Super Bowl Post-Mortem: The Makings of a Champion

Super Bowl XLIX provided so much drama and excitement.  Thank you New England and Seattle.  

It was also memorable and valuable for what we can learn from it.  Despite the outcome and the fact that the Super Bowl trophy belongs to the New England Patriots, it can be said that both teams played like champions. 

Let's look at the anatomy of championship mindset and what mental conditioning is necessary to compete for a Super Bowl. This Super Bowl was a lesson in putting yourself in the best possible position to win.  Both teams did so much to make themselves champions.  Understandably, most pundits will look at the reasons for winning and losing.   But, I want to analyze the post-game reactions by the players and coaches for some potentially more useful insight; beyond winning and losing.    

Vision

If you can't see yourself doing it, you probably won't be able to do it. 

 

"I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play and it came true," said Malcolm Butler, rookie New England Patriot defensive back and Super Bowl hero, after making a game-winning interception to end the game and seal the victory.  

Preparation

"Goal line, preparation, the formation they were in with the two-receiver stack, I just knew they were throwing a pick route," Butler said. "It was on the line, we needed it, and I just beat him to the route and made the play."

Individual and Team Resilience

Two plays before, Butler was covering Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse during his improbable, on-his-back, juggling catch down the right sideline that seemed to propel the Seahawks to a sure victory.

Butler was step-for-step with Kearse in coverage on the play, but it was just a once-in-a lifetime effort by the Seattle receiver.  While staring a bitter loss in the face, Butler did not quit, however.  

"I went to the sideline, wasn't feeling too well, my teammates were trying to cheer me up and said I made a great play," Butler said.  "I just went up and deflected it. Nine times out of 10, it usually goes away from him. As I was looking, he was bobbling it and caught it. Just devastating."

Two plays later, though, "it was the best feeling ever." 

Butler knew he had to get past the previous play and that he might be targeted again.

"I'm pretty sure he knows I'm a rookie, and who wouldn't try a rookie?" he said [referring to Seattle quarterback, Russell Wilson]. "I was ready."

Mental Toughness

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the MVP of the game, asked for the key to victory, responded, "Mental toughness."

"It's just a lot of mental toughness,'' Brady said. "I think the whole team had it. Coach always says, 'Ignore the noise and control what you can control.' We had two great weeks of practice. That's what it took. That's what we needed to be focused on and that's how we got the victory.''

"It wasn't the way we drew it up," said Brady, who won his third Super Bowl MVP award. "It was a lot of mental toughness. Our team has had it all year. We never doubted each other, so that's what it took."

Leadership Responsibility 

Pete Carroll, the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, took full responsibility for the loss, rather than push his players under the bus.  

“We were on the precipice of another championship,” Carroll said. “Nobody to blame but me.”

Confidence

Even the losers of the Super Bowl must have confidence.  During the last play, the interception by Butler, the Seahawks felt good.

“I didn’t have any doubt,” Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin said. “At that time, you didn’t think there was anyone on the sideline who didn’t think we’d score.”

“When they made the call, I didn’t question it,” said Wilson. “We thought we had them. I thought it was going to be a touchdown when I threw it. When I let it go, I thought it was going to be game over.”

Passion and the Will to Keep Winning 

With no intention of retiring, MVP Brady seems to be ready to do it all over again.

"I love doing it, so I don't want it to end any time soon," he said. "A lot of decisions I make in my life are how to sustain it. That takes a commitment in and of itself. You have to put it in the bank, as Coach always says, so it's there when you need it."

I, for one, would love to see a rematch next year.  But, the rest of the NFL might have something to say about that.  If they have learned anything, each team is preparing to put themselves in the best position to win next year's Super Bowl right now.

Excerpts from espn.go.com (2/1/2015), nytimes.com (2/1/2015),  and newsday.com (2/2/2015).

The Winning Super Bowl X-Factors: Patriots vs. Seahawks

Welcome to my annual Super Bowl prediction!  OK, that's not true.  This is the first time.  I've never attempted this (I did do a post Super Bowl analysis once upon a time).  Please be gentle.

