Latest news with #winningculture
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Ben Stokes declares the All Blacks guru behind 'no d***heads' policy can take England to next level in pursuit of long-term winning culture
Ben Stokes says turning to the man who created the All Blacks ' 'no d***heads' policy was prompted by a desire to develop England's own long-term winning culture. Gilbert Enoka, whose most famous work as a mental skills coach came with New Zealand's rugby union team during a period in which they won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, is on a four-day consultancy with the England team in Manchester. Last winter, while discussing the progress of the Test team in the first three years of their partnership, England captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum agreed that the next phase of Bazball was to redefine their values in a bid for sustained success. It coincided with some loose public proclamations from England players, seized on by outsiders who questioned whether the relaxed nature of the squad — particularly a willingness to play and talk about golf — was conducive to success at elite level. Wanting someone they could trust, McCullum backed fellow New Zealander Enoka, a man he has known for years, to articulate the enduring vision of the team. 'We can say as much as we want, but we don't have the knowledge or the experience in pushing teams on to the next level of where we want to go,' said Stokes. 'Months ago, when we spoke, Gilbert asked what mine and Baz's vision was for the team, how we wanted to take it forward. He went away, was able to put it into words and deliver it to the group in a very clear and simple way. 'Months ago, when we spoke, Gilbert asked what mine and Baz's vision was for the team, how we wanted to take it forward. He went away, was able to put it into words and deliver it to the group in a very clear and simple way. 'The culture around how we operate as a team on the field, off the field, the meaning of why we do everything. Baz and I are very big on the choices and options you take, that they should not just be involved around you, but around your team-mates. 'It was nice to hear, that we share similar values (to the All Blacks). Culture, behaviours, training. Being as good as you possibly can be.' Enoka chatted with the squad ahead of the Test win over Zimbabwe in May and marked his return by reporting that he had witnessed shifts in mindset.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Karen Guregian: Stefon Diggs must not have received Mike Vrabel's memo
FOXBOROUGH - For the last four months running, Mike Vrabel's message has been loud and clear to anyone willing to listen. Since being introduced as the Patriots head coach in January, he's stressed the importance of the winning culture he's trying to build with his football team. Advertisement That starts with putting the team first and making prudent decisions in that regard. 'Our players will respect, and they will appreciate, and they will be grateful for the opportunity that they have here and the people that work in this building ... We're going to earn the right to be here every day,' Vrabel said moments after being introduced. 'We're going to remove entitlement from our football team. We're going to get everything that we've earned from the head coach to the position coaches, all the way down to the players. We're going to earn the right to be here every single day.' Question of the week: Did Stefon Diggs actually get the memo? Most reports from the receiver's last stop in Houston had Texans players and coaches, as well as executives, waxing poetic about how Diggs had matured, and was an excellent example for the Texans younger players prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury. Advertisement Perhaps he still is that guy. But one has to question his judgment given a viral video that popped up this week of him partying on a yacht in Miami over the weekend. The video shows Diggs handing an unidentified pink substance to a group of women. Maybe that's not the biggest deal. Players have parties when they're not officially on the clock. And maybe the suspicious substance is much ado about nothing. It's just not a good look for a 31-year-old player who was signed to a lucrative contract (three years, $69 million) and is attempting to come back from an ACL injury suffered last season. 'Well, it's something that we're aware of,' Vrabel said when asked specifically about the Diggs video prior to Wednesday's OTA session. 'Obviously, we want to make great decisions on and off the field. We're hoping that with our time here on the field today, that when we don't have a script and we're on the call periods, that we're making great decisions. Advertisement 'The message will be the same for all our players, that we're trying to make great decisions.' Reading between the lines, Vrabel was not pleased having to address a topic where one of his players presumably made a bad decision. He wasn't happy the situation existed for public consumption. Pressed further, Vrabel indicated he had communicated with Diggs, who wasn't present for Wednesday's workout, but wouldn't elaborate further. He didn't have to. Seeing Diggs unfazed on camera and seeming to enjoy being filmed in that setting with all that was going on told Vrabel enough. Vrabel and the Patriots have put their money - and faith - in Diggs coming in and being a difference-maker and tone-setter for the team, both on and off the field. Advertisement They are banking on the 4-time Pro Bowler being the so-called adult in the receiver room, one that has quite a few young players who could use a guiding hand. Instead, Diggs didn't think twice about putting himself in the middle of a situation that was bound to create a distraction. It was the type of scene that might also trigger a league investigation, although that's more of an unknown at this point. An NFL spokesman reached by MassLive Wednesday said the league declined comment on the subject. Let's just say Diggs, the second