Swagger Quotes

“I also knew players reacted differently to my criticism. If I yelled at Michael Irvin, he would play harder. Emmitt Smith wouldn't play as well if I criticized him. Charles? He'd become aggressive, just as he did in that locker room.”
― Jimmy Johnson, Swagger: Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs

“He then uttered the line that became the centerpiece for all the unraveling to come in our relationship:

"I want to have some of that fun."

Even as he said it, I saw it as a wedge in our winning operation. It's an age-old theme of runaway egos damaging winning relationships, from the Beatles to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, to the Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Jerry and I hadn't even had a winning season and the temperature was rising inside our relationship.”
― Dave Hyde, Swagger: Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs

“I thought if players talked loud and celebrated, they'd have to back it up. Their energy would run like an electric current through the team if you had similar-minded players, too. But my players were also coached that there's a line out there, even as they played freely, and that line stopped at taunting the opponent, or committing dumb penalties.”
― Dave Hyde, Swagger: Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs