I know NFL head football coaches are supposed to be highly intelligent and thoroughly understand the game, but based on some of their post game comments, it appears the are completely oblivious as to what causes fumbles, turnovers, intercepted passes, and off-side penalties. They keep saying they shot themselves in the foot and are working on ways to control the turnover ratio. But the truth is, they can solve their problems with relative ease once they come to grips with the causes and begin applying solutions that many of them abhor and often refer to as being “touchy feely.” What they don’t quite get is that athletes are human beings just like us mortals and have personal problems in their lives and need a safe environment where they can share their problems with teammates without anyone being judgmental. But very often they have issues with coaches and these issues tend to be swept under the rug and kept bottled up since they know if they speak their true feelings they risk being benched or even cut from the team. How often I’ve heard, when suggesting an athlete discuss his issues with a specific coach: “I’m not going to do that. He isn’t going to change,” not realizing that if he discusses an issue with a coach, he’s doing to for himself, not the coach. He can’t change the coach or anybody else. All he’s doing is “coming to completion” so he can move on with his life. Here’s a reminder to coaches everywhere: What takes place away from the field of competition affects what takes place on the field of competition.