WHAT IS THE SECRET TO BEING A GREAT TEAM?

Every team can be good... but there are only a select few that can ever be great. What is the secret to being great?

Coach Butch Davis (University of Miami) told a story of how he visited Tom Osborne (Nebraska) one weekend and coach Osborne told him a story about how he came back to the coaches office late one night and upon entering, he saw the lights on in one of the athletic classrooms. As he approached to turn the lights off (that someone had obviously left on) he saw a Senior player at the whiteboard teaching pass patterns to a Freshman. "At that moment, I knew we were going to be good" said Osborne. (btw, Nebraska went on to win the National Championship that season.)

So Butch Davis returned to UM on Monday and gathered his coaching staff together and relayed that story to them. He asked them to help him get the players to understand that until they, the players, take over the culture and teach it to the younger players... they could be good... but never great. The coaching staff accepted the challenge and the players at Miami bought into it... that season, Miami began a win streak of 35 games in a row.

One of the players from that Miami team was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens the following season, and that player, Ray Lewis went on to anchor and help create arguably one of the most respected NFL defenses in the last decade. Ray Lewis walks onto the feild before every game and challenges his teammates by saying... "I challenge you to match my intensity.... do what I do."

Until the players take over the culture and teach it, your team will never be anything better than good. If the players aren't buying into the vision and taking it over and showing accountability... your team will never be great.

(Thanks Kevin Elko)