Winning Is A Habit

[Maxie the Taxi]

As we all know, the Packers play one of the most important games of their season next weekend in San Francisco. It is interesting that Harbaugh and McCarthy took radically different approaches to that game.

Harbaugh's 49ers went 3 and 1 in the preseason. His team crushed the Chargers last night 41-6. Watch the highlights and it's clear that the 49ers are confident as hell.

By contrast, McCarthy's Packers went 1 and 3 in the preseason. His team was embarrassed by the Chiefs 30-8. The Packers offense was unproductive all preseason. No reason for any confidence in Green Bay.

The Packers are in the position of having to flip the switch on to their "A" game. The 49ers have played with that switch on all preseason.

Throughout his career, Harbaugh's preseason record has been 8W and 4L. McCarthy's has been 15W and 17L. This difference in philosophy is a bit ironic in light of the fact that Green Bay's iconic head coach, Vince Lombardi, believed as Harbaugh does...that winning in the preseason will carry over into the season, i.e., winning is a habit.

In his tenure at Green Bay, Lombardi's record in the preseason was 42W and 8L. Obviously, McCarthy doesn't buy into Lombardi's "winning is a habit" philosophy. He sees the preseason as merely an opportunity to checkout the talent and abilities of 4th, 5th and 6th tier players.

Lombardi used the preseason to evaluate his backup players, but he didn't use the preseason to "select" his backup players. He could evaluate talent. He made decisions based on what he saw in practice and used preseason games to get these backup players some experience. But his focus was always on winning.

An example:

But the Packers had gone 1-10-1 in 1958. It was Lombardi's eye for talent and his ability to put players in the right places — and then coach them up — that made all the difference.

"Willie Davis was an offensive lineman with the Browns, and coach Lombardi switched him to defensive end," said Hall of Fame cornerback Herb Adderley. "He switched Dave Robinson (from end) to linebacker and me (from receiver) to corner and we all made the Hall of Fame. Bart Starr was the scout team quarterback. He switched that around. He put (Paul) Hornung where he belonged.

"The man knew talent."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packe...210721441.html

I remember Lombardi once pulling his scrubs and re-inserting his regulars late in a preseason game just to win it.

So the question is: Is all this talk about confidence being contagious and winning being a habit just talk? Or do the words actually mean something?

Here's some relevant quotes by St. Vincent:

“Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.”

“Confidence is contagious and so is lack of confidence, and a customer will recognize both.”

“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”

Now the real question is: Which team has the advantage going into next week's game? Which players on which team really believe they are going to win that game?

[Joemailman]

The 49ers are the defending NFC Champs. They beat the Packers twice last year. I think they'd be pretty confident no matter the preseason results. I don't think there's a right way and a wrong way to approach the preseason. Different approaches work for different teams.

[Maxie the Taxi]

The question is will McCarthy's approach work for his team, especially in light of last year's losses to the 49ers. I think I would have done something a bit more than business as usual this year considering the 1st game of the season. That's just me.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Now the real question is: Which team has the advantage going into next week's game? Which players on which team really believe they are going to win that game?

I don't think you can look at anecdotal information. You need to look at stats to see how well preseason record correlates with regular season record. I don't know the answer to that.

There is bound to be some truth to what you say, but how much?

[mraynrand]

I get the impression that this preseason Stubby and the Caped maligner have revealed next to nothing that they will use in the regular season, except that Rodgers will throw and receivers will catch - and the Caped Maligner will mal-align the D-line. Stubby might just trot out a six man O-line with Mulligan at TE and run it or play action off it.

[Maxie the Taxi]

I get the impression that this preseason Stubby and the Caped maligner have revealed next to nothing that they will use in the regular season, except that Rodgers will throw and receivers will catch - and the Caped Maligner will mal-align the D-line. Stubby might just trot out a six man O-line with Mulligan at TE and run it or play action off it.

Here again, it's a different philosophy than Lombardi's. Lombardi didn't care what he revealed. He let the other team know what his team was liable to do and then dared the opposition to stop them. His philosophy was win the next game and the rest will take care of themselves. When the starters got gassed at the end of the season, Lombardi just pushed them harder. In fact, he pushed them hardest in training camp so they could draw on that experience at the end of the season.

[mraynrand]

Here again, it's a different philosophy than Lombardi's. Lombardi didn't care what he revealed. He let the other team know what his team was liable to do and then dared the opposition to stop them. His philosophy was win the next game and the rest will take care of themselves. When the starters got gassed at the end of the season, Lombardi just pushed them harder. In fact, he pushed them hardest in training camp so they could draw on that experience at the end of the season.

