How to Start a Football Organization
- 1). Hire a strong general manager with a personality that meshes well with yours. He also needs to have a vision of what it takes to succeed in football. He must be able to explain that vision to you so it makes sense and you are in agreement. If it doesn't make sense or you have a different philosophy, move on to the next candidate. You want your general manager to have a track record of success, but the most important concepts are your working relationship and long-term philosophy.
- 2). Fill your roster. Players make the organization. Where do you get your players? You draft them, trade for them and sign free agents. How do you know which players are right for your team? Your general manager must hire a team of scouts who can identify and find the right players. This is the key concept in building a winning football organization. Your players have to be high-quality athletes. Your scouts must be able to tell the great ones from the good, the good ones from the average, and the average ones from the below-average. This is a key talent.
- 3). Hire a head coach. This is a decision that you will most likely want to make with your general manager, or you may want to let him make it alone. The head coach must have the kind of personality that will command respect in the locker room. Some effective head coaches, like Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson and Bill Belichick, are no-nonsense leaders who will get rid of players that don't do their jobs. Others like Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren and Marv Levy are more thoughtful men who will get tough when they have to, but that is not their preference.
- 4). Work with the head coach to hire assistant coaches. To have a winning organization, a staff of capable and competent assistants is a must. These are the individuals who will do most of the teaching in the organization. They must be strong communicators and know how to teach their players how to do their jobs correctly.
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