The first and foremost requisite of a good football player is that he must have a burning desire to play the game. There is absolutely no substitute for this.
Me and Coach Koetter have a great relationship, first and foremost, and we've got the same goal when we go out there on that football field - and that's to win the football game.
No player in the NBA was born wanting to play basketball. The desire to play ball or to read must be planted. The last 25 years of research show that reading aloud to a child is the oldest, cheapest and must successful method of instilling that desire. Shooting baskets with a child creates a basketball player; reading to a child creates a reader.
Football is a grand game for developing a lad physically and also morally, for he learns to play with good temper and unselfishness, to play in his place, and to play the game, and these are the best of training for any game of life.
As a football player, you must have a big ego to respect yourself. So if you are a good player, you must say that you are good. You need to have the confidence.
Football in itself is a grand game for developing a lad physically and also morally, for he learns to play with good temper and unselfishness, to play in his place and 'play the game,' and these are the best of training for any game of life.
Nobody wants to play bad football in a game; everybody wants to win, and every player wants to show how good he is. But, you know, sometimes you simply have a game where nothing is happening.
I feel that Im not losing the game for our team. Im trying to give us the best opportunity to win the football game. I did everything I could to lose the Jets game but we won. And the Patriots game, I didnt play well. I think that this year, I just come out and play smart football. I got some good advice the other day (from CBS Sports Dan Dierdorf): Every drive that ends in a kick is a good drive.
When I was a child I had a dream to become a football player. I always played as I played when I was a child. I tried to improve. I never dreamt of becoming a professional football player, I dreamed just to play with the best players in the best team. I never dreamed to be paid to play. I would have paid to play an FA Cup Final in front of 80,000 people in Wembley. I just tried to play the wonderful game that football is. So, I hope young players will still have this dream.
Football is what you do, but it's not who you are. It's a big part of who you are. Part of who you are is you're a football player. It's your profession. It's a game you love to play. It's a game I love to play.
For love of domination we must substitute equality; for love of victory we must substitute justice; for brutality we must substitute intelligence; for competition we must substitute cooperation. We must learn to think of the human race as one family.
We're so concerned about being polite in society, and rightfully so, that it carries over onto a football team. But on a good football team, they are your friends, but first and foremost they have to be good teammates.
Just play football. If you are a writer, you must write. It's the best way to practise. If I'm a pianist, I don't need to run in the forest for one hour or two hours to be a good pianist. I must play piano. So this is what we are doing all the time. Play football. Simple ideas.
I would pass onto any young player to enjoy your football, play your football as you want to play the game, try and enjoy it and make the most of it.
Every player wants to play. That's pretty normal. Every player is unhappy when he's on the bench. That's pretty normal, too. But it's football: only 11 players can start, and the coach has his game plan for each game.
I had the good luck to have the experience of training with fantastic football players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Ozil, Modric, and I also played for Real Madrid B. That was a fantastic experience because it was my first international experience as a football player and taught me a lot as a football player.
I'm a football fan first and foremost, but I've been given an incredible opportunity to be a football coach in the National Football League.