On the Tunney Side of the Street, #221, March 23, 2009

On the Tunney Side of the Street #221, March 23, 2009

After Further Review … “Collapse of Distinction” is a new book by colleague Scott McKain, subtitled “Stand out and move up when your competition fails.” http://collapseofdistinction.com/ While this book is about the business world – NOT sports – the title and its impact are intriguing. I thought about the “collapse of distinction” when I learned about the impasse between first year Denver Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels and Broncos star quarterback Jay Cutler. http://www.denverbroncos.com/

The Denver Broncos have always distinguished themselves as an outstanding NFL franchise. However, the firing of Head Coach Mike Shanahan by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen at the end of the 2008 NFL season, did not sit well with the Broncos players and/or fans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Bowlen Shanahan, whom I’ve known since he was hired as Broncos Quarterback Coach, has distinguished himself as a top NFL Coach. He is only one of six NFL coaches to win back-to-back Super Bowls (XXXII and XXXIII); but when the Broncos went 7&9 (2007) and 8&8 (2008), Bowlen believed a change was needed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Shanahan

Enter McDaniels, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_McDaniels who inherited Cutler as his starting quarterback. Cutler is rated by most experts as a quarterback with a strong arm, but, coming from Vanderbilt University, http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ had not much big-time experience. This issue, however, is not about how Shanahan and/or Cutler performed. This is about new Coach McDaniels arriving on the Broncos scene and wanting to trade Cutler. Cutler’s feelings were hurt. http://www.jaycutler.org/

McDaniels wanted New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel, http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=30943 but he was quickly snapped up by the Kansas City Chiefs http://www.kcchiefs.com/. The “hurt” Cutler failed to report for a voluntary program, which McDaniels asked of all current Broncos players. Cutler then expressed his unhappiness to the press, and asked to be traded. None of this is unusual in the business of Pro Football -- business is the operative word. Professional sports are in the business to win. One NFL Head Coach said to me, “As Head Coach, you don’t get paid to coach, you get paid to win.” McDaniels came to the Broncos to win, and thus was taking charge to resurrect the Broncos winning record.

Trade issues happen on every team on a regular basis. What is important is that when issues like these occur, they need to be resolved internally, and not in the press. Neither side wins in the press. Issues debated in the press, collapses the distinction of the T.E.A.M. Let’s hope McDaniels and Cutler can resolve their family squabbles by settling them in one-on-one meetings.

Will you strive to resolve disputable issues internally to keep distinction from collapsing?

For more information about Jim Tunney, please visit his website:
www.JimTunney.com, or if you would like to respond to this message, please send your email to Jim@JimTunney.com

On The Tunney Side of the Street #201, Nov. 3, 2008 (www.JimTunney.com)

“Bum” Phillips, former NFL head football coach of the Houston Oilers once said, “There are two kinds of head coaches; those that have been fired and those that are ABOUT to be fired.” Each year the month of October seems to bring realism to Phillips’ statement. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bum_Phillips)

After the St. Louis Rams went 0-4 to start the 2008 NFL season, management fired head coach Scott Linehan, replacing him with interim head coach Jim Haslett (http://www.stlouisrams.com/Team/Coaches/52977/). Haslett was on Linehan’s staff as the defensive coordinator, as well being as a former All-Pro Linebacker on the Buffalo Bills and former (he was fired) head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Haslett was promised the permanent job, if the Rams won 6 of their remaining games. (http://www.stlouisrams.com/)

The San Francisco 49ers (http://www.49ers.com/home.php) fired head coach Mike Nolan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Nolan), in October, in his third year as head coach. The Niners were 2-5 after losing to the world champion New York Giants the weekend before Nolan’s termination. The Niners replaced Nolan with defensive coordinator Mike Singletary - as interim coach. Singletary had never been a head coach, but was a Hall of Fame (’98) Linebacker for the Super Bowl (XX) champs Chicago Bears. (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=196) At this writing, Haslett has gone 2-1, while Singletary lost his first game as head coach. I know both coaches personally and have great respect for their character, talent and leadership strengths.

What makes these changes interesting is the “Rooney Rule.” Dan Rooney (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=184), Chairman of the NFL Owners’ Committee on ”diversity hiring,” urged the owners to create a rule whereby a club (team) must interview qualified minority coaches in the process of selecting a new head coach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Rule) . If you were the Rams, what would you do in hiring a head coach, interview all qualified candidates, yet feeling that, since Haslett (a non-minority) has done the job you asked of him, Haslett can’t be your automatic pick?

Singletary, an African-American, was not offered anything beyond this 2008 season. However, since Singletary is a minority, the Niners (as I interpret the Rooney Rule) could offer Singletary the job in 2009 WITHOUT interviewing other qualified candidates. What about Ron Rivera, a Hispanic, newly named San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator? (http://www.chargers.com/team/coaches/ron-rivera.htm) Rivera wants to interview for an NFL head coaching job. The Rams have to interview him, if he wants to -- the Niners don’t.

Diversity, as written in It’s the Will, Not the Skill (see chapter 9), is important. Diversity, however, without unity is of little value. Coach Herm Edwards (http://www.kcchiefs.com/coach/herman_edwards/) has followed the path, “Just show me an opportunity; I’ll work for it!”


Will you honor qualifications as well as diversity when offering jobs to candidates?