Miami Dolphins shift focus to mental toughness, more fun | The MMQB with Peter King (via http://ble.ac/teamstream-) http://teamstre.am/1LFsucc
Psychology is an interesting one. I've often wondered what effect environmental factors might have on sports performance. Of course, individual personalities and work ethic can override any negative/counter productive forces there may be, and the culture of the organisation too. However, there is at least some influence from outside factors. Weather, regional culture, and even team colours could conceivably have an effect. These could have influence at the individual level an the way to the organisational level. I've wondered before if the Miami lifestyle might lend itself to to a softer mentality for those who haven't built a strong work ethic or philosophy. It would be interesting to see a study on competitive teams and their performance compared with outside factors like those I mentioned.
Very good article. Some of the things that caught my eye... 1. Sports Science and Peak Performance group stuff: - I like that Joe Philbin has always been up to try new things such as getting on board w/sports science and adding sports physiologists to the locker room. I'm a believer in both. - Chip Kelly is a big proponent of his sports science strategies and by all appearances, it's paying off. The Eagles do extremely well on the injury front. I can't find the article I read recently, but the Eagles are leading the NFL in health by a good margin. Depth is hard to come by in the NFL. Paying your starters and hoping for the best is a terrible strategy. And I like that Joe Philbin is willing to try and implement this new science to the team. It's also nice to see that he's paying attention to the team's late season collapses and is working to find a solution. Whether it works or not, remains to be seen. Still, it's highly encouraging that he's showing strong awareness to his and his teams flaws and is actively pursing alternatives. - I love that Miami is investing in Peak Performance (aka sports psychologists). A few years back, I read this awesome article about Pete Carroll and the Seahawks organization. Carroll talked about the importance of psychology. At USC, his former players were coming back and visiting but noticeably different in personality. The NFL life was beating them down. They talked to Carroll about their problems integrating into a new league (NFL) that seemingly didn't care about them as people. It was a big lifestyle adjustment as it was and his former players were having trouble adapting. Pete Carroll vowed that if he ever got back into the NFL, he would do things differently to help players from a mental and emotional standpoint. The article spent a lot of time talking about Seattle's/Carroll's sports psychology innovations (insofar as the NFL is concerned). Having therapists and psychologists present in the building. Mandating that all players talk to them, at least once, and all were encouraged to give it a few sessions before quitting. They also had meditation, relaxation rooms, etc... installed. Seattle players were gushing about that eco-system and how much it benefited them. I finished the article and thought, "damn... I wish we had a coach as forward thinking as Carroll." I guess we do now... P.S. after the KC player committed murder and then suicide in the KC Chiefs parking lot, this article I'm talking about came to mind right away. The NFL should require every team to have on staff psychologists, like the army. All major sports should too for that matter. At very worst, it will never hurt... 2. Ross told Philbin he was bringing him back in week 12: - Makes sense, actually. Even though the fans were pissed about losing a close game... A close game we lead most of, there was a notable shift in the media's attitude toward Miami following that loss. Suddenly, we were getting attention for being on the cusp of a successful, playoff caliber team after close finishes w/playoff contenders Green bay, Detroit and beating other playoff caliber teams like New England, and San Diego. The timing of the announcement after the Vikings game seemed odd given that we were eliminated from the playoffs and only had a chance to win single digit games that season, regardless of the final outcome of week 17. Given that the decision was made 4 weeks prior, why not announce it after a huge win... Glad this got cleared up. 3. Joe's Personality: - Philbin's demeanor on the sideline has drawn the ire of a lot of fans. Personally, I've never understood it. I'm a fan, when something bad happens, I'm suppose to be an animated and irrational A******. The coach? Not so much. I want a calm, collected coach capable of processing w/o emotional rollercoaster distractions. - Philbin's demeanor rubs people the wrong way because he's not projecting the same anger and anxiety the fans are. And in some way, it gets interpreted as A). Not caring or B). Clueless. C). Deer in the headlights. None is true. Yet, try telling that to fans dying for a head coach/cheerleader Frankensteinian hybrid. Ever visit a game day thread here on the phins? The last thing we need or want is a coach who reflects the demeanor of the fans. Half the offense would be cut after our first punt. -Plenty of coaches w/Philbin's physical demeanor and attitude have been successful. Not only have they been successful, but often respected by their players for their personality (Ex. Dungy). Good article. It doesn't alleviate my concerns about pre-game preparation, scheming issues (1st half, namely) or in game management, but I'm sure Philbin is aware of those problems and I feel good knowing he's not going to sit idle. He's going to try something. ATEOTD, that kind of attitude and willingness is all you can hope for... Is it week 1 yet? Can't wait.
Really good article, it brings us some more insight into Philbin's personality and his realtionship with the team. This part caught my attention, especially when he said he wishes he had brought in Greg Jennings earlier.
I'm not sure how to interpret that. Is he saying he didn't have a preference to Jennings or Wallace, or that he did have a preference to Jennings and wished he pounded the table harder? I've always thought Philbin would of preferred Greg Jennings to Mike Wallace. Namely because of the system fit and skill set Jennings brings over Wallace's one dominant trait, speed. I also recall Jennings appearing somewhere in early 2013, saying "Hi Joe, remember me?" with a big smile after someone discussed Miami as a possible destination. I think the latter is probably more accurate than the former, but I'm not sure.
I think it's the dumfounded, slack jawed look that gets the fans, not because he looks calm, cool and collected, I don't get that when I look at him.
I think his appearance goes a long way in how a lot of fans perceive him, plus some questionable calls and quotes. I feel strongly that he has made an effort to change some of his ways.....winning this year will go a very long way to destroying that impression in a bunch of fans eyes....losing will strengthen that perception, and likely get him fired.
I'm having a hard time finding the article about sports psychology and Pete Carroll's directive to implement and integrate it into the fabric of the Seahawks organization. It was really well written and explanatory. I did find something similar though, although it doesn't dive into the psychology of former USC players, which really stood out to me. The gist of it was, USC players were returning to USC to visit w/Carroll and the team. Carroll noticed a lot of his former players were struggling mentally. They lost their spark and passion. Through conversations w/ those players, it became apparent to Carroll that the culture he cultivated in USC, promoting creativity, uniqueness, fun, etc... didn't translate to the NFL, which his former players described as being a business and not the fun game they had come to love. And these were top players at USC, physical specimen's who obviously were well coached. Carroll vowed to never let that happen, if he ever returned to the NFL by building a support system that focused on players mental and emotional well-being. http://www.mindful.org/the-game-changer/ This article, while not the original one I read, has many examples. Here are some relevant excerpts. There's much more to the article, and is definetley worth reading. Suffice it say, I'm a huge proponent of sports psychology and am very excited and happy Philbin looked outside the box and discovered this resource, which I think is invaluable.
You don't get that when you look at him (He can't help what he looks like when thinking and processing) but that doesn't mean he's not the above.
Well, I suppose admitting that you have a problem is the first step. It's not just a Philbin & Co. issue. This franchise has had the trouble since Shula's last few years. Really, my whole time as a diehard fan, honestly. Its always perplexed me why many franchises seem to go through ups and downs with this, while we always have it as a weakness, through different coaches, different front offices, even different owners.