Things are a bit different these days. most NFL Athletes come into camp fantastically conditioned and don't need training camp to get into shape, just football shape. A lot of Lombardi guys were coming in from their insurance sales routes or other off season jobs and were flabby and weaker.
Also, the focus in the offseason by the coaching staff to formulate team specific game plans that they then tweak during the individual weeks is much more advanced. It seems that teams like the Packers show very little of that except the most generic aspects of their play books, accentuated by the missing starters. Moreover, the playbooks are absurdly huge and there is a winnowing for each week. Starr could call all the plays in the huddle because they only had six or seven (I'm exaggerating ). Practice plays to perfection? Sure, but do that in closed practices. Why give the other teams preseason film to know what you're doing.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Things are a bit different these days. most NFL Athletes come into camp fantastically conditioned and don't need training camp to get into shape, just football shape. A lot of Lombardi guys were coming in from their insurance sales routes or other off season jobs and were flabby and weaker.
Also, the focus in the offseason by the coaching staff to formulate team specific game plans that they then tweak during the individual weeks is much more advanced. It seems that teams like the Packers show very little of that except the most generic aspects of their play books, accentuated by the missing starters. Moreover, the playbooks are absurdly huge and there is a winnowing for each week. Starr could call all the plays in the huddle because they only had six or seven (I'm exaggerating ). Practice plays to perfection? Sure, but do that in closed practices. Why give the other teams preseason film to know what you're doing.

I understand what you're saying and know you're right about the way things work nowadays. I guess I'm just an incurable throwback. Sometimes I wish the team nowadays would concentrate on six or seven plays and get them down pat rather than throw in all the different angles each week and out think themselves.

Especially on defense. When "communication" becomes the most important aspect of playing DB, the game has become too complicated. But then maybe youth nowadays are smarter than us old guys were in our day.

[wist43]

I don't put any weight to preseason record - I want to look at prospects, and prepare the starters.

That said, what we saw this preseason does not portend well for the regular season b/c I don't believe our coaching staff changed anything from last year - and last year we were woefully behind the best teams; most notably of course SF.

I expect a repeat of Game 1 from last year, 30-22 sounds about right... maybe a little wider spread 34-17.

[mraynrand]

The locked in starters in preseason are not playing to win. They are playing to tune up and get through without injury. Stubby makes the gamble that reducing hits in August will have his men fresh for the December run, so there's a tendency to start slow. It's like a distance race though - you can't start out so slow that it's impossible to close the gap, no matter what your endurance and closing speed.

[Upnorth]

Ever since Buluga went down I have doubted we will win against SF. Prior to him I was 50-50. If the oline can give arod some time and if capers has addressed the pistol readoption run game we win. If Oline is solid and capers d blows we might win. If oline is bad and capers blows look the f out we are getting pounded!

[Pugger]

Ever since Buluga went down I have doubted we will win against SF. Prior to him I was 50-50. If the oline can give arod some time and if capers has addressed the pistol readoption run game we win. If Oline is solid and capers d blows we might win. If oline is bad and capers blows look the f out we are getting pounded!

This is gonna be an ugly game I'm afraid.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Good point, Harlan. Check this chart out...

http://walterfootball.com/betting_PRE.php

It's a compilation of the preseason records of all NFL head coaches (minus last night's games). Some examples...

Baltimore, John Harbaugh 15-9

New England, Bill Belichick 32-26

Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin 19-10

San Francisco, Jim Harbaugh 8-4

Seattle, Pete Carroll 11-5

Washington, Mike Shanahan 53-23

Then there is New York Giants, Tom Coughlin, 19-21.

Obviously, it's an intangible, but to my mind a very important one. Kind of the will-to-win Rudy factor?

[mraynrand]

Obviously, it's an intangible, but to my mind a very important one. Kind of the will-to-win Rudy factor?

Sure, except the starters aren't playing much. My concern with this team is another intangible: leadership. Losing Woodson, Driver, and Bishop is huge in that area, and the effect mostly indiscernible to the common fan.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Sure, except the starters aren't playing much. My concern with this team is another intangible: leadership. Losing Woodson, Driver, and Bishop is huge in that area, and the effect mostly indiscernible to the common fan.

I agree with that. To me it's another reason to play the regulars a little bit longer in preseason.

[mraynrand]

A note discovered in research: Jim Ringo coached the Bills for around two seasons, 76-77 to a sterling record of 3-20. I did not know that.

[Joemailman]

Jim Schwartz 14-5

[Maxie the Taxi]

Jim Schwartz 14-5

I swear I didn't forget him on purpose!

[Guiness]

Jim Schwartz 14-5

On a related note, Rod Marinelli was 4-0 in 2008...the only games he won that year. Rex Ryan might have a new opinion on doing whatever it takes to win as well, although he's pretty thick headed.

[mraynrand]

On a related note, Rod Marinelli was 4-0 in 2008...the only games he won that year.

...

You're in this dark tunnel and you've got no way out, you're waiting for light, and you see that light, what do you do? What do you do? You start digging and getting out. … It's dark and I'm going to dig through. My shovel is sharp and my pick is sharp and my will is outstanding.