Finding the Winning Edge
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Finding the Winning Edge Bill Walsh with Brian Billick James A. Peterson Sports Publishing Inc. Champaign, IL Page ii ©1998 Bill Walsh and Brian Billick All rights reserved. Book design: Michelle A. Summers Dustjacket design and photo section layout: Michelle R. Dressen Editor: Joseph J. Bannon Jr. ISBN: 1571641722 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 9780397 Unless otherwise noted all photos are from Bill Walsh's private collection. Sports Publishing Inc. 804 N. Neil Champaign, IL 61820 www.sagamorepub.com Printed in the United States Page iii DEDICATION To my wife, Geri—my lifetime partner. Together, we shared the disappointments and frustrations of a struggling career and, ultimately the euphoria of winning the world championship. The years of sacrifice finally proved worthwhile. I also dedicate this book to my children—Steve, Craig and Elizabeth. You've been great, even with a dad who wasn't always around. BW To Kim, Aubree and Keegan who gave up many nights and weekends, allowing me to pursue this endeavor. BB To Sue, my wife and best friend for thirty years. JP Page iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to recognize Owen Edwards who collaborated with me on our Forbes Magazine series. What a terrific person and gifted writer. Owen is an accomplished professional and a wonderful philosopher. I would also like to state my appreciation for the expert skills of Richard Van Rapaport, the writer who molded my thoughts into definable reading for our piece that appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Rich is a true intellectual, a marvelous writer and a great guy. I am quite proud of the body of work that the three of us produced. Owen and Rich were able to translate football into something of interest to the corporate environment. I would also like to acknowledge the following individuals who have affected my life in meaningful ways: Martin Connelly—my lifetime friend and colleague—your insight and wisdom have meant so much; Jane Walsh—my friend and associate—your part in this project has been invaluable; Dr. Harry Edwards—your strength and professionalism have made a major impact on my life; newspaper columnist—Jim Murray—I am indepted for your support throughout the ebb and flow of my career; Eddie DeBartolo and Carmen Policy—we've shared every possible emotion; Coach Bob Bronzan—thanks for setting a standard for individuals like myself to emulate; Steven Kay—I am indebted to you for your counsel, advice and friendship; Dr. Glen Albaugh—your dedication and your commitment to society have given justification to sport; and Dick Vermeil and Mike White—what a run we've had. BW As is usually the case, the completion of this book was made possible though the help and guidance of a number of people. The authors would like to thank Erica Wieland, Mike Eyers, Frank Cooney, Jeff Walker, Darci Bransford and Colonel Charles F. "Casey" Brower for their assistance in compiling the information. We would also like to thank Bob Oates, Gordon Forbes, Andrea Kremer and Phil Simms for their input and counsel throughout the project. Our gratitude is also expressed to the staff at Sagamore Publishing/Sports Publishing Inc. for their assistance with this project, particularly Michelle Summers, Joanna Wright and Laura Main. Finally, we would like to acknowledge those in the coaching profession, too numerous to list, for their creative and devoted commitment to the industry and their collective contributions to the philosophies and structures outlined in this material. BB Page v CONTENTS Dedication iii Acknowledgments iv Foreword (by Mike Holmgren) vii Introduction (by Brian Billick) ix Part I: Experiences and Values Chapter 1: Putting Things Into Historical Perspective 3 Chapter 2: Doing What Comes Naturally 13 Part II: The Organization Chapter 3: Understanding the Role of a Head Coach 29 Chapter 4: Developing a Successful Organizational Structure 47 Chapter 5: Organizing the Staff 75 Part III: The People Chapter 6: Evaluating Players 111 Chapter 7: Acquiring Talented Players 145 Chapter 8: Developing Players 161 Chapter 9: Handling the Pro Athlete 189 Page vi Part IV: The Game Chapter 10: Designing a Winning Game Plan 207 Chapter 11: Preparing to Win 231 Chapter 12: Putting It All Together 267 Chapter 13: Strategies and Tactics for Dealing with a Highly Competitive Adversary 281 Chapter 14: Making the "Right" Decision 321 Chapter 15: Overcoming the Mental Barriers to Success 329 Chapter 16: Staying on Course 339 Part V: The Business Chapter 17: Working with the Media 381 Chapter 18: Focusing on Financial Matters 395 Appendices Appendix A: Selected References 407 Appendix B: Sample Employee Lectures 409 Appendix C: Sample Job Description Outlines 421 Appendix D: Sample Schedule of Supplemental Duties 467 