Fantastic Read: How Ron works to motivate the team (MMQB)

[KB_fan]

Great article by Jenny Vrentas at MMQB yesterday.  Just saw it this a.m. thanks to a link in Bill Voth's latest "What they're saying" roundup.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/05/29/carolina-panthers-ron-rivera-nfl-super-bowl-return

This is really must reading.... it gives great insight into the incredible thought and work Ron puts in to figure out how to coach and motivate the team and strike the right note, and it even gives a bit more insight on the decision re: J-NO.  Obviously money was an issue., but for Ron, it sounds like a key issue was wanting the team to coalesce quickly and not have the distraction and uncertainty of even a temporary J-NO holdout (not being at OTAs. or perhaps even the beginning of training camp).

A few excerpts:
 

Quote

 

“It is really important we don’t lose sight of what we accomplished, but the truth of the matter is, we didn’t complete it,” Rivera says. “That will continue to be the emphasis: We want to get it done.”

Rivera has spent an offseason researching how to tackle this season with his team. He studied press clippings from Denver and Seattle to read how John Fox and Pete Carroll responded to losses in Super Bowls XLVIII and XLIX. His takeaway: Acknowledge that you did lose, and then talk about getting back to work. He called his mentor, Hall of Famer John Madden, for some advice, too.

“One of the things John Madden and I talked about was getting started again,” Rivera says. “So my message with the players, when we first got together, was that in order to get to where we want to go, we can’t expect to start from where we finished. We have to start from the bottom and work our way up again.”

They began this spring with the most basic installs on offense, defense and special teams, rather than picking up with the things they were doing by Week 20 last season. Rivera referenced a Christmas gift he once received from Andy Reid when he was a linebackers coach on his Eagles staff, a thin book about teaching techniques. In it is the metaphor that fundamentals are the roots and trunk of the tree, and everything else branches out from there. Rivera is so precise in mapping out his messages for his players that he already has a PowerPoint presentation ready for each practice of OTAs and mini-camp through mid-June. On Tuesday, the team’s first full-squad practice since Super Bowl 50, Rivera picked this quote for the final slide of the team meeting: 

Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, instead focus on the present.

[Discussion of the team being rusty and Ron's challenge to Cam that he can still improve.  Ron said it wasn't just directed at Cam....]

“It is a challenge to everybody that, hey, we were pretty good, but honestly, I think we can be better. I did it right after practice [Tuesday], and I just wanted to make sure they understood that there is a sense of urgency, even though there are 107 days left.” (And counting).

Two days later, he felt better about his players’ focus on the details, so he lightened things up with a quote he found on one of his go-to websites, BrainyQuote. Often Rivera will search for a word or topic, and build a theme off a quote he finds. “One of the things I am worried about,” he says, “ is that when you sit here and you talk to guys about what you are trying to accomplish, they don’t lose sight of the fun of the game.” So on Thursday, he left his players with this quote: When you can’t tell whether you are working or playing, then you know you love the game.

 

[...]

Quote

 

One thing Rivera has on his side is that the core of his team is largely intact: His quarterback, his offensive line, his defensive front seven. The biggest changes are the return of WR Kelvin Benjamin from his ACL injury, and the loss of top cornerback Josh Norman, who signed with Washington in April after the Panthers rescinded his franchise tag. Rivera may end up playing two rookies among his top three cornerbacks this season, and he acknowledged the personality of the defense will be different without Norman. Obviously, money played a central role, but with Norman potentially holding out for a long-term deal, Rivera also indicated that they wanted to have all their pieces together as they try to coalesce the team this spring and summer.

“We were at an impasse, and things weren’t happening, and the one thing we didn’t want to do is go into training camp not knowing,” Rivera says. “I think that was part of the decision.”

 

 

[Daeavorn]

I really really like that Ron is always looking to use new and improved methods to motivate the team. Im so glad hes our coach. 

[caatfan]

1st sentence- "No Super Bowl loser has been back to the big game the next season in 23 years."

I didn't realize it had been that long. Time to change that stat.

[X-Clown on 1]

"Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, instead focus on the present. "

Epic quote.

[Saca312]

I saw that article yesterday. Fantastic read. Good insight to how Ron coaches up his team moving forward, and what he sees in the future. 

 

[davos]

Ron has really grown into one of the best coaches in the league.  No doubt had his speed bumps those first few seasons but he's created one hell of an awesome culture here with Cam. 

[UnluckyCharms]

 

Ron has really grown into one of the best coaches in the league.  No doubt had his speed bumps those first few seasons but he's created one hell of an awesome culture here with Cam. 

Gotta give credit to Big Cat for sticking with him and Dave for not forcing him out when he was hired as GM. They accepted the speed bumps as part of the process and let him grow with a young team.

[Mr. Scot]

One of the things I like about Rivera is that for him the team building process starts now, not in training camp.

People often think of OTAs and summer work as stuff you do just to keep in practice / keep in shape. Rivera seems to put more importance on it than that.