11/30 vocab

This week I have read from pages 265-347, and finished, the book War Room by Michael Holley. This was a very interesting book about Bill Belichick, and it gave me a good sense of what it takes to be a coach in the NFL. 

Rhetoric(265):The art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse, including the figures of speech.

Allegiances (273): Loyalty or devotion to some person, group, cause, or the like.

Haphazard (277): Characterized by lack of order or planning, by irregularity, or by randomness; determined by or dependent on chance; aimless.

Diem(281): South Vietnamese statesman: president of the Republic of South Vietnam 1956–63.

Unruly(282):Not submissive or conforming to rule; ungovernable; turbulent; intractable; refractory; lawless.

Guru (288):any person who counsels or advises; mentor.

Playbacks(289):The act of reproducing a sound or video recording, especially in order to check a recording that is newly made.

Placate (290): To appease or pacify, especially by concessions or conciliatory gestures.

Applauds (291): To express approval; give praise; acclaim.

Attuned (292): To bring into accord, harmony, or sympathetic relationship; adjust.

12/29 analytical

While reading the next potion of my book, War Room, by Michael Holley, I came across a point that stuck out to me. A point was made in the book that there is a, "what if" moment in every game. This took my a little while to understand what a what if moment was, but I think I grasped it. In every game there is momentum, and it shifts from one team to the other depending on how the game is going. A  what if moment if a momentum shift in the momentum that cannot be returned to the other team. Usually a big controversial play, or a play that cost a turnover or points can be looked at as a what if moment to the team on the short end of the stick. Teams look back on these moments and say what if, what if he didn't make that tough catch 30 yards down the field, or what if we didn't throw that pick in the end zone. In a game there can be many, or just one large what if moment, and these moments can shape the game, and the way it is being played.

This picture shows the margins of victory throughout the NFL, and as you can see, there are many games that have been decided by seven points or less. This is a one play game, probably changed by one what if moment. These moments occur very frequently and help change the course of every game played.

There are multiple coaches that do not believe in what if moments, and believe that you always control the game and what happens in it, and others do not tolerate them. One reason I think Bill Belichick is the best coach of all time is because he does not tolerate his team letting up what if moments. Bill believes that to dominate in a league like the NFL, you must have control of the game 100 percent of the time. You can not leave the game up to chance, because then you only have a 50-50 shot. If you compete to your hardest level all the time and never lose sight of the goal, then there should be no what if moments, because you will be in control the whole game. This comes with hard work and 100% effort in practice and games every day, combined with good coaching and the will to win. I believe that what if moments come with the game and they will happen as long as the game is played. Even though coaches like Belichick have proven that their coaching style may be able to force them out of the game, I enjoy the excitement that they bring. Many famous sports moments like the David Tyree helmet catch, the Doug Baldwin foot catch, Odel Beckham's one handed grab, and Malcolm Butler's super bowl winning interception have all been what if moments. It is not about stopping them from entering the game, a coach should try and teach his players how to deal with them when they happen, and how to bounce back against the building momentum the other team will then get.

11/28 quick burst

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/0ap2000000277382/The-stress-of-being-an-NFL-coach

This is a video about coaching from a coaches point of view. It brings to light how hard the job really is and the toll is takes being one.

11/26 Quote

In the next 90 or so pages in, War Room, by Michael Holley, the book transitions into the 2007, and then the 2008 season, when the patriots had a very good season. The patriots team that assembled in the 2008 season was a furious one, always chomping at the bit for a scrappy game. With players like Randy Moss and Eric Alexander leading the offense and defense, there was no way this New England team would go out without a fight, and they played on another level.



"After just thirty minutes and a 35-7 lead, it was obvious the patriots and bills were not playing the same game. But everyone associated with NE wanted more. Not just in a cold November Sunday in Buffalo, where they'd go on to win 56-10, but every week" (Holley 163).

This quote correctly sums up the mood of the patriots team that stormed the league that year. They did not just want to go into stadiums and win, they wanted to go and embarrass teams that were supposed to be good, teams that never thought of being beaten 56-10 at home. They wanted to be bullies, and bullies they were. When one plays at the NFL level, this is the mindset it takes to dominate. One must taking losing so personal that they would not want to continue playing without winning it all. This is not a very common mindset of NFL players today, but that it why there are so few that played like the 2008 patriots. Nobody wanted to win as badly as them, so nobody did. Personally, I would love to play on a team where the mindset is like this. It feels amazing to beat teams as badly as the patriots did that year, and I can say that doing that creates a team chemistry like no other, and at the NFL level I can only imaging how much fun it would have been to be on the team that year. Stemming off that, the patriots only averaged 0.6 penalties per game, and .8 turnovers per game. The players held each other accountable for their mistakes, and if someone was going to beat the patriots, they knew very well they would have to play spotless, mistake free football. Overall their mindset of being the best and never letting anybody be better than them resulted in a great season in New England, and it is the mindset of champions throughout history.

11/25 vocab

This past week I have read from pages 180-265 in the book, War Eagle, by Michael Holley. 

Whiny (198): Complaining; fretful; cranky.

Handsomely (199): In a handsome manner; pleasingly; successfully.

Psyche (200):verb (used with object), psyched, psych·ing.

Gawking (211): To stare stupidly; gape.

Cynical (216): Distrusting or disparaging the motives of others; like or characteristic of a cynic.

Immaculate (224): Free from spot or stain; spotlessly clean.

Malcontent(226):Not satisfied or content with currently prevailing conditions or circumstances.

Inquisition (233): Any harsh, difficult, or prolonged questioning.

Introspective(237):Characterized by introspection, the act or process of looking into ones-elf.

Affinity (244): A natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.