By Steve Silverman
» More Columns
Coaching in the ever-changing world of the NFL is the most complex of all the major sports.
The coach sets the agenda and the tone for the organization, and those with the strongest grip and the most consistent message have the best results year in and year out.
It’s no surprise to see coaches such as Bill Belichick , Andy Reid , Mike McCarthy and Mike Tomlin with their teams in the divisional round of the playoffs once again. All four long ago mastered the art of coaching, and while employing the correct in-game strategy has something to do with it, that’s just one factor.
In this piece, we look at these four coaches and why they have consistently been able to get their teams to play at a very high level for a long time.
If we wanted to, it would be easy to write a book on Belichick and what has separated him from all of his peers. He has proven his worth with four Super Bowl titles and two more appearances in the big game, and many believe he is the best head coach in the history of the NFL.
From this corner, Vince Lombardi is still at the top of the list, but if Belichick gets his fifth title, it would be difficult to deny him that honor.
Belichick does many things well, but his greatest asset is that he is never satisfied. It’s always about preparing for the next game and not about self-congratulations after a big win. There is nobody else like that in the game.
Belichick may assess a win, congratulate his players and tell them they did a good job, but the minute that postgame speech ends, he is on to the next game.
If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, he will take two deep breaths, have a nice dinner and start preparing for the 2017 season.
Additionally, Belichick runs the most disciplined ship in the league. He lays out the rules, his leaders enforce them, and players who slip find themselves either on the bench or out of a job. He does not raise his voice; he simply follows through.
Obviously, he has many other assets, but those two stand out.
Reid has had remarkable longevity during his 18 years on the NFL sidelines. The first 14 years of his career were with the Eagles, and he has helped turn the Chiefs into a consistent winner in the last four seasons.
Reid’s greatest strength is his ability to adapt his game plans to the strength of individual talent. Throughout the Donovan McNabb era, the Eagles’ offense was focused on the all-around ability of the multitalented quarterback.
He was at his best when he was moving around the pocket, and Reid designed most of the plays to take advantage of McNabb’s mobility. If Reid had a fault in Philadelphia, it was sticking with McNabb too long once he started to slow down.
Reid has a more limited quarterback now in Alex Smith, and he doesn’t ask him to throw deep very often. He wants a ball-control offense that features a running attack and a big-play defense. Smith is the perfect field general for this kind of offense.
Many coaches would try to do the same thing, but Reid simply is better at assessing his individual players’ strengths than others. He quickly discerns his players’ abilities, and he puts them in a position to succeed.
McCarthy is one of the most talented tacticians in the game. It certainly helps that he has the most talented passer in the game at his disposal, but McCarthy would still be successful if his quarterback was not Aaron Rodgers.
When it comes to assessing an opponent’s defensive issues, he is almost always right, and he gives his offense a boatload of options on how to take advantage of those weaknesses.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
His focus is on making sure the offensive line can give Rodgers enough time to take advantage of his strategic advances, and once that part of the game is secure, the Packers either hit opponents with countless strikes in a short period or wear them down with consistent pinpoint plays.
Tomlin, meanwhile, recently had to fend off criticism from former Steeler and current Fox analyst Terry Bradshaw, who said the Pittsburgh coach is not special.
MORE: Keidel: Big Ben, Bell And Brown Roll
Tomlin handled Bradshaw’s criticism with aplomb, saying he always was a big fan of Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, who famously questioned the Hall of Famer’s level of intelligence, saying, “Terry Bradshaw couldn’t spell ‘cat’ if you spotted him the ‘C’ and the ‘A’.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The line has lived on in infamy, and Tomlin brought it back to prominence at the right time.
Tomlin’s strength is keeping his locker room together and getting his team to play to its best emotional level on a consistent basis. The Steelers may make mistakes and have had many painful defeats, but there is never any give-up in their game.
That may sound like a given for any professional team, but it is not. Tomlin’s ability to keep his team involved has allowed him to successfully follow Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher.
His teams do not lack for confidence, and they appear well-equipped to go into the tornado of noise that is Arrowhead Stadium and come up with the win.
If that happens and the Steelers go to New England, they will be heavy underdogs. However, Tomlin will play the “us against them” card better than any other coach in the league, and he may be able to coax a 60-minute effort out of this players against the best team and the best coach in the NFL.
Follow Steve on Twitter at @ProFootballBoy

Similarity rank: 0

Sentiment rank: 1.6

© Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/01/11/nfl-coaches-belichick-reid-mccarthy-tomlin/
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

PLEASE NOTE:
MyNews24 is a user-generated section of News24.com. The stories here come from users.
Colin Webster452
Comments: 0
Article views: 56
Latest Badges:
50/50 Submitted
Awarded after your 50th article is published on MyNews24. Double or nothing to get to 100!
View all Colin Webster452’s badges.
„She who is powerful“ 11 January 2017, 15:59
Morizane Boyes first entered competitive gaming in 2013, and since then has not only been competitive, but has excelled in everything that she has done.
In 2013, Morizane earned her Mpumulanga Provincial Colours, and at the S A National Championships too earned herself National Federation Colours. That not being enough, at MSSA’s Annual General Meeting in December 2013, Morizane was elected in for the role of Womens’ Desk. Morizane immediately made her task to introduce more females to gaming.
Such were her efforts that Morizane won the Volunteer of the Year at SPAR’s GSport Awards.
In the next year (2014), Morizane earned a re-award of her Provincial Colours at the Gauteng Provincial Championships, and qualified for National Team trials for both StarCraft II and Tekken Tag Tournament being the only female in the history of MSSA to qualify for two different titles.
But StarCraft II and Tekken are not the only games played by Morizane. As Morizane says, “When I’m not “adulting” I am an avid gamer, I play almost everything”. This is indeed true, and apart from games like StarCraft II and Tekken, Morizane too plays CounterStrike and Rust.
Morizane was thus selected to represent South Africa as a member of the Protea eSports Team for IeSF’s 6thWorld Championships – Baku where Morizane represented the country above and beyond the call of duty.
Morizane too became the first female in the world to referee an international test match, and in 2015 refereed test matches in which South Africa played against Austria, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Tunisia.
With the birth of her son in 2016, Morizane stepped back from active competitive gaming, but still, through Sekhmet ic strength, carried on with her duties.
In 2016, Morizane refereed the test match between South Africa and Ghana as well as organised the Mpumulanga Schools Championships, the Mpumulanga Championships, and the 30th S A National Championships. Even if Morizane was not directly involved in organising an event, Morizane was seen to be involved ‘backstage’.
Even while Morizane was competing herself, Morizane never shirked on her Management Board duties. During her period of office, female participation at MSSA events increased by a stunning 663%.
On the results shown under her tenure, Morizane was heard to remark, “I really am excited to see a larger group of girls joining the gaming scene. I believe that there is still a long way to go and I have some amazing women on the MSSA board who are going to help me make a difference for our girl gamers. We are hoping that we will be able to show the country how many talented ladies we have out there. Unfortunately some girls do still see this as a male dominated sport and we are hoping to change that mind set by starting female only tournaments where these ladies can build the confidence and the skill level to be able to take our guys.
Thus at MSSA’s 2016 Annual General Meeting , the Council Meeting with one voice elected Morizane as President as every member believes that Morizane is able to construct a sustainable gaming community.
Thus, even though MSSA is governed by committee, Morizane has firm and positive visions for gaming in South Africa.
Even though MSSA is tied in to its relationships with the International Wargames Federation, International e-Sports federation, and World draughts Federation, Morizanes vision for the MSSA is to have South African gaming to get stronger and move to larger stages all over the world!
Morizane stated, “I honestly believe we have the potential to place our stamp in larger tournaments and be taken seriously. I want to see bigger teams getting involved and I believe that it’s something we can achieve. I want to see e-Sports grow positively and I’m willing to work with the gaming community to achieve that”.
MSSA has always chosen the best possible Registered Players to represent South Africa, and many will remember the top South Africans like Robert Botha, Nathan Anderson, Anthony Hodgson, and Mohamed Wasim Lorgat (to name but a few)who have represented South Africa as members of the Protea Team. However, there are some clubs that are still not affiliated, and it is Morizane’s desire to see all organised clubs to be members of MSSA.
As Morizane stated on this issue, “As long as I’ve been a part of the MSSA, MSSA has never turned down any club that wanted to compete! I have heard from gamers in larger clubs that they fear that if they join the MSSA that they will not be able to take part in any other leagues. This is not the case we want gamers to improve their skills and playing as often as possible is the only way that can be achieved. I would love to be given the opportunity to converse with the gamers who have concerns, so that we can start creating a better gaming community”.
With a very energetic group of people who are on the MSSA Management Board, Morizane is looking forward to making all gaming bigger and better through creating a space where all gamers feel comfortable.
We all wish Morizane all the best with her three year term of office that runs until December 2019.
– MyNews24
Get Published!
UPLOAD
Click here
to upload
your article Click here
to upload
your photo Click here
to upload
your video
Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24’s community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
Follow us
on Twitter | Become
a fan on Facebook | Read our Comments Policy