Anyway, here goes.  With all unfathomable, unknownable and unpredicable factors being accounted for and controlled, the most important intangibles, or X-Factors, in winning this year's Super Bowl XLIX are:

X-Factor #1:  The New England Patriots have the longevity, stability and culture of a proud and successful franchise with a mindset and expectation of winning.  Similarly to the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, the Patriots have a strong organization that has installed a unique system of success and excellence that has stood the test of time.  Advantage:  Patriots

X-Factor #2:  The Seattle Seahawks have incorporated a very systematic approach to mental conditioning that is unmatched in professional sports.  Their collective use of sports psychology. positive psychology and mindfulness has provided great value.  They believe in their ability to be resilient and have leveraged that for two years. They could not have comeback against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship without this cultivated and deliberate approach. They have the mental skills to deal with adversity and bounce back from real-time setbacks.  Advantage: Seahawks.

X-Factor #3:  The Seattle Seahawks are defending Super Bowl Champions.  They have the recency effect going for them.  They will have swagger.  Advantage:  Seahawks.

X-Factor #4:  The Patriots have lost the last two Super Bowls in which they have played.  They were favorites in each loss.  They have a Super Bowl albatross around their necks.  They are slight betting favorites again.  The Seahawks are slight underdogs.  Advantage:  Seahawks.

X-Factor #5:  The Patriots have lost the last two Super Bowls in which they have played.  They were favorites in each one.  They have the motivation of having something to prove.  They are not playing the New York Giants.  Advantage: Patriots. 

X-Factor #6:  Deflate-Gate has been a great distraction to the Patriots.  This has to affect their focus and preparation to some degree.   Advantage; Seahawks.

X-Factor #7:  Nevertheless, the absurdity of the media coverage and sensationalism surrounding Deflate-Gate has kept the Patriots loose and relaxed.  Advantage: Patriots.

X-Factor #8:  Marshawn Lynch is in full beast mode.  He has also kept the Seahawks loose and relaxed, by taking the focus and pressure off the rest of the team.  Advantage: Seahawks.    

It is difficult to quantify each of these X-Factors, but if you add them all up, I give a slight edge to the Seattle Seahawks in a surprisingly low scoring game.  Overall Advantage:  Seahawks.  

What's your prediction?  Your comments are welcomed.          

         

Mental Conditioning Wins Again

Monday night, the Florida State Seminoles beat the Auburn Tigers, 34-31, on a last second touchdown to win the final BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, California to determine the college football national championship.

It was a hard-fought game that provided an exciting finish for the ages as the Seminoles overcame a 21-10 deficit in the second half.

The game was also significant in that the SEC champion did not win the national championship for the first time in the last eight tries.  Since January 2006, when Texas defeated USC (also at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena), the SEC champion has also won the national championship.  In fact, the SEC had won 8 of the last 10 national championships before last night.  Alabama, LSU, Florida, and Auburn had all been victorious in the BCS championship game.

What was also extremely important about the last 10 years of BCS champions, is that the Florida State Seminoles, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the USC Trojans, coached respectively by Jimbo Fisher, Nick Saban, and Pete Carroll have all totally embraced mental conditioning as a crucial part of their programming for their players and coaching staff.  Alabama leads the pack with 3 BCS championships in the past 5 years, USC captured one championship and one runner-up trophy during Pete Carroll's tenure, and Florida State won its first championship since January 2000.

Pete Carroll has continued to succeed as coach of the NFL Seattle Seahawks, who have been one of the league's elite the past two years, including having the best record in the NFC and being ranked as the best regular season team for much of this season.

This mounting evidence should be considered the "tipping point" for the establishment of mental conditioning and sports psychology as necessary, legitimate and credible components for attaining and maintaining individual and team peak performance.

Alabama has been at the forefront in the use of mental conditioning coaching.  Their relationship with Trevor Moawad, a mental conditioning coach and the director of the IMG Performance Institute in Bradenton, Fla., is very strong.  Head coach Saban met Moawad while coaching the NFL Miami Dolphins.  Not surprisingly, Moawad also consults with Florida State's football team.

Carroll has a long standing relationship with the Pacific Institute in Seattle and has also installed mental conditioning as a key component of the Seahawks programming, following his success with USC.

