GREAT THOUGHTS FROM BILL PARCELLS (PART I)

A big thanks to Indiana University assistant coach Tim Buckley for sending me a ton of great stuff on Bill Parcells.  I'll break it up and give to you in batches over the next month.

“You don’t get any medals for trying. You’re supposed to do that.”

“I don’t wanna hear about backups. Backups are expected to come in and play. If they can’t, then you gotta get them off your team.”

“The worst thing that can happen to a player [from a player’s perspective] is for him not to know what the coach is really thinking about him.”

“Importance of teaching your staff, train the coaches under you to see the game as you see it: “Look, if I can just leave you with one thing when I leave here, it’s my eyes. What do my eyes see?”

"As a head coach, no less than five unexpected things will happen to you every day— it’s all about how you react to them."

There are 3 fights that a team has to fight every day:

1. Division from within (team chemistry; unhappiness regarding roles)

2. Competition (your opponents)

3. Outside influences (agents, media, family)

“Just because you’ve identified a problem doesn’t mean you’re any closer to solving it. It doesn’t make a difference if you know why you are failing, you must do something about it.”

“The one guy I answer to is the one in the mirror.”

“I’ve never feared confrontation (although I’ve never sought it). It’s a winning attitude, especially when attached to an addendum. If you’re afraid of confrontation, you’re going to have a problem being a head coach.”

“I want beavers. What do beavers do other than chop down trees? NOTHING, it JUST chops trees. I want guys who just think football.”

“When you’re losing, you coach better. You scrutinize things more closely. You’re

“You have to draw a fine line between people that just don’t care and those that nee direction."

“You can’t lead from an ivory tower. You have to be in the mix.”