Similarity rank: 0

Sentiment rank: 3.9

© Source: http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/she-who-is-powerful-20170111
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

HOUSTON – James Harden had 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his second straight triple-double, and the Houston Rockets outlasted the Charlotte Hornets 121-114 on Tuesday night for their ninth straight win.
The Rockets missed 10 straight shots and let an 18-point lead evaporate before Coach Mike D’Antoni called a timeout with 2:26 left. Ryan Anderson made Houston’s first shot in more than four minutes with a 3-pointer out of the timeout, and after a block on the other end, Harden’s layup put Houston up 115-111 with just over a minute to play.
Kemba Walker cut the deficit to one with a 3-pointer, but another layup by Harden made it 117-114 with 28.6 seconds left. Charlotte missed three 3-pointers in the final seconds.
Walker had 25 points for the Hornets, who dropped their third straight.
Marcin Gortat had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Washington (19-18). He also set the screen that freed up Wall for his jumper to seal a 10th straight home victory.
Paul Millsap added 14 points for Atlanta, which led the entire way and has won eight of its last nine road games. Kris Humphries had 13, Malcolm Delaney scored 12 and Thabo Sefolosha finished with 10.
Kawhi Leonard had 30 points for San Antonio, which had its nine-game home winning streak snapped.
Rose was fined for missing the 110-96 loss to New Orleans on Monday and said he was expected to be in uniform Wednesday night at Philadelphia.
Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form
Send questions/comments to the editors.

Similarity rank: 1.1

Sentiment rank: 8.4

© Source: http://www.pressherald.com/2017/01/10/nba-roundup-harden-scores-40-as-rockets-win/
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

SALT LAKE CITY – The Jazz injury report on Tuesday was as blank as an executioner’s stare. Under a section called “Roster Notes” it said “None.” It has been that way for three games, and coach Quin Snyder must be wondering if this is too good to be true.
Depth is a major plus in an 82-game season. But when everyone is healthy, can there be too many cooks in the kitchen?
“It’s different,” Snyder said of his fully-stocked roster. “That’s for sure.”
Still, the timing was terrific. How better to face the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers than to bring the entire cast and crew?
Turned out it was more than enough.
The Jazz looked a lot like the team they hope to be during their 100-92 win. They worked all the angles. It wasn’t a perfect night, but good enough to allow breathing room. Rudy Gobert made a flip shot and several jailbreak dunks. Utah led by 15 at the half, making Cleveland look every bit the Mistake by the (Great Salt) Lake. But the second half started and the Cavs went on a 19-2 run, cutting the deficit to one. LeBron James made a downright felonious dunk of his own. His 3-pointer in the mid-third quarter put Cleveland up by two.
The hunt was on.
But the fourth quarter was largely an even affair. Afterward, the box score told the story: Six Jazz players scored in double figures. The defense limited Cleveland to 37 percent shooting. Utah had seven more assists and four more rebounds and better 3-point shooting.
Thus at the midway point in the season, and now that the Jazz are healthy, the big question is whether they will be content to make the playoffs, or go for something bigger. Tuesday said something about their plan. They’re alive and, at least for the moment, thriving despite an injury-laden first half of the year.
“I think we expected it,” said Gordon Hayward, who had 28 points. “I think going into it we had high expectations for ourselves. There’s a long way to go… so it’s important not to get too high on the highs, but not too low on the lows.”
But there are even wider reaching ramifications than making the playoffs. Hayward can become a free agent next summer. If he thinks the Jazz have maxed their potential, he could be gone like the last slice of pizza. Although contract incentives favor him staying in Utah, he is approaching his best years. Kevin Durant didn’t wait when the chance came to join a title contender.
In some ways, the Jazz are looking great. They are tied for the eighth-best record in the league and are tied for fifth in the conference standings, two games behind the Clippers. They lead the Northwest Division.
At the same time, through the injury-marred first half of the season, they’ve consistently gone off the rails against top competition. Utah is 6-12 against teams with.500 or better records.
“I feel from an injury standpoint, we’d be unrealistic to think we could be in a lot better place,” Snyder said. “There are always games you think we could have got this one or that one, or play better here, play better there, but hopefully over the next month we can start making some real progress.”
It sure looked like progress on Tuesday.
If the Jazz were to defeat Cleveland, home was a good place to start. The Cavs are in the middle of a six-game road trip. As good as the Jazz feel about improved health, they no longer have a built-in excuse. In some ways, the 100 player-games missed this year worked to Utah’s advantage. Fans and media have been patient. Opponents overlooked them. Injured players got some rest.
The season reaches the halfway point on Friday against Detroit. They’re solidly positioned to make the playoffs — their foremost (and most realistic) goal. On the downside, until Tuesday they didn’t do a lot against top-level competition.
Their reputation has been that they’re tough to beat, but not elite (say it in rhyme).
If they are to impress Hayward enough not to consider other opportunities, the Jazz need to convince him this is the place. That’s a shopworn phrase in Utah. But at the moment, it looked a lot like he was buying it all.

Similarity rank: 1.1

Sentiment rank: 5

© Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865670866/Brad-Rock-Jazz-to-Hayward-Stick-around-youll-like-it.html?pg=all
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

As the soccer world digests FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup, a look at the some of the benefits and pitfalls of a 48-team tournament in 2026:
—
PROS
— With 16 more teams joining the World Cup party, feel-good stories should keep flowing in soccer. Just look at Costa Rica’s run to the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals and Wales reaching the European Championship semifinals in 2016. FIFA President Gianni Infantino believes this generates „football fever“ far beyond the host nation(s).
— With 16 additional games, there’s more soccer for fans to watch in stadiums and on television, generating additional cash for FIFA. For broadcasters, there are 24 extra broadcast slots, not just 16, because there will no longer be final rounds of group games kicking off simultaneously.
— FIFA estimates its commercial income will climb 20 percent, and raise profits by $640 million compared to the equivalent rates for the $5.5 billion 2018 World Cup. This would help guarantee the $5 million grants from each World Cup for each of the 211 FIFA member federations, and create extra for development projects.
— The 80 games can be squeezed into 32 days, the current length of the 32-team World Cup, according to FIFA. The individual players‘ workload won’t increase as the four semifinal teams will still play a maximum of seven matches.
—
CONS
— There will be no rest day for players or fans until the quarterfinals. And there’s a grueling rate of four games per day — up from the current three — for each of the first 16 days, including a new round of 32.
— There could be fewer top quality matches. FIFA acknowledged that higher-ranked teams will meet less often in the 48-game group stage, leading to a tournament of lower „absolute quality“ than the popular 32-team format used since 1998.
— A group stage allowing too many teams to advance reduces the drama. The 16 three-team groups would be tenser if only the group winner advances. Two will go through, creating a new round of 32 where the excitement should ramp up.
— With more teams making it to the World Cup, qualifying could be devalued, particularly in the Americas. There will be less uncertainty about whether the big teams in CONMEBOL and CONCACAF could miss out on the World Cup, so matches will be less captivating for fans considering watching qualifiers on television or in stadiums.
— FIFA expects World Cup profits to rise $640 million but European clubs will want a bigger share of the increased revenues. Currently $209 million per tournament is distributed under a European Club Association deal with FIFA.

Similarity rank: 2.1

Sentiment rank: 3.4

© Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/tv/article125835124.html
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.