NFL training camps around the country are gearing up for another season, and fans of every team can afford to be hopeful. 2010 is still a blank canvas, but as we look forward to the upcoming season there are a few leadership stories worth highlighting.
1. A turn-around in Washington?
Since Daniel Snyder became the owner of the Washington Redskins in 1999, a distinct pattern has emerged. The Redskins pay top dollar for marquee free agents, but typically flame out and miss the playoffs. In fact, the Skins have only made the playoffs three times since 1999 (1999, 2005, and 2007), demonstrating that it takes more than money to develop a winner. The dysfunction last year in Washington was well chronicled, but then a funny thing happened. The moves they made for 2010 actually made sense. Snyder brought in established leaders, such as Mike Shanahan as the Head Coach and Executive Vice President of Football Operations. More importantly,Snyder is giving Shanahan the controls, and the time he needs to build the franchise back up. Not only did the Redskins upgrade leadership on the sidelines, but they also brought in Donovan McNabb to shore up things on the field. Initial accounts are that he has injected confidence into the franchise.
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This article really hits on the key points of leadership. The first highlight about the Washington Redskins making a turn around shows that making decisions without input from others is not always the best option. It is good to see that Snyder finally came to his senses and giving Shanahan the chance to step up and make smarter decisions that will hopefully make it to the playoffs and also, to prove that paying top dollar will not always guaranteed to get you where you want to be.
ReplyDeleteThe behavior of Big Ben is a disgrace to the Steelers and Pittsburgh in general. I am from Pittsburgh and have read numerous articles that demonstrate his numerous bad decisions he has made recently. I also have heard stories from people from my high school who know Ben on a more personal level, and from what I hear, it isn’t much different than how they portray him in the media. He perfectly exemplifies that you can be a good leader in one aspect, but completely lack leadership skills in other areas of your life. He can win football championships, but he lets too much of it get to his head and his arrogance is not a quality of a good leader. He is guilty of making a bad name for himself and until he changes people will perceive him as an conceited, egotistical football player who only cares about his paycheck.
I was very thrilled to read about Glen Coffee retiring to pursue his undergraduate degree. That is a very ambitious thing to do, especially someone of his status. I commend him on his decision and that just shows that not all people believe money can buy happiness, sometimes it is following your intuition. He exemplifies integrity, and that is important in leadership.
5 very compelling stories that any NFL fan would be interested in following. I, for one, will definitely be following the future of the collective bargaining agreement very closely. The idea of an entire year without football is unimaginable to me. I am confident, in the end, the owners and players will do the right thing and reach an agreement of some kind. How devastating could a potential lockout be for the nation's beloved sport of football?
ReplyDeleteOne story of leadership that stands out to me for the upcoming season is the possible emergence of the NFL's next elite quarterback. This rising star would be none other than Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. Getting to this point as been no easy task for Rodgers, starting with his draft day slide. Some of the 'experts' had him as a potential #1 overall pick, however he managed to slide all the way down to #24. Once with the Packers, he had to sit patiently behind the incumbent starter, the legendary Brett Favre. Then, the insanity of Favre's on-again off-again retirement. Throughout the entire fiasco, Rodgers showed great servility and grace. Once the storm passed and he legend was out of town, Rodgers was waiting to take over the helm. In his first two years as starter, he was the only QB in history to pass for over 4,000 yards in both such seasons. This upcoming season, his team is the hot pick to win their division, and also make a run for the Super Bowl. The only thing we know for sure is we have to watch the season to see how the events unfold.
It's interesting how Big Ben's actions are finally having consequences - he just lost his captain's title, which is an honor that the team votes on...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the posts. I appreciate the inclusion of the Aaron Rodgers story, as that's an intriguing story line that relates back leadership, as well as patience and commitment. Rodgers also seems to be an obvious contrast to Ben up in Pitt - we're certainly looking forward to seeing where things go.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about Aaron Rodgers - and I hope you're right (as I took him second in my fantasy football draft!). He's a guy that really seems to be coming into his own, and as you point out, he handled a very difficult situation with class.
ReplyDeleteEven though it looks as if Snyder had a good offseason does that really make up for all the bad he has brought to that franchise? Snyder has consistently given overrated players bloated contracts, meddled into the coaches and GM's doings and pretty much made himself the east coast Al Davis. I don't consider bringing in an aging, injury prone quarterback and a coach who has won one playoff game since John Elway retired, and was fired from his last job as a reversal of fortunes for this franchise. I think Snyder prefers to find something that will be, in his opinion, a quick fix rather than worry about the long term issues of his franchise. I think until Snyder relinquishes his decision making that the Redskins will be a franchise that continues to struggle. Sometimes a good leader knows how to delegate rather than work in areas that they're unfamiliar with.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Redskins example shows the best positive leadership. The Skins are working really hard to revamp their team and start having more winning seasons. Although he is prone to injury I believe McNabb will be a good addition to the team.
ReplyDeleteThe "Big Ben" example is a good example of bad leadership. I think "big ben" has already dug himself into a hole and it is going to take a really long time for him to earn the respect of Steelers fans again.
The NFLPA is doing a much better job of cracking down on players and taking the things that they are doing seriously rather than letting things slide through the cracks. This is really important and will help leadership throughout the NFL become stronger.
On the field Ben has shown amazing leadership, off the field not so much. I think a lot more should happen to him, other than being suspended for six games. I think the NFL should have a salary cap, so that the “little guy” could have a chance at getting some of the top players. Stafon Johnson to me would be a great example of a strong leader. You have to have heart and drive to succeed at anything. Gleen Coffee is also a good person to look up to, as well. He put his happiness first; you can have all the money in the world and still not be happy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Johnson and Coffee are intriguing figures to keep tabs on - we'll see where their dedication take them. Additionally, we'll have to wait and see what happens to Big Ben as well as the Redskins - maybe we'll witness a change . . .
ReplyDeleteNot trying to be repetitive, but I chose the story about the turn-around in Washington. The owner Dan Snyder finally realized that just trying to “buy” you a championship won’t work in the NFL. I do think his decision to let go of the reigns speaks to his character though. By realizing that you need good leadership and a good coach for your team, it shows that he is also a good leader and competent of how to own or delegate an organization. So I think this also shows that you can learn to be competent in your field even as you are in the lead or head of it.
ReplyDeleteI read the Ben Rothlesburger article and I think he will carry his team back to winning. But on the other hand I don't think he will fully change as a person. We still don't know what is going on behind the scenes. Once a dog, always a dog...
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