I witnessed a battle between two teams with two wins between them today (Carolina at Buffalo). I do think there is an approach to coaching teams who are out of the playoff race. Despite the great difficulties some of these teams have had, especially 0-12 Detroit, they’ve struggled, they’ve fought game after game, and the biggest thing these kinds of teams lack is confidence. Confidence comes from winning.
The best example a coach can set is by his own personal work ethic — not by lashing out or by finding fault. These coaches should continue to try to find a solution, continue to work at getting better in the fundamentals of the game — run, throw, block, tackle, catch, kick. Don’t fall apart — that’s the best chance any coach has to salvage some victories in the final few games of the season.