookie From Rutgers Plays His Way Onto the Jets

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jamaal Westerman, a Jets rookie linebacker, has only had time to stock his new locker with the basics: practice uniform, seven pairs of shoes, two sticks of deodorant and white helmet, a green mouthpiece stuck in the facemask. At least he has a locker.


Westerman survived Coach Rex Ryan’s final roster cut Saturday to become the only free-agent rookie to make the team. Ryan loves free agents — 18 undrafted players are on his roster — because they tend to have the same no-frills, gung-ho attitude as Westerman.


“There’s really no time to sit back and admire anything,” Westerman, a former Rutgers star, said this week. “The season hasn’t started yet, so what is there to admire? I just want to keep working hard, be consistent. As soon as I sit back, things will take a wrong turn.”


His approach has served him well during a career that was launched playing pickup football as a third-grader on the streets of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.


The last 10 months, though, have been especially daunting. Early in Rutgers’s 54-34 victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 25, Westerman tore his left biceps while sacking quarterback Bill Stull. Westerman was told later in the week that he needed surgery. Although he could barely turn his wrist, he played the last three regular-season games, helping Rutgers overcome an unexpected 1-5 start with seven straight victories.


He missed the Scarlet Knights’ bowl game because he had surgery. When he resumed working out at the TEST Sports Club in Martinsville, N.J., Westerman’s repaired left biceps had atrophied and was six inches smaller in circumference than his right biceps.


“His determination and his mental approach were incredible,” said Brian Martin, the president of the club and Westerman’s personal trainer. “He did everything to the letter. He’s intelligent and focused. The N.F.L. was his dream. He worked very hard, and maybe more important, he was smart in the way he worked.”


There was another hitch: Westerman, who had 26 sacks and 141 tackles as a three-year starter at Rutgers, was 6 feet 3 inches and 255 pounds, a bit too small to continue playing defensive end. His future was at linebacker, a position he had not played since high school.


And Westerman had played 12-man high school ball at Notre Dame Academy in Brampton, Ont., where he had moved with his mother when his parents split up after he played one year at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, a football powerhouse.


Westerman worked with Martin on his footwork. He took yoga classes to increase his flexibility. No one selected Westerman in the N.F.L. draft, but Ryan had told Westerman he was interested in signing him as a free agent.


Ryan’s roster is packed with undrafted players; four of them are defensive starters. Bart Scott, a linebacker who made the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent from Southern Illinois in 2002, signed a six-year contract with the Jets that could be worth $48 million.


“He’s versatile, he's coachable, and to me, the No. 1 thing about him is that he’s fearless, and you can’t be afraid to fail,” Scott said of Westerman. “He’s relentless. It’s like looking into a mirror at myself. I know the things that were going through his mind, and he’s earned it. Nothing’s been given to him — and it’s not like he made a team with sorry linebackers.”


Three Jets linebackers were former first-round draft choices, and another, David Harris, was picked in the second round. Vernon Gholston, a first-round pick last year who had an underachieving season, will replace Calvin Pace, another first-rounder who is serving a four-game suspension for violating the N.F.L. policy on performance-enhancing substances.


Although he was playing a different position than he did in college, Westerman had two sacks in the preseason, including one of the Eagles’ Michael Vick in a 38-27 Jets’ victory Sept. 3.


“He had those characteristics we talked about,” Ryan said Tuesday. “He loves to play the game.



He certainly has enough athletic ability to play in this league. He’s got a great temperament. He’s smart. He’s a passionate guy. He’s doing a good job on special teams. He had to earn it. Here’s a free agent who earned a spot on this roster.”


Chansi Stuckey, a wide receiver who is Westerman’s new next-door locker-room neighbor, said Westerman stood out among the training-camp long shots. He played so well in the preseason that Gholston said he had no idea Westerman was coming off surgery.


“You see a scar on his arm,” Gholston said, “but with most guys, you don’t know if it happened last year or 10 years ago. He’s one of those guys who looks like he wants to get after the football.”


Westerman, listed as Harris’s backup at strongside inside linebacker, will probably play mostly on special teams Sunday, when the Jets open the season at Houston.


