The Accountability Board

Bruce Arians has really impressed me.

Although I wonder how some of his policies will fly in today’s NFL, he is unique, convicted and unafraid. One example of his out-of-the-box policies involves his application of an “Accountability Board.”

The Accountability Board, as reported by Darren Urban of azcardinals.com, is present at every team meeting.

Coaches use the board to write down players’ mistakes, their mental errors, allowing a player’s peers to see the mistakes he’s making. Coach Arians wants to keep each player accountable to their teammates. In addition, he wants to keep his coaches accountable for the mental errors their players are making.

This is brilliant… and completely out-of-the-box.

This embarrasses players. In the quintessential, hyper-aggressive, alpha-male sport of football, this may be the most effective coaching tactic I have ever seen. The Accountability Board motivates players to get in their books, pay attention, watch film, and know what the heck they’re doing… or be embarrassed in front of the very people that are counting on them to do their jobs and win games.

The only caution I would offer is that BA and his staff go overboard to be accountable to their players, admit their mistakes, confess their errors, and proclaim their failings to the team. As long as the coaching staff does this, players will accept their plight and the embarrassment that accompanies it and not become bitter. In the end, this will bring the team together and effectively reduce mental errors.

Coaches talk about eliminating mental errors all the time and BA is no exception. But the Accountability Board makes his policies and out-of-the-box thinking exceptional.

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