Friday, November 28, 2008

When your team reaches championship level, the separating factor is character

Pulled a book off the shelf at halftime of the Cowboys-Seahawks game yesterday. It was a book I'd picked up 10 or 15 years ago about former Cowboys coach Tom Landry called "The Landry Legend."

I'd highlighted a good quote (on pages 158-159) from Coach Landry about how what he looked for in players changed as his teams improved:

"When I first started coaching I thought mostly of physical ability; quickness, agility, control, strength, and explosiveness.

Then, as we developed into a stronger team, character became more important. The character and competitiveness of a player become the more controlling factors.

When you reach a championship level, what separates you is basically the character on your team. If you have enough character, it'll usually pull you out of tough situations."