“I don’t think the transition is finished,” Westerman said. “I still feel like I’m learning something every day. Wherever they put you, you want to do your best. That’s the thing. Whatever role they have me in, I’m going to try to succeed at.”

Leadership Thoughts from NFL Quarterbacks

Really good article by Peter King of Sports Illustrated on NFL quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Ryan. King asked them various questions on what it takes to be the leader of the team. Here is a couple of quotes:

Question: What about toughness?

Ben Roethlisberger: I don't think toughness is when a quarterback says, "I'm going to run somebody over." Toughness is playing your worst game of your life but not backing down. You don't want to sit on the sideline. You want to stay in there and win. You down, down 21 points and the defense is getting through in every single way, and you throw three interceptions. Staying in that game, keeping your head up, trying to drive your team down the field when everything's going wrong- that's the kind of toughness I want in my quarterback.

Question: Think back to big moments or big games. How does your stomach feel?

Aaron Rodgers: When I was a point guard, I wanted the ball in the last two minutes. When I was a pitcher, I wanted the ball in the last inning. That's why in the big moments in games, I'm not tight. Those moments are why you play.

Roethlisberger: I love that. I want the ball. Our defense does some amazing things, but I want to have the ball, and that's the way I've always been playing sports.

Curry gets a jump on NBA conditioning

First round draft pick & college All-American Stephen Curry is getting ready for his rookie season in theNBA. His trainer is making him run sprint after sprint, dribble backward and forward, then run three quarters of the court and make 10 NBA-range 3-point shots in a row. Of course, if you miss, you start over.

“This is what it takes,” said Curry, a lottery pick by the Golden State Warriors this summer. “You've got to go to training camp at the top of your game and not use it to get in shape.”

Dodgers' Juan Pierre playing, and acting, like a pro

Good story in the LA Times on Dodger outfielder Juan Pierre and his struggle to get consistent playing time despite hitting well over .300 this year. Because of a crowded outfield, Pierre is the odd man out. However, that has not diminished his work ethic and attitude.

"It has been a real pleasure to be around him," said mananger Joe Torre.

The same thing happened to Pierre last year so Pierre is used to playing sporadically by now.

"No excuses this year, none of that 'Oh, but I don't play enough' stuff," he said. "If I'm in there, it's my responsibility to make that happen, and I take that very seriously."

To replicate the daily swings he is missing, Pierre is one of the first guys to show up at the clubhouse every day, living out his 7 p.m. dreams in the early afternoon.To replicate the pounding his body would take in the outfield, he is one of the last guys to leave the clubhouse after games, as he rides the stationary bike until he feels like he has played nine innings.

"Like I said, no excuses," he said.

Not even while pinch-hitting, a job career regulars often find difficult and distasteful. Even here, Pierre has turned potential humiliation into triumph, hitting .353 in 34 at-bats."He knows he's not going to play, but he continues to do the stuff he does," Torre said. "He's a great example for everyone in there."

Cards' Fitzgerald left hungry, aims to add killer instinct in '09

From the USA Today:

Arizona Cardinals all-pro wideout Larry Fitzgerald is always brainstorming new ways to chase greatness.

He outdid himself this offseason.

It wasn't enough for Fitzgerald, 25, to eclipse San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice with his playoffs-record 30 receptions for 546 yards and seven touchdowns in the Cardinals' 2008 Super Bowl run. He decided this offseason to train with and learn from the former receiver, whom he considers the greatest ever.

So Fitzgerald convened a passing camp this summer at the University of Minnesota, inviting other young talented wideouts such as Green Bay Packers star Greg Jennings, the Denver Broncos' Brandon Marshall, the Minnesota Vikings' Sidney Rice and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Michael Clayton. Fitzgerald also invited his longtime mentor, Cris Carter.

Then he reached out to Rice, who agreed to join the camp for a week.

The only thing more impressive than Fitzgerald's remarkable postseason ascent was his ambitious offseason agenda. There's little concern about a post-Super Bowl letdown for the sixth-year wideout, who reinvented himself as a respected league-wide leader.

"My goal is to be a better player in every way possible and never let complacency set in," Fitzgerald says. "Don't ever lose sight of being the best, most dominant player. After every year, I evaluate the weaknesses in my game — the mental and physical. I called Cris Carter, who has been like an uncle to me.

"But I wanted the same type relationship with Jerry Rice, one of the greatest players to ever play the game and the greatest receiver ever to play. I wanted to see what made him tick."
And Rice showed Fitzgerald.

"Jerry Rice is 46 years old. Yet he did every single thing we did on that field. He worked like he was in training camp," Fitzgerald says.

"His dedication is off the charts. I was thinking, if I had the mental toughness Jerry Rice has at 46 at 25, where (would I) be in this game?"

Vikings Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen joined Fitzgerald on a March USO tour to Iraq and Afghanistan. Allen and Fitzgerald struck up a friendship and traveled to six more countries, an odyssey that included shark diving off the coast of South Africa and a safari.

"Larry's an absolute beast, and he's such a nice guy," Allen says. "He has a ton of respect around the league.

"There's certain players who are driven not by money or fame, but who want Super Bowls. We want to be remembered as some of the best players to play this sport in honor of the people who played before us.

"Larry's one of those guys."

Jennings, who led Green Bay with 80 catches for 1,292 yards and nine touchdowns in 2008, says: "Working at Larry's camp for two weeks really opened my eyes to how to work. As good as he is, there's so much humility in Larry."

Billy Donovan's Attitude Plan

BILLY DONOVAN'S ATTITUDE PLAN

Always making today my best day

Taking pride in a job well done

Treating others with respect

Isolating my negative thoughts

Treating tasks as opportunities

Utilizing my talents every day

Doing the job right the first time

Expecting positive outcomes daily

Speaking well of others every day

A positive attitude through adversity

Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells has lost his starting job and is now the backup despite working hard during the offseason. Although Wells is not happy with the coaches decision, he maintains the way he goes about his business will not waver:

"If you ask anybody in this locker room, they want to play," Wells said. "No one is happy when they are not playing. But all you can do is continue to put your best foot forward and prepare for the role they have you in and move on from there."

"Don't count me out," Wells said. "It's a little blow, but it's not the end. So you have to stay the course and try to maintain a positive attitude and see how everything shakes out in the long run."

Championship Communication

Good stuff from Coach Eastman's website:

We all want our teams to talk on defense, but do we really get them to understand how important it is and what it does for us and to the opponent? Defensive communication is so important because it:

• Intimidates: especially when the opponent knows that you know everything they're running -- because your players are calling out the plays and coverages as soon as they hear the call!

• Gives your defense a head start: alerting a teammate of the action before it happens is critical to successful defense.

• Gives the man on the ball more confidence: if he knows he has help and protection behind him, he'll be much more confident and aggressive.

• Wakes up a disengaged defender: talking to a player who's not paying attention on defense can alert him to get back and re-engaged.

• Catches a mistake before it happens: so many times we have alerted a player to an offensive action before it caught him and that kept us from dealing with a mistake

• Energizes your teammates: talking teams always seem to play with more energy – it’s a fact of basketball!

Playing time based on defense

Last year, San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher made it a point for his staff to link defensive effort to playing time.

"The nice thing about our team is that if a person doesn't compete hard, we've got somebody else that we can put in. I don't want anybody playing out of fear or afraid to make a mistake, but I want them on edge to the point if where they don't play hard, there's going to be a reason they'll be playing fewer minutes."

Tex Winter's seven principles of a sound offense

1. The offense must penetrate the defense.

2. The offense must involve a full-court game.

3. The offense must provide proper spacing.

4. The offense must ensure player and ball movement with a purpose.

5. The offense must provide strong rebounding position and good defense balance on all shots.

6. The offense must give the player with the ball an opportunity to pass the ball to any of his teammates.

7. The offense must utilize the players' individual skills

Notes from Jerry West

Two things matter: Humility and Giving/ Hard Work and Dedication

Three things he looks for in a player: Character, Competitiveness, Toughness

Need one special skill- shooting, rebounding, defender, best players can play multiple positions= Invaluable

One player in any program can make a significant difference but people around him are what makes great teams.

What can I do to play more?

1. Bust it in practice

2. No mental mistakes

3. Communicate with Coach after practice

Going all out

A reporter once asked 3 time batting champion and Hall of Famer George Brett what he wanted to do in his last at-bat before retiring, he gave the following response:

"I want to hit a routine grounder to second and run all out to first base, then get thrown out by a half step. I want to leave an example to the young guys that that's how you play the game: all out.

2008.12.25 Kevin Garnett's Beach Journey

Preparation, Passion, Pride

All about the team

"I never focused the light on just me. That's just who I am. To this day I'm all about my teammates. This is a team game. If I was a tennis player, it'd be a totally different story. But I've always liked team success over individual accolades."

'This camp ain't for everybody:' Sparano, Dolphins turn up heat

DAVIE, Fla. — There's a survival-of-the-fittest mentality at work at Camp Sparano, where the Miami Dolphins train hard and fast amid conditions that resemble a sauna.

A week into camp, four players had already left on their own terms. One didn't bother to show up, three others bolted after tasting coach Tony Sparano's practice regimen.

Joey Porter sees a bright side to such developments.

"If you're going to find out, you want to find out now," the linebacker says. "I've never been to a camp where so many people quit. But this camp ain't for everybody. Camp is the hardest part of football. The two-a-days and the way we work around here, with the heat and what we do, it can get to people."

Porter is one of the team's most experienced players, heading into his 11th NFL season. In some camps, as was the case when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, tenure might earn an occasional practice off. Not here. Not now.

"It's a little different," Porter says. "The philosophy here is that everybody works."
Sparano, starting his second season at the helm after ushering a turnaround that matched the greatest improvement in NFL history — Miami went from an NFL-worst 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 and an AFC East crown last season — is building a foundation on grunt work.

During the offseason, the Dolphins had 46 weight-room workout sessions. Of 65 players on the offseason roster, 54 never missed a workout session. No player, Sparano says, attended fewer than 94% of the weight-room workouts. Add 100% attendance at each minicamp and OTA session, and the coach is bullish on prospects that his team won't become complacent after the surprising success of last season.

"You can't pick up where you left off," Sparano says. "You've got to go back to the beginning. When you see the kind of participation we had in the offseason, you know they're buying into what it is you're asking them to do."

The Dolphins might have the longest odds against repeating of any division champion, playing in what could be the league's toughest division. The New England Patriots, with Tom Brady back, are looking to reclaim the AFC East throne.

But not without a fight. Sparano says that as tough as it was to climb from the NFL basement into a playoff team last season, taking the next step to be a consistent, legitimate contender might be a harder task.

"That's the biggest challenge for our whole team, to truly understand that what we did last year means nothing right now," says quarterback Chad Pennington, who was released in camp last summer by the New York Jets and wound up earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.

"This is going to require more work, more consistency."

Sparano and GM Jeff Ireland, working under the watchful eye of VP of Football Operations/resident guru Bill Parcells, don't figure to sit pat in their own right, either. The Dolphins led the NFL last season with 52 transactions, shuffling players in and out in attempts to strengthen the bottom of the roster.

Ireland doesn't expect as many moves this season, which indicates progress.

But that is not to be confused with a comfort zone. Just listen to Sparano.

"There are no guarantees around here," Sparano says. "Hey, I tell our vets, 'This is a show-me game. At some point out here and in these preseason games, I still gotta know that you can do it.'

Talent is not enough

"I think we have a shot with talent. Talent doesn’t mean anything. Talent never won any games. Hard work (does)."

-Tim Tebow

Being Honest

Excerpt from an espn.com article on new 49ers head coach Mike Singletary:

"One of the things that I really appreciate about Singletary and something that makes me really buy into what he is doing is, not only does he bring that competitive nature and that enthusiastic nature, he is also a very honest coach," left tackle Joe Staley said.

Singletary patrolled the field prior to the first camp practice, screaming and criticizing players, challenging them to do better. By Monday, when the team met expectations in the morning practice, Singletary was far less demonstrative, letting players know they'd done a good job.

"He will give you honest criticism and honest encouragement," Staley said. "I respect that as a player just knowing that I don't have a coach that is going to be blowing smoke up my butt, telling me something that I want to hear or criticizing me just to hear his own voice.

"He'll tell you exactly what he is thinking about you and I think everyone really responds to that. There is substance behind it. You can see a real passion for what he does. It gets everybody really excited and they want to play that much harder for him."

Total culture change the fix for Chiefs

Article in the USA Today on how the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to rebuild their football team through new GM Scott Pioli and new head coach Todd Haley. After going 2-14 last season, both men believe the entire culture needs to be changed.

"The thing Todd and I share is we have a genuine passion and a respect for the game," Pioli says. "We're going to find people who care. Those that don't care about playing and playing well, won't be here."

"Part of it is not only changing the culture of your football team and your locker room, it's changing the culture of all the things that touch your football team and your locker room."

Says Coach Haley:

"I want guys who want to be here practicing and playing every day that I can count on that are the same guy every day," Haley says. "I don't even care if they're great.

"I don't want a yo-yo team and I don't want yo-yo players."

Ryan, Gonzalez feed off each other's intuitions

Article on Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan and TE Tony Gonzalez

Says Gonzalez:

"He knows exactly where everybody's going," Gonzalez said. "He knows where to put that ball, and he works hard. I think that's really the difference in what a great player is. Somebody that works hard. That's what separates some guys like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Those guys are constantly in the (film) room trying to get better, on the field and off the field."

The article goes on to talk about the specfics in how Ryan & Gonzalez want to get better in the offseason. It is impressive that they understand they can always get better even with the success they have had thus far in the league:

Though coach Mike Smith kept all of his primary assistants on staff after their first season together with Atlanta, he decided to make one subtle change in evaluating personnel.
Position coaches had every returning player write an evaluation of himself and turn it in before the start of camp. For Ryan, the focus became film study that wasn't necessarily more intense, just more specific.

Ryan's primary concern now is giving receivers better chances for big gains downfield. Even more enticing is the opportunity to dip further into coordinator Mike Mularkey's playbook.

"If I make better decisions throughout the game, it's going to cause less mistakes," Ryan said. "You certainly can be more accurate with it and give your receivers a better chance to make plays after they have the ball in their hands. So that's the focus, and I'm going to continue to work on it."

For Gonzalez, his mantra of "getting better" seemingly hasn't changed since Kansas City drafted him 13th overall in 1997. Now that Ryan is his quarterback, Gonzalez intends to stay as committed to his workout regimen, film study and practice habits as he's ever been, but a chance to finally win a playoff game is still his top goal.

"I don't think anything in life — I don't care how good you are — there's always more to learn and always thing to know," Gonzalez said. "I want to make sure I know that playbook front to back and side to side."

Coach K welcomes team to USA Basketball

The Relaxed Phillies Keep on Rolling

Good article here on the Philadelphia Phillies, who are in 1st place in the NL East, keeping an even keel on things:

“It’s the mentality in here,” pitcher Joe Blanton said. “We go out, play hard and stay relaxed whether we’ve won eight in a row or lost eight in a row. Everyone trusts in their abilities.”

“I think it becomes a feeling where you expect to win, but on this club, you get that feeling all the time,” Raul Ibanez said. “Even when we lost a couple and went through that little rut, you can’t tell. Guys are preparing the same way, guys are intense every day. Nobody gets complacent in here.”

“The way I look at it, and I’m sure the way a lot of our players look at, is we do the day-to-day thing,” Manuel said. “We come out here and try to win every day. Having a lead is great. Challenging yourself to add to that lead is good. That kind of shows what kind of team we have. We want to add to that lead and see how big of a lead we can get.

Going hard in everything you do

Good article in the USA Today about K-State head football coach Bill Snyder. He is a good quote from OT Nick Stringer, one of a handful of players left from the previous Snyder era:

A lot of guys came to us. They'd heard stories about practices and workouts and how hard he used to work and the things we used to. They asked us if it was true, and we were like, 'Yeah, but it pays off.'."

