Came across this quote from General Neyland while reading Third Saturday in October:
Football is composed of nothing except accidents. The great art is to profit from such accidents. This is the mark of a genuis.
It follows that all plans must be made to minimize our own mistakes, then to magnify the effect of the opponents' mistakes.
In gambling, the winners chuckle, while the losers cry, "Deal, deal, deal." In football, the winners chuckle. The losers cry, "The breaks went against us."
What are the so-called breaks? Fumbles, blocked punts, long punt or kickoff returns, intercepted passes, short punts or kickoffs.
Almost all close games are lost by the losers, not won by the winners.
Pregame harangues, as a rule, cause more harm than good. Inspiration at zero hour is a ppor thing on which a coach can rely.
Lots of interesting stuff here. What are your thoughts?
- Is football composed of "nothing except accidents?"
- Do you notice anything significant about the list of the "so-called breaks?"
- Are almost all close games "lost by the losers" rather than "won by the winners?"
- Do "pregame harangues" cause more harm than good?