February 03, 2005

Blink

ESPN.com has a great interview with Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink. Well worth a read, if you're either a sports fan or a Gladwell fan. Here's Gladwell's advice to the Eagles for the upcoming Super Bowl:

That's why I've always been so surprised that more NFL teams don't use the no-huddle. It's not just that it forces your opponent to keep a specific defense on the field. It's that it shifts the game cognitively: it forces coaches and defensive captains to think and react entirely in the instinctive "blink" mode -- and when teams aren't prepared for that kind of fast-paced thinking crazy things happen, like Iraq beating the U.S. Andy Reid has to know that Belichick has an edge when he can calmly and deliberately plot his next move. But does he still have an advantage when he and his players have to make decisions on the spur of the moment? I'd tell Andy Reid to go no-huddle at random, unpredictable points during the game -- to throw Belichick out of his comfort zone.

We'll see if they follow his advice...

(via my cousin David)