Appendix E: Sample Team Lectures 471 Appendix F: Sample Scouting Workout Criteria for Selected Positions 483 Appendix G: Sample Base Play Schematics 489 Appendix H: Sample Classic Play Schematics 507 Appendix I: The Bill Walsh Coaching Lineage 545 Appendix J: Index 547 Page vii FOREWORD We know that football teams, similar to organizations everywhere, improve by going through an evolutionary progression as they learn, apply, adapt, and learn again. Bill Walsh's Finding the Winning Edge provides readers with the firstever systematic, practical guide to establishing and mastering the steps involved in that crucial process. In my personal opinion, no individual in the history of the game is more qualified to put forth such invaluable guidance. During his illustrious career, Bill was more than a football coach. In a very real sense, he has been an exceptional visionary. Although he is widely renowned as the architect of the "West Coast" offense, his innovative approach to the game has extended far beyond his imaginative ideas on offense. During the time he spent working with the San Francisco 49ers, he transformed San Francisco's game into an art form. To Bill, football is more than a physical contest, and success is more than a victory on the playing field. Success is the progression of worthy ideas and goals. Such a progression involves at least two key cerebral factors—attention to detail and an absolute commitment to perfection. To Bill's way of reasoning, no detail or situation is too unimportant to be overlooked. Every possible circumstance that might affect the performance of the team and the productivity of the organization should be addressed. In turn, a contingency plan to handle each situation should be developed. Bill was no less adamant about the need to shoot for perfection. His convictions on the matter were illustrated vividly to me during an event that occurred one day in practice. As the 49ers' quarterback coach, I watched Joe Montana throw a pass slightly behind Jerry Rice, who nevertheless would catch such a pass 99 times out of 100. Most coaches might be satisfied with this success ratio. Not Bill. He immediately came to me and explained in great detail why a pass involving that route had to be thrown twelve inches in front of the receiver, not six inches behind him. Bill had a singular focus on perfection. Every day. Every practice. Every play. Every meeting. Every situation. Finding the Winning Edge is destined to become the number one reference book in the library of every football coach in the game. Written in an easytoread, straightforward style, this groundbreaking text can help coaches at all competitive levels. In his more than four decades of involvement with the game as a player, a coach, and a toplevel administrator, no individual has had a more worthy or meaningful impact on the players he coached or the coaches with whom he worked. A list of the assistant coaches that served with Bill—and who subsequently went on to achieve remarkable success as head coaches on both the collegiate and professional levels—is quite extraordinary. As a result, his influence continues to be felt throughout all levels of the game today. Finding the Winning Edge is Bill's detailed effort to share his ideas, principles, and programs for developing a winning program. The book offers every coach a game plan for success. MIKE HOLMGREN HEAD COACH, GREEN BAY PACKERS Page ix INTRODUCTION Arguably, one of the most exciting and most closely contested games in the history of the Super Bowl occurred on January 22, 1989, in Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. This game had everything—passion, drama, heroics and two highly competitive teams with comparable talent levels, the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers. Super Bowl XXIII also had one of the most defining threeminute periods in the history of football—a period which has come to be known over the years as simply, "The Drive." 92 yards. Twelve plays. Methodical efficiency. A 2016 49ers' victory. Trailing 1613 with just over three minutes to play, the 49ers' offense began a fateful scoring drive that culminated with a 10yard pass from Joe Montana to John Taylor for the winning score with 34 seconds left. As conceived and orchestrated, the drive was the definitive example of coaching proficiency. In reality, the drive was simply an extension of "the man" and "the system." The man was Bill Walsh, and the system was the West Coast Offense (an offensive scheme that reflects the factors that Bill holds in the highest regard—preparation, planning, precision and poise). Unbeknownst to the 75,000 people who were in the stands that day or the millions of individuals who were watching the intense gridiron struggle on television, Walsh had made the decision before the game to retire as head coach of the 49ers after Super Bowl XXIII.