Parcells' theory true but flawed

Hall of Fame NFL head coach Bill Parcells once coined the phrase, “You are what
your record says you are.”

That quote has made its way through locker rooms, press conferences and among
talking heads on TV.

Parcells mainly said that in reference to teams that did not post a good record but
believe they should have been much better.

On the opposite end of the coin, there are teams that had very good records but due
to catching many good breaks could have easily not had as good a win-loss record.
One could argue that type of success is Fool’s Gold.

Point being, there can be a small margin between winning and losing.

While Parcells is right in that you cannot factually change a team’s win-loss record,
I have never entirely agreed with his sentiment. Keep in mind, Parcells had no use
for anyone making excuses for not performing up to expectations.

Records are as much a matter of what a team does to achieve their record with what
the team had on its roster.

You also have to look at how the season plays out in real time. If an 18-2 team gets
away with making fundamental mistakes and several turnovers against inferior teams,
it just means you overcame your mistakes based on having better talent than your
opponents. On the other hand, if I see a team go 12-10 but maybe is not as talented and
got better at the end of the season, I will feel much better about that team.

I’m not going to sit here and say win-loss records do not matter. Of course, they matter.
If they don’t matter, why play the game in the first place?

I just don’t think they are the end all, be all.

Every now and then, we hear coach speak such as “take it one game at a time,” or “we
want to improve with every game as the season” or “we want to improve with every
practice.”

That scenario, however, might not be possible. Whether you are a kid or adult, you will
have good days and bad days. Some practices will be more productive than others. Still,
that point has validity.

We are creatures of habit in that we measure a team’s success based on its win-loss record,
but not all teams start from the same point. The better measuring stick is “are they a better
team at the end of the season than they were at the start?”

Some teams are more talented, more experienced, bigger and plain better than others. The
same could be said for individual players.

Numbers — rushing yards, points scored, hits — don’t tell how much a player has improved,
both athletically and as a person over the course of a season.