The quarterback is in charge of the chuck wagon. He’s handing it out here and there, but he can’t just throw it out there indiscriminately or the wolves will get him.
In the end, I’ve found, people like the direct approach. It’s much more valuable to them to have a leader who’s absolutely clear and open than to have one who soft-soaps or talks in circles.
When I was coaching with the Patriots, the players pulled a practical joke and I said, ‘Do you think I’m Charlie the Tuna, like a sucker?’ After that, they called me Tuna.