Take the simple 40-yard sprint. "You run 42 yards through the line, not running 39 and coasting the last one. Stuff like that," Stringer says. "That's when you get better, when you're going as hard as you can in every rep in everything you're doing."

Manning's mantra for '09 Colts: 'You better be getting better'

From the USA Today:

Reigning league MVP Peyton Manning is chasing a second Super Bowl championship by coaching up his young Indianapolis Colts teammates like never before.

Manning seems to draw added energy from a challenge. And, boy, does this offseason ever qualify.

Known for his legendary work ethic, Manning heeded the inner call to do more after the team's most tumultuous winter since he was drafted by the Colts in 1998. The three-time league MVP must overcome the retirement of beloved head coach Tony Dungy and the departure of trusted receiving target Marvin Harrison, who was released after declining a pay cut.

Not even an April pro-am golf pairing with Tiger Woods in Charlotte kept Manning from meeting his self-imposed leader's responsibility to get a workout in that night.

"My goal is to be a better player this year than I was the year before," Manning told USA TODAY. "I need to have another good offseason, get the timing down with the new receivers and tight ends and backs.

"You better be getting better, because these defensive players are working hard to get better."

Talent is Not Enough

Morris Peterson (former Spartan 2000 National Champion and current NBA player) speaking about this past years' Michigan State team:

"You can tell just from watching them that they care about each other," "Talent can get you so far -- it's your work ethic that makes a difference. Those guys work hard."

-

Michael Conley: Keep the Ball on a String

steve nash in 20 minutes

Posted this last summer, great workout from one of the best. Lots of great commentary.

Brandon Roy: Nike Skills Academy

Rick Majerus & Post Play

Transition:

1. 1st 3 steps in transition are the most important

2. Post players have to be strong and be able to run the floor. Have to beat the defense down the floor.

3. Post players have to be able to shoot free throws. Being big is not a reason for missing free throws.

3 Things to do Everyday

1. Transition Defense

2. Skill Development- 20-40 minutes per day (Mikan Drill)

3. Free Throws

3 Things to Develop Hands for Post Players

1. Soft hands to catch

2. Strong hands

3. Soft touch when shooting

Why Post Players Miss Shots

1. Not low enough

2. Don't focus on target

3. Don't get the ball high enough

Post Player Philosophy

1. Low- sit in stance

2. Slow- be patient

3. Under control

4. Need to have 1 go to move

5. Need to have 1 counter move

Muhammad Ali on Preparation

"Before I get in the ring, I'd have already won or lost it on the road. The real part is won or lost somewhere far away from the witnesses-behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road long before I dance under the lights."

100 % all the time

Jeff Garcia, the 39-year-old Oakland Raiders QB, is No. 2 on the depth chart and working on a one-year deal, but that doesn't mean he's conceding anything to starter JaMarcus Russell.

"Not knocking JaMarcus or anybody else on the team, but I just have a belief in my own abilities; those things have me feeling that I am the best quarterback on the team. That's just how I approach the game. That's how I approach my situation."

"I have a certain work ethic that is a part of me. When I step on the field, there is no 50%. It's 100% all the time. It's sprinting from drill to drill. It's doing everything full speed. It's, when I throw an incomplete pass, showing that I care that I threw an incomplete pass. Not just, 'Oh, shucks, I just didn't throw the ball as well.' I'm very critical of myself. Because I'm critical of myself . . . that's where I feel I help myself."

"When I come into a situation, I feel like I inspire people."

