Joel
09-28-2015, 02:43 AM
We lead Buffalo by 1, and trail the Jets by 1 as the only team with double digit takeaways through 3 games. That's good because it's not "just luck:" Turnovers correlate to wins more than any other stat (except points, of course) because they're symptomatic of disciplined coaches instilling sound fundamentals so ALL players are also disciplined. The whole team does all the little things right habitually until it becomes reflexive, so all the big things neatly fall into place as if by magic. Except it's not magic at all, but focus, effort and commitment.
When we see a ball pop loose at the feet of four players who stumble over it and each other while a lone opponent comes swooping in from across the field to fall on it, that's not because he was born under a good star or they were "unlucky" enough to all be born under a bad one: It happens because that one guy was figuratively as well as literally "on the ball" when the rest weren't, so he made the play while they just watched. Sure, there are genuine good/bad bounces, but luck mostly evens out over a season: The question is who exploits their good and mitigates their bad luck.
The excellent Connie Mack quote was "Luck is the residue of design," and that's what we're seeing in our ball-hawking D, even though much of it's the same as Del Rios doves. Just to be clear, I don't mean that to in any way diminish the guys actually on the field making plays, because they're sharp, alert and proactive every down. Even the best coach can't make stars of guys who can't be bothered to excel, so the fact we have so many playing at such a consistently high level is as much a tribute to them. But Wade's already transformed Del Rios good D into an elite one: Good job. :salute:
When we see a ball pop loose at the feet of four players who stumble over it and each other while a lone opponent comes swooping in from across the field to fall on it, that's not because he was born under a good star or they were "unlucky" enough to all be born under a bad one: It happens because that one guy was figuratively as well as literally "on the ball" when the rest weren't, so he made the play while they just watched. Sure, there are genuine good/bad bounces, but luck mostly evens out over a season: The question is who exploits their good and mitigates their bad luck.
The excellent Connie Mack quote was "Luck is the residue of design," and that's what we're seeing in our ball-hawking D, even though much of it's the same as Del Rios doves. Just to be clear, I don't mean that to in any way diminish the guys actually on the field making plays, because they're sharp, alert and proactive every down. Even the best coach can't make stars of guys who can't be bothered to excel, so the fact we have so many playing at such a consistently high level is as much a tribute to them. But Wade's already transformed Del Rios good D into an elite one: Good job. :salute: