You Play To Win The Game

If you are a football fan, you might recall the very words that serve as the title for this posting. This phrase was popularized by ex Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards a number of years ago. The phrase is often replayed on sports shows and even used as fodder in commercials. The phrase stands out there like Allen Iverson's famous "Practice... Practice... we're talking about Practice"... or even better Coach Jim Mora's best known sound byte from the distant past "Playoffs!.... Playoffs!"... In any case, these infamous words uttered by Coach Edwards are my battle cry as we enter the stretch run of the NFL regular season. You see, I am not a big fan of coaches who decide to rest players in preparation for the post season. I have seen several teams, most notably, the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles practice this approach in recent years. For the record, these teams have a combined 1 Super Bowl victory in the Peyton Manning/Donovan McNabb era. In my opinion, this approach is the first cousin of the prevent defense, and we all know what the prevent defense is famous for. In case you don't, the saying goes that the prevent defense is great at PREVENTING a team from winning! Before I go any further, let me explain the reasons for my opinion. First of all, great offenses run like high performance cars. They are more effective out on the track than sitting in the garage. Next reason, great players love to compete. It is often said that November is for pretenders and December is for contenders. Players love to compete and they should be allowed to go out and earn the big money they are being payed to play the game. Reason # 3, losing a game puts a bad taste in your mouth, no matter what the situation. Positive feelings, emotions, and energy is associated with winning and for good reason. When you lose, the feelings turn into self-doubt, less confidence, and all the other negative baggage that comes with getting a big L in the loss column. The feelings associated with losing are contagious and once the trend starts, it can be hard to break the cycle. Finally, the idea of worrying that your best players will get hurt is way overblown and short-sighted. Players get hurt. It is part of the game. By playing guys for only a series or two or even a half, coaches are sending the wrong message. In my opinion, this very practice puts more focus on injuries and tends to have the effect of "putting the brakes on" your best players. Players who approach the game with worries about getting hurt often get hurt. In fact, I believe taking a handful of talented starters off a starting unit actually increases the chances of other starters having a greater exposure to injury. There are no guarantees when it comes to injuries anyway. I have seen players hurt themselves during pre-game warm-ups, jogging across a parking lot, or slipping in the shower. I have a great respect for coaches like Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell, but I believe their ultra conservative approach has hurt their football teams in the past. I liken it to running a marathon and having a great lead through the first 23 miles. Then all of a sudden, you decide to walk the next two miles so you don't get hurt. Then, towards the end you try and sprint the last 1.2 miles and hope nobody catches you in the process. I don't think this is a very sound strategy. My personal opinion is that the Colts are going all the way this year whether they sit Peyton and his mates or not. The decision to just let them play would surely take a lot of pressure off this team. Many people are talking about this idea of a perfect season. Is it or is it not important? That is not the focus for me. Playing your very best players, and preparing them to play their best and give maximum effort are the key factors for me. Perhaps Coach Edwards said it best and I couldn't agree more, "You play to WIN the game."

Lights out.