Tom Crean Notes

General Philosophy

1. Passion is critical to success

2. Be honest with yourself

3. Analyze what goes right as well as what goes wrong

4. Learn from the good and bad

Assistant Coaches

1. Have ones that want to be head coaches

2. Make your boss Coach of the Year

3. Everything you do leads you to be a head coach-make your boss become better (take problems away from him)

Teach Your Players

1. Unselfishness

2. Giving

3. To be a great teammate

4. Camaraderie

Championship Teams

1. Execute under pressure on both ends

2. Find a way to get the most easy basketbs (off reb, turnovers, fastbreaks)

-Everyone knows who takes the bad shots, who won't pass, etc... but most selfish act is not running back on defense every trip

-All practices test how you play through fatigue

-Crean feels that in the 40 minute college game: 35 + deflections a game + 42% field goal % = 85-90% win percentage

Kevin Eastman's 3 terms for today's players to understand

Hard Work
-It is the price of admission
-If you don't work hard you don't get on the floor
-Everyone works hard so hard work won't seperate you. It will get you in the door

Competitveness
-Most are competitive once they seperate from a group
-Inside Determination
-Desire to win anything you are involved in

Committed
-This is an elite group (Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, etc.)
-People talk about it but don't understand it
-Think about what it takes to be great
-Everyday trying to get better, think long term, never have arrived

Billy Donovan's Attitude Plan

1. Always make today my best day

2. Taking pride in a job well done

3. Treating others with respect

4. Isolating my negative thoughts

5. Treating tasks as opportunities

6. Utilizing my talents everyday

7. Doing the job right the first time

8. Expecting positive outcomes daily

9. Speaking well of others every day

Little Things to Remember: From Northern State & Coach Meyer

*Every little thing counts, If not, why do it?

*When closely guarded, do not go toward the ball. Go back-door.

*Whenever you cut, look for a return pass.

*When you commit to a cut (or back-door) do not stop and do not come back to the ball.

*Bad shooters are always open.

*On offense, move the defense

*A good player knows what he is good at. He also knows what he is not good at and only does the former.

*You want to be good at those things that happen alot.

*Defense involves three things: courage, energy, intelligence.

*Whatever you are doing is the most important thing that you're doing while you're doing it.

*Hardly any players play to lose. Only a few play to win.

*The way you think affects what you see and do.

Kobe's desire

Article from Sports Illustrated on Kobe Bryant:

Now it is 5:30 in the morning after Game 4, and Bryant is headed to the gym. Only hours earlier the Lakers pulled out a dramatic 99--91 win to take a 3--1 series lead, and with three more chances to finish the series, the players could finally relax. There are two nights off before Game 5, and it was time to celebrate a bit, and Kobe did. For all of four hours. Now, before he goes to sleep, it is time to get in some work.

At the urging of his trainer, Tim Grover, Bryant heads to the fitness center at the Ritz-Carlton, where a couple of early-bird businessmen are shocked to share their treadmill time with an 11-time All-Star. For an hour and a half Grover takes Bryant through a series of exercises: weights, stretching, muscle-activation routines. Grover's logic is that if Bryant gets his work in now, he can have a block of uninterrupted sleep and not disturb his rest pattern.

Bryant's work ethic is renowned, but this season he became even more obsessive. Unhappy with his physical stamina during the Finals a year ago, he asked Grover, with whom he'd worked during the off-season, to become, in essence, his personal trainer: travel with him, monitor his workouts. For Grover, who runs his business out of Chicago, and whose clients include Dwyane Wade (and, for many years, Michael Jordan), it was asking a lot. "There are only about three guys in the league I would have even considered doing this for," says Grover. "With Kobe, I knew he'd take it very seriously."

Grover's modifications were small but important. Bryant had never been an advocate of cold tubs; Grover had him taking ice baths frequently for muscle recovery. He focused on strengthening Bryant's ankles, wrists, hips—"areas that don't make you look better in your jersey but can become nagging injuries," Grover says. The result is that, despite having played for nearly three years straight due to his Olympic commitments, Bryant came into these Finals free of ankle braces, shoulder wraps and sleeves—although his right ring finger, dislocated earlier in the season, remained taped. He even wore low-top shoes. (Bryant believes they give him a greater range of motion, and Grover concurs.) When Bryant missed those free throws in Game 3, finishing 5 of 10 from the line, Grover had him show up early the next day and spend 40 minutes just shooting foul shots. "The superstars aren't superstars just by accident," says Grover. "Michael was Michael because of what he did on and off the court; it didn't just happen. Same with Kobe. It's because of the time and effort and the knowledge that he gains and his willingness to listen to people."