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Thursday, June 5, 2008
Changing the Culture
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the past few weeks of mini camps and offseason workouts, it’s been interesting to watch how the new Falcons’ staff, headed by coach Mike Smith, has interacted with players - and vice versa.
I say interesting because the staff, filled with longtime NFL coaches - but not too many greybeards to cause a generational gap - seems to get it. They speak to players like coaches, but also like men. As a result, players respond with respect. Players ask questions without fear or reprisal or embarassment and tend to get the answers they need to do things the right way.
You often hear new coaches talk about changing the culture upon their arrival. So far, at least on the field, the culture with the Falcons is changing.
Don’t get it twisted, Smith and his staff, are hardly a soft crew or so-called players coaches. They’ll jump on a player if he continually lapses or shows poor body language. But they’ll also pull a player aside on the field and show him where he may have made a mistake instead of berating that player in a meeting room and creating an environment of mistrust and fear.
The respect between players and coaches is very important in trying to build or maintain success. The second that bridge is broken, it becomes difficult to traverse through adversity. Then chaos ensues. We saw that last season, when players doubted the Bobby Petrino-led coaching staff and the coaches didn’t show faith in some of the players.
This new style might not translate into an abundance of victories. Then again, it might. The talent divide among teams in the NFL is not large. The slightest thing could provide one team enough momentum to make a run or fall short of expectations.
What Smith and his staff appear to have established at this point, though, are lines of open communication and respect. That might not amount to much on the field right now, but the push to change the culture seems to be successfully moving forward.
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