Coach Plotkin

Team USA has arrived to the World Baseball Classic Final in GAME-USED United States Men's National Hockey Team jerseys.

I played for Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, and Sean Payton. I studied under some of the greatest coaching minds in the history of professional football. And after the Lord saved me, I realized something that changed everything. Every single leadership principle that made those teams thrive is biblical. They just did it for the glory of man instead of the glory of God. Here is what I mean. Belichick taught us to do our jobs. Scripture commands us to work as unto the Lord, not for the approval of men. (Col. 3:23) Belichick held Tom Brady to a higher standard than anyone else. Scripture says to whom much is given, much is required. (Luke 12:48) Belichick cut the cancer immediately, no matter the cost. Scripture tells us that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Gal. 5:9) Belichick sacrificed personal credit and took responsibility for every loss. Scripture calls leaders to be servants first. (Matthew 20:26) Brady sacrificed personal stats for the good of the team. Scripture says do nothing out of selfish ambition, but in humility consider others above yourself. (Phil. 2:3) Brady could encourage a teammate and confront him in the same breath. Scripture says speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15) These men did not know they were pulling from eternal, biblical commands. But the principles worked. They always work. Because truth is truth whether the man wielding it knows its source or not. Now imagine this. If these principles built a two-decade dynasty in professional football with men who did not know the Lord, what would God do through His church if we humbled ourselves and followed the same playbook? What would happen in your marriage if you coached yourself harder than you coach anyone else? What would happen in your home if you cut the cancers of laziness, passivity, and selfishness? What would happen in your leadership if you stopped protecting your ego and started serving your team? The blueprint is not new. The playbook has been written for two thousand years. The question is whether you are willing to run it. I spent 10 years in the NFL and the best locker rooms I ever walked into operated on principles that Scripture laid out long before football existed. Stop looking for a new framework. Open the Book. And do your job.

Sources: Army athletic director Tom Theodorakis has reached an agreement in principle on a new long-term contract with the academy. He’s been Army’s AD since February of 2025 after arriving at the school in 2022.

The depth in this article is so unique. Read it a couple of times and something different popped each one. The father/son dynamic. The respect. The lessons. The character. The work ethic. The principles. The values. What a great read. Excellent work @gbellseattle

This is incredible. What an absolute rock star.

Mike Vrabel gives a masterclass on mindset, self-talk, and dealing with doubt. "You can't let doubt creep into what you do as a person. I don't care what you do." "You have to be able to talk to yourself and not listen to yourself so much. You have to tell yourself what to believe." Read that again about your self-talk. Talk to yourself - don't just listen to yourself. Your mind will feed you doubt, fear, and negativity. Your job is to challenge it. Tell yourself what's true, not what's easy to believe. "That doesn't say that there aren't tough times that you struggle with failure. You have to be able to recognize it and know that that is a part of all of us." Failure isn't the opposite of success - it's part of the path to it. Successful people don't avoid adversity. They expect it. They know that they must learn from the setbacks and challenges. "If you coach long enough, you're gonna get fired. Just like if you play long enough, you're gonna get cut or you're gonna get traded. That's just how this business is." That's the reality. Not cynicism...clarity. "I've tried to explain it to the players that this is what happens. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to do it with this group of guys." Tough times happen. The choice is to be a tough person that overcomes those tough times. (🎥New England Patriots )

Homegrown. Development Based. On and Off Field. No transfer portal. Proud to build with American-born players who choose to do hard things. Development and Culture over 47 months on the field and for Duty. Honor. Country. Army Soccer. America’s Team.

Secure in who you are. Confident in what you bring to the table. Humble enough to know there is always room to grow. Secure. Confident. Humble. Be that kind of leader today.

I got a couple. The United States Military Academy, widely recognized as the world’s preeminent leader development institution.

as I've said, West Point is a unique place and not for everyone that said, if you're playing there or thinking about playing there I will only say one thing - I promise you it will be worth it when you graduate. Football ends for most of us in college. Playing in a respected program on a big stage and graduating from West Point is a better idea than chasing a few checks as you bounce around the country

Indiana HC Curt Cignetti - Rebuilding Indiana "Production over potential. There's something about that. The guy that can stay on the practice field, the guy that can stay on the game field, the guy can handle success, the guy that can handle failure, has consistency in performance, he's a good teammate, he buys in to the team vision & he can stay healthy." "It's all about people. The people you hire and the people you recruit. You've got to hire and recruit the right kind of people. That have a foundation of habits, that understand right from wrong, that have passion, that love football, that want to be great, that want to learn and get better every single day. You got to have those kind of people in your organization & then create the environment where they can thrive."

Great read. A lot of focus by many on transfers, but this, this is the takeaway.. “They’ve done a great job evaluating talent and the next part is developing the talent and giving them confidence to produce at a high level.” Aspire for that to be said for Army Soccer.

Great way to spend the afternoon!

Who will be next ⌛️ Join us at our Winter ID Camp at Malek Stadium on February 8! 📰 ≫ goarmywestpoint.com/msoccercamp #GoArmy

James Clear: The ability to bounce back quickly is a key skill in life.

“The distance between deciding and doing is the single most reliable predictor of whether your life will be extraordinary or ordinary.” These three paragraphs will change your life:

Fernando Mendoza shares a great insight on delayed gratification and what we can all learn from the Stoics. "Delayed gratification is a concept that was brought up by Stoicism and by the Stoics. I think it's one of the greatest attributes. If you're able to have delayed gratification and discipline in yourself and discipline in your process and preparation, you're able to execute every single week." Delayed Gratification = Perseverance + Patience + Hard Work It means showing up, doing the work, and staying committed even when the results aren't instant. "I think our team has done a great job of keeping that delayed gratification at the forefront." Simple concept. Hard to execute. (🎥 Inside The Hall)

Indiana HC Curt Cignetti - Standards "From the first play to the last play. Fast, physical, relentless. Smart, disciplined, poised. One play at a time, 6 seconds a play. Every play has a life and history of its own, like it's nothing, nothing. Not affected by success or failure. On to the next play, never satisfied. Playing to a standard, not the circumstances in the game." "You're up the in the 4th quarter 52-7, it's not okay to let up because of the circumstances of the game. Because you're playing to a standard. Habits, first you form your habits, then your habits form you."

Curt Cignetti has a fascinating philosophy...don't waste anyone's time, coaches not expected to work nights just get work done, limited practice to keep players healthy

Love this.