USA TODAY International Edition
Falcons’ success hinges on ‘ brotherhood’
SEALs program helps bring team together
Spend a bit of time HOUSTON with the Atlanta Falcons, ask about some of the reasons behind their success this season, and there is a single word you hear more than any other. “Brotherhood.” “That brotherhood, it defines everything we do,” tight end Levine Toilolo told USA TODAY Sports.
“Yep, we are all about the brotherhood,” tackle Jake Matthews added. “We live it and breathe it.”
“How do you define us?” fullback Patrick DiMarco said. “Brotherhood.”
The concept is one that all football teams, from high school to the pros, aspire to, a collective sense of oneness that facilitates maximum performance. Achieving it is no simple task.
In the Falcons’ case, many of the players think the pivotal moment of the season came before the campaign began.
In the preseason, Atlanta embarked upon a hands- on training seminar with the Acumen Performance Group, a team of former and current Navy SEALs who take strategies from the world of armed combat and secret missions and use them to teach teamwork.
That is where, for the Falcons, the term “brotherhood” emerged as an integral part of their mindset, espoused by Bill Hart, the SEAL group’s chief.
“We are not going to go to a team like the Falcons and try to teach them about football,” Hart said. “Instead, we take a look under the hood and see if these guys are doing anything that stops them from functioning at their best collectively.”
The military men, all of whom have seen action in Iraq and/ or Afghanistan, used examples of scenarios that arose in battle situations and likened them to something that might come up on or off the football field.
“Those lessons make us think like a family first,” offensive lineman Tom Compton said. “It feels different to any other situation I have been in. This is a very different kind of job. We have become like a family. Brotherhood is not just about doing what you need to do on the field. It is about what can you do to support the team at any time, 24/ 7.”
Safety Dashon Goldson says the team’s closeness has grown throughout the season as the concept of togetherness worked. At- lanta is not flashy, is far lower in profile than its Super Bowl LI opponent ( the New England Patriots) and has been derided as boring. Goldson is fine with that and highlights how players are comfortable in one another’s company as a major reason behind the Falcons’ run.
At the start of the season, Atlanta was viewed as capable of big things, but doubts lingered over its resiliency.
“Every team is a team with great potential,” Hart said. “The difference is how they come together. Human nature is to slack off a little; you see it everywhere. What we put out there to these guys is the same thing we use in special ops. Ask yourself what can you contribute. The situation is as good as you make it. People have to be on the same page.”
Coach Dan Quinn is a huge fan of the military and embraces its principles. Quinn hosts 20 military members and their families at home games. Friday, he received the Salute to Service award from the NFL and the United Services Automobile Association.
“The military means a lot to Coach, but those ideas have been big for us, too,” defensive lineman Tyson Jackson said. “It has opened our eyes. It is about how you handle testing situations when you have to get the best out of yourself and the men around you. We will keep that close this weekend.”