In effect, mental conditioning has played a significant role in the participation and performance of 6 teams playing in the last 10 BCS championship games.  This is quite a ringing endorsement.  

So, sports psychologists and mental conditioning coaches, get ready for the onslaught of calls from coaches and players.  The "tide" has turned.

One Shot at Glory vs. Sustained Success

Of course, all eyes are now on the Super Bowl in two weeks time.  It is a media event, a grand spectacle that captures the imagination of an entire nation every year.

But, make no mistake.  The NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons was a great game, particularly for students of the game.  Only one team could represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but I believe that both franchises have the opportunity for sustained success, competitive excellence and a long championship-quality rivalry. What did we learn from this outstanding game?  What really happened?  What will happen in the future?

Confidence is an extremely fragile thing for individuals and teams alike. How a team responds to losses of this type and magnitude can easily dictate the short- and long-range future of a franchise. How losses are analyzed and interpreted can make or break a team. How players and coaches react to the criticism from fans and the media can have a profound influence on the mindset and culture of a franchise.  Confidence can be enhanced or self-esteem issues can be created by what the players and coaches do with their post-season assessment and learning that is done in the off-season.

Both team must be able to see this game as a stepping stone to greatness, evidence of success, an indicator of excellence and a valuable learning opportunity.  Regardless of the outcome of the Super Bowl, both teams can build upon this superb season and improve.

It is likely that we will see the future Super Bowl champion as "the winner" and their opponent as "the loser."  These labels can be deadly to teams, whose winning chemistry is fleeting and fragile at best. Many will look at the newly crowned winner with admiration and respect; and the other as a complete failure, an embarrassment to their city, their division and their conference, unworthy of its position as the representative of said group.  Additionally, it is a mistake to look superficially at the stylistic differences in the quarterbacks, the offensive and defensive schemes and packages, the coaching and players personalities and style.  Jumping to conclusions about the validity of one's team's characteristics, strategy, culture and philosophy over another can be highly misleading.

For example, the Falcons' head coach, Mike Smith, is often seen as a stoic, low-key leader who maintains a calm demeanor.  The loss to the 49ers will shine a critical light on these coaching characteristics and many will scoff at his style and personality.  Also likely is the notion that his outward game face contributed to the loss.

One the other hand, Jim Harbaugh, the 49er head coach, is a high-energy, frenetic, volatile bundle of emotion and hyperactivity.  In the glow of a 49er win, it will be argued that Harbaugh's approach is more effective; a flavor of the month, prerequisite coaching style of the future and a necessary ingredient for success. That would be wrong.  Obviously, both styles can (and do) work and neither should be changed or copied.

Despite the loss, the Falcon's offense has become a highly talented, precise, well-oiled machine that seems highly structured and controlled.  The entire team led the league with the fewest penalties and penalty yards this year, suggestive of a highly disciplined and focused team.  This team is just right for the New South, the steel and glass of an upscale Atlanta.   The loss to San Francisco could alter this perception and create a need for change when little is needed.  

By contrast, the 49ers are characterized by an aggressive, explosive, athletic, and star-studded defense.  A caffeinated team like this accurately reflects an undisciplined and unbridled franchise. This style may perfectly suit a West Coast, Silicon Valley team.  Offensively, Colin Kaepernick, who won the starting quarterback job from steady veteran, Alex Smith, is the epitome of that loose, freewheeling approach.  Smith has always been  seen as the opposite of Kaepernick: a game manager who despite his effectiveness was seen as a liability as a quarterback of a championship team.  However, true or false, the Kaepernick-influenced 49ers style works for them and would not necessary work in other situations with different personnel.

Even if the 49ers lose in the Super Bowl, their recipe for success has been established.

The conference championship game was a viciously fought battle between a proud franchise with a history of winning and a rebuilt franchise learning to win one step at a time.  However, neither franchise had approached this level of competitiveness and success since the mid-1990.  The proud 49ers are 5-0 overall in their Super Bowl appearances and eager to have the opportunity to win a sixth.  Over the past half-decade, the Falcons has slowly but surely developed into a regular season, home field juggernaut that has only recently won its first playoff game with this core of management, coaches and players.

The Falcons' quarterback, Matt Ryan, played two wonderful halves of football, one in the Division Playoff against the Seattle Seahawks, and one in the the first half of the 49er game.  His precision and surgical-like dissection of the defenses in each game was impressive, masterful and highly effective.  He led the Falcons to seemly insurmountable leads in each game.  In the first half of each game, he appeared in full control of an explosive offense.  Ryan displayed a gift for execution and technical abilities found in few quarterbacks.  Critics of Ryan point to his inability to run effectively or improvise on the fly as a fatal weakness, especially in contrast to Kaepernick.

What the Falcons seemed to lack after halftime in each contest was the flexibility and the ability to make adjustments that would allow them to continue to dominate the game.  It appeared that they succumbed to the natural tendency toward complacency that often follows short-term success.  They shifted to an mentality that focused on the avoidance of losing rather than winning.  This mindset prevented them from finishing the game with a flourish. They became tentative, cautious, and protective; wishing for the game to end as it were.    Rather than keeping the pedal to the metal, they rode the brakes.

In contrast, it appeared that the 49ers second-year quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, was more flexible, more resilient, more creative, with a greater capacity to adjust to the evolving game conditions.  His ability create a balanced threat to run or pass kept the Falcons defensive on their heels, particularly in the second half.  The fatigue this created within the Falcons' defense was a key to the 49er victory (as well as the Seahawks' impressive comeback).  The victory was a team victory attributable to many facets and factors beyond the young man in the quarterback slot.  A win or a loss in the Super Bowl should not blind the 49ers to their strengths, build over time and attributable to much hard work.

From this game, the Falcons can learn and improve simply by learning to adapt and finish.  They were able to close out games and win in close (sometime ugly) games in the regular season but seemed to wilt under the increasing and extreme championship pressure of the playoffs.  It would be too easy, to place excessive, confidence killing blame on Matt Ryan for this loss.  It would be equally unfair to point toward a porous defense or an ineffective offensive running game for the loss.  The Falcons' performance must be seen within the context of a highly successful regular season, and two almost perfect halves of playoff football against highly competitive and excellent opponents.

Despite a season of objective success, losing in the playoffs is often followed by intense criticism, second-guessing, loud calls for complete overhauls of coaching staffs and player personnel, and knee-jerk reactions.  Questioning of commitment, effort, talent, excessive age or youth is prevalent during the off-season.  Despite the fact that only two NFL teams have achieved more this season, the Falcons and their AFC counterpart in so-called failure, the New England Patriots, are being raked over the coals.

Regardless of the outcome of the Super Bowl, all the Final Four participants, the Falcons, Patriots, 49ers and Ravens would do well to carefully and logically assess their seasons, keep their wits about them, and avoid panic and overreaction to celebrate and build on a job well done.  Only in this way, can each franchise capitalize on the hard work and success of this incredible NFL season.  They must cultivate a mentally tough mindset that keeps them on the road to sustainable championship-caliber contention for the long term.    


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Russell Wilson, Rookie QB, Loves the Pressure

“I love it when the game is on the line, when everyone else is nervous and I’m excited.” 

--Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback, discussing his mindset with under pressure.

Wilson played the game of his life in the NFC Divisional Playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons. Down 20-0 at halftime, Wilson lead the Seahawks to a comeback in which they led 28-27 with 31 seconds left in the game. Although, the Falcons kicked a game-winning field goal to defeat the Seahawks, Wilson was already looking forward to next season.

“The greatest thing about it is, we get to look forward to the next opportunity,” Wilson said.

Wilson passed for 385 yards on 24 for 36 passing, his career high, in his second playoff game.   Wilson completed the first 10 passes of the second half and rushed for 60 yards in the game.  The passing total was the highest in history for any rookie quarterback in an NFL playoff game.  

Wilson, an unheralded third-round draft choice, emphasized the Seahawks' resilience in coming back. "What defined the game was our attitude," Wilson said. "The way we played, and our resilient focus to play the game at a high level for the rest of the game.

"Anybody watching this game that knows football knows that was an unbelievable comeback, unbelievable game and an unbelievable atmosphere against a very, very good football team in the Atlanta Falcons."

Excerpts from nytimes.com, bleacherreport.com and seattletimes.com (January 13, 2013).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad