How We Play Football In Seattle By Richard Sherman

I love The Players' Tribune. If you've never visited the site, you should check it out. It's a:

New media company that provides athletes with a platform to connect directly with their fans, in their own words. Founded by Derek Jeter, The Players’ Tribune publishes first-person stories from athletes, providing unique insight into the daily sports conversation. Through impactful and powerful long- and short-form stories, video series and podcasts, The Players’ Tribune brings fans closer than ever to the games they love.

Here's an article written by Richard Sherman called How We Play Football in Seattle. I especially like two sections. The first:

By the end of my second season, Coach Carroll’s philosophy had started to manifest
itself. You could tell, because it felt like college. When you’re getting ready to make the jump to the NFL, people tell you that it’s a business. That you’re not going to make friends. That everybody is trying to butter their own bread, trying to feed their families. That it’s every man for himself. Then, you get to Seattle and play for Pete Carroll and ... 

Nah. It ain’t like that. Not here.

I've heard a lot of the same thing since moving to Pittsburgh: basically, "this isn't college"; "pros are selfish"; "you can't force them to think that way"; "you can't build a really great team culture at the professional level." I disagree with all of it. I love reading about what Pete Carroll (long time college coach) has done in professional football.

The other section is about Earl Thomas:

If you’re having a tough day at practice, Earl [Thomas] might come over and clap his hands together — SMACK! — right in your face. “C’mon. Wake up!” On another team or in another camp, a guy might see that as a sign of disrespect. His machismo might kick in and he might get defensive like, Why you comin’ at me like that, bro? But in Seattle, when somebody like Earl does that, there’s no conflict or confrontation because you know he’s coming from a place of love. He’s trying to wake you up and get you to where you’re supposed to be. Everyone knows Earl is the energy — the spark plug in our practices — and that you can depend on him to be flying around, giving it 100% every day. If there’s a day when you feel like you just don’t have it, you can look to Earl and find it. He’s a guy who’ll break his back to help you, and he expects the same in return. Nothing less. You respect that.

High performance teams need Earl Thomas.

Letter To My Younger Self By David Robinson

I had the opportunity to coach at the US Naval Academy for a year and half. It was a fascinating experience and I now see references to the Academy all over the place -- references that went clear over my head a few years ago. This morning, I read a great article on The Player's Tribune featuring USNA alum David Robinson. Here are a couple of my favorite parts:

How do you build a solid vocabulary? The same way you build a house. Brick by brick. Word by word. Night after night. The same rule applies to learning to swim, or developing a post move, or building a business. Preparation is everything. This is a simple but undeniable truth that is completely lost on you at 18 years old.

When you fail the swim test, don’t get too bent out of shape. Just remember how your father built up your vocabulary with that thick dictionary. Practice, son.

Kobe Bryant's Practice Habits

Here's a good article written for The Players' Tribune on Kobe Bryant's practice habits: The Secret I Learned From Kobe Bryant by Buddy Hield. Kobe's greatness (winning + impact + endurance) is a direct result of his individual excellence ("deliberate actions, ordinary in themselves, performed consistently and carefully, compounded together, added up over time" - Daniel Chambliss).

Row The Boat

Here's a good article written by PJ Fleck, head football coach at Western Michigan University. What impresses me most about Fleck is his capacity to stay on message. He's relentless. I've watched a dozen or so YouTube videos featuring Fleck and they're all the same. He was delivering that message at 1-11 in 2013; at 8-5 in 2014; at 8-5 in 2015; and he continues to deliver that message in 2016, on the verge of a perfect season. WMU's identity and process have remained the same since Fleck's arrival at WMU. Only results (and media attention) have changed.