biggest free agent signing next to defensive tackle Milton Williams, hasn't gotten off on the right foot in New England. There's still time for him to change the narrative, but making Vrabel have to answer for his poor decision-making is clearly not what the coach is looking for. Advertisement It's not part of the culture he's trying to build. It's not having players draw attention to themselves and say 'look at me' and look how cool I am telling all of these women to call me 'Daddy' on the video. It's about the team, and doing what's best for the team. It's about being smart, and staying away from trouble. For now, it's just one strike. It's up to Diggs not to get a second. In terms of his rehab from ACL surgery, all of the videos Diggs has put out with him working hard to get back to form have been encouraging. Seeing the Patriots release a video of him at one of the workouts last week was also a positive. Advertisement Receiver Kayshon Boutte, who spoke with the media Wednesday, said the group has made it a point to interact with Diggs whenever he's in Foxborough. 'He hasn't been here much, but we talk to him every time he comes,' Boutte said of the veteran, 'so it's been great talks.' Vrabel, however, seemed more than a little evasive when asked how the receiver was progressing when he's been in Foxborough. 'The timelines and the prognosis and everything, we're working hard to get him back and to be ready to go,' Vrabel said. 'When he's here, we'll coach him and we'll have him ready to go.' Given recent events, it's hard to know when Diggs will be back with the team whether for voluntary workouts or otherwise. Advertisement If Diggs eventually crawls out of Vrabel's dog house and is able to be the type of target Drake Maye so desperately needs, his presence will go a long way toward putting the Patriots offense back on the map. Unless, of course, he refuses to comply with Vrabel's vision for the football team. Then all bets are off. More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
George Pickens not thinking contract situation, wants to be part of ‘winning culture'
George Pickens is glad to be in Dallas and he's excited to continue building a winning culture. He echoed those two sentiments several times throughout a 12-minute conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon. 'I feel great,' he said. 'I like the mojo here. I like the swag. I feel like they have a great thing going for sure.' Advertisement This was Pickens' first time speaking publicly since he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday morning. Dallas sent the Pittsburgh Steelers a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for the 24-year-old wide receiver and a 2027 sixth-round pick. The Steelers had been looking to trade Pickens, a second-round pick in 2022. There weren't issues with his ability as a player, but there were character concerns. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in December that Pickens needed to grow up. 'Just taking it one day at a time,' Pickens said Thursday. 'I feel like everybody in the world is working on growing and bettering themselves. I feel like growth for me is taking a great direction in me coming to the Cowboys. 'I can't really change anyone's opinion of me personally. I just continue to grow. I feel like everybody in the world has to grow. I'm trying to build a winning culture, which they already have with the Cowboys. I'm just glad to be joining it.' New Cowboys WR George Pickens on CeeDee Lamb: "Super dynamic receiver. …. Schematically you won't be able to double everybody. That will be a great thing for me and him." — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 8, 2025 So why didn't things work out in Pittsburgh? 'This game is just as much a business as it is football,' Pickens said. 'It's kinda like out of my control. I'm glad to be here in Dallas and able to continue the winning culture that they have.' Pickens was the Steelers' No. 1 wide receiver the last two seasons. That's CeeDee Lamb's role in Dallas. The Cowboys badly needed to add a No. 2 wide receiver this offseason to complement Lamb. When it didn't happen early in the draft, interest in Pickens increased. He didn't care to get into a discussion about whether he will be a No. 2 or if he considers himself a No. 1-B. He has known Lamb for several years from training together in the offseason. Advertisement 'CeeDee is a super dynamic receiver, super dynamic person and player,' Pickens said. 'I just feel like, schematically, you won't be able to double everybody. That will be a great thing for me and him. 'It's exciting, because in the game of football, we can work off each other. There's no he gets the ball, I get the ball. We're working off each other. That's why I always come back to building a winning culture. And that's kinda what we've been talking about in Dallas.' Dak Prescott will be the best quarterback that Pickens has played with during his career. The two have already been in contact. Pickens called him a 'very prolific' and 'smart' quarterback. 'I'm grateful to play with Dak,' he said. Pickens is not yet in Dallas but plans to be there as soon as he finds a home. He said he does not know what jersey number he will be wearing. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Cowboys could work out an extension before the season but it seems more likely that they will let him play the year out and evaluate everything next offseason. They could then sign him long term, franchise tag him or let him leave in free agency and gain a compensatory pick. 'I'm kinda where my feet are right now, to be honest,' he said. 'I'm not really thinking about contract talks. I'm just glad to be with the Cowboys right now, trying to build a winning culture.' How will he contribute to that culture? 'Me winning a (national) championship at Georgia, I definitely know how to win,' Pickens said. 'Making the playoffs with the Steelers, I definitely know the formula to make it to the next level. Just bringing what I know already with what these guys know already.'
