Microwins

CHAPTER 7The Three Domains

Let me tell you a story that I don’t share that often. After I was fired from the Cleveland Browns and before I moved my family to Austin, Texas, there was a painful five-month period of my life. I knew the right decision for our family unit was for me to leave the coaching world. I never saw my family. A lot of people have a warped sense of professional coaches. They think that we just show up with our players on Sunday afternoons, get through a game, and then show back up the next Sunday to do it all over again. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Coaching philosophies are the root system of coaching trees. A head coach gets mentored by another head coach who was mentored by a head coach. You get the point. Systems get passed down from one generation of coaches to the next such that many of the practices that current coaches use are actually close derivatives (if not carbon copies) of systems that their coaching forefathers adopted. This doesn’t just involve defensive and offensive philosophies. No, the mindsets permeate every facet of the organization.

Because the margin of victory is so low in the National Football League, every decision counts. How long rest periods will be after a game to what food should be served in pregame meals seem like colossal decisions. And in truth, they are. Oftentimes, you’ll hear leaders talk about doing the “little things right.” Although I understand their reasoning, I believe the terminology is misguided. ...