--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to convince your players that…" description: "\"You have to convince your players that the only reason a play failed was that they didn't execute properly.\" — Bill McCartney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/bill-mccartney-29657_convince_you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-t_1713027.png" --- # You have to convince your players that the only reason a… ![“You have to convince your players that the only reason a play failed was that they didn't execute properly.” quote by Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/bill-mccartney-29657_convince_you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-t_1713027.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/bill-mccartney-29657_convince_you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-t_1713027.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/bill-mccartney-29657_convince_you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-t_1713027.png) > “You have to convince your players that the only reason a play failed was that they didn't execute properly.” [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blaming failure on poor execution shifts responsibility away from strategic issues and discourages learning from mistakes. **In simple terms:** Excuses hide real problems. Key Takeaway Focus on improving execution, not just blaming. Themes leadership accountability performance Mood critical reflective Type motivational instructional When to use this quote - team meetings - practice sessions - post‑mortems - performance reviews Key Concepts team dynamics execution learning culture Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance accountability with constructive analysis? - What steps improve execution without assigning blame? A Different Perspective It may ignore deeper systemic or tactical flaws that need addressing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Convince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince/) [Convince Players](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince-players-1264866/) [Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed/) [Failed Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed-didn-1264868/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-failed-1264865/) [Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player/) [Players Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/players-reason-1264867/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [Our success just flies in the face of critics or people who would rather that we just failed... because we didn't fit into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-kowalczyk/our-success-just-flies-in-the-face-of-critics-or-people-who-would/) [Ed Kowalczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-kowalczyk/) > [Then you have to convince the players and get them on board with what you are doing, and after that you can start to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikel-arteta/then-you-have-to-convince-the-players-and-get-them-on-board-with-what/) [Mikel Arteta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikel-arteta/) > [The World Cup only comes around once every four years and is the absolute pinnacle of our sport. It is something we dream about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jozy-altidore/the-world-cup-only-comes-around-once-every-four-years-and-is-the/) [Jozy Altidore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jozy-altidore/) > [As long as you gave it your best shot, even if in the opinion of others 'you failed,' you didn't fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-lewis/as-long-as-you-gave-it-your-best-shot-even-if-in-the-opinion-of/) [Al Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-lewis/) > [When Netscape failed, it didn't mean the Internet was over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-jurich/when-netscape-failed-it-didn-t-mean-the-internet-was-over/) [Lynn Jurich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-jurich/) > [Once you have a plan, you must sell it to the players. It is not enough to put it on the blackboard and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-gibbs/once-you-have-a-plan-you-must-sell-it-to-the-players-it-is-not-enough/) [Joe Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-gibbs/) > [I have tried to convince the players that if we work on certain things in training, they will happen in games and we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikel-arteta/i-have-tried-to-convince-the-players-that-if-we-work-on-certain/) [Mikel Arteta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikel-arteta/) > [I have a lot of power. Here, I can decide: training at six in the morning! Training 11 in the night! But my style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ancelotti/i-have-a-lot-of-power-here-i-can-decide-training-at-six-in-the/) [Carlo Ancelotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ancelotti/) > [“I became a coach because I thought I could dominate the game with what I say, what I do, what we train and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillem-balague/i-became-a-coach-because-i-thought-i-could-dominate-the-game-with/) [Guillem Balague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillem-balague/) > [I am not a person who is going to convince players to stay or not stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mauricio-pochettino/i-am-not-a-person-who-is-going-to-convince-players-to-stay-or-not-stay/) [Mauricio Pochettino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mauricio-pochettino/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [When the enemy is driven back, we have failed, and when he is cut off, encircled and dispersed, we have succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-suvorov/when-the-enemy-is-driven-back-we-have-failed-and-when-he-is-cut-off/) [Alexander Suvorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-suvorov/) > [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) > [I wanted to be a huge star and I have failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-otway/i-wanted-to-be-a-huge-star-and-i-have-failed/) [John Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-otway/) > [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) ## More by Bill McCartney > [We'd like to build a highway for healing and unity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/we-d-like-to-build-a-highway-for-healing-and-unity/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [All coaching is, is taking a player where he can't take himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/all-coaching-is-is-taking-a-player-where-he-can-t-take-himself/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [I've never wanted just part of the package, part of the prize. I want it all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/i-ve-never-wanted-just-part-of-the-package-part-of-the-prize-i-want/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [What you are about to hear is God's word to the men of this nation. We are going to war as of tonight. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/what-you-are-about-to-hear-is-god-s-word-to-the-men-of-this-nation-we/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [But someone once described the contrast between a good life and a godly life as the difference between the top of the ocean and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/but-someone-once-described-the-contrast-between-a-good-life-and-a/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [This type of gathering is unprecedented. The time has come for Christians to publicly affirm our Jewish roots, distinctions and oneness in Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/this-type-of-gathering-is-unprecedented-the-time-has-come-for/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [If you want to take the meaning of the word integrity and reduce it to its simplest terms, you'd conclude that a man of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/if-you-want-to-take-the-meaning-of-the-word-integrity-and-reduce-it/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [We have not come to compete with one another. We have come to complete one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/we-have-not-come-to-compete-with-one-another-we-have-come-to-complete/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [It boggles my mind that someone can see life breathed into a baby, watch the grass die and then come to life again, see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/it-boggles-my-mind-that-someone-can-see-life-breathed-into-a-baby/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [True worship is not just an emotional experience. It reaches to the very depths of our souls and touches every aspect of our being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/true-worship-is-not-just-an-emotional-experience-it-reaches-to-the/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [Rom. 8:29 tells us what our purpose is - to conform to the image of Jesus Christ, and that singularly helps me keep a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/rom-8-29-tells-us-what-our-purpose-is-to-conform-to-the-image-of/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [Big Dreams Ccreate the Magic that Stir Men's Souls to Greatness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/big-dreams-ccreate-the-magic-that-stir-men-s-souls-to-greatness/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [I had a born-again experience at the age of 33. As a result of that I found a church where I felt I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/i-had-a-born-again-experience-at-the-age-of-33-as-a-result-of-that-i/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [Big dreams create the magic that stir men's souls to greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/big-dreams-create-the-magic-that-stir-men-s-souls-to-greatness/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [I know many Catholics love God with all their heart. I have genuine respect for anyone who truly has given their life to Christ.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/i-know-many-catholics-love-god-with-all-their-heart-i-have-genuine/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) [Explore all 18 Bill McCartney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) ## More Convince quotes > [“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [The privilege of prayer to me is one of the most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-grenfell/the-privilege-of-prayer-to-me-is-one-of-the-most-cherished/) [Wilfred Grenfell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-grenfell/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Once you convince people that they're victims, you really own them because you've just told them that whatever problems they have in life, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/once-you-convince-people-that-they-re-victims-you-really-own-them/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The people on the QVC shopping channel convince me that life is worth living. They see the good in everything. People who go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-vegas/the-people-on-the-qvc-shopping-channel-convince-me-that-life-is-worth/) [Johnny Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-vegas/) > [“What can I say to convince you the Houses of Parliament dissolve night after night to become the fluid dream of the Thames? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/what-can-i-say-to-convince-you-the-houses-of-parliament-dissolve/) [Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/) > [Human beings have the incredible capacity for denial. I think they do. And although it's really hard to believe, I have my doubts. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/human-beings-have-the-incredible-capacity-for-denial-i-think-they-do/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [“If you can convince yourself, you can convince the other fellow,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/if-you-can-convince-yourself-you-can-convince-the-other-fellow/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [Don't lie to yourself about what you can't or can achieve. Convince yourself on a realistic level that you can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-lie-to-yourself-about-what-you-can-t-or-can-achieve-convince/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't ever let anyone convince you that your imagination is wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-bianco/don-t-ever-let-anyone-convince-you-that-your-imagination-is-wrong/) [Giuseppe Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-bianco/) > [It's hard to convince your agents and managers to do theater, because it's not as financially rewarding and it takes up a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-helberg/it-s-hard-to-convince-your-agents-and-managers-to-do-theater-because/) [Simon Helberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-helberg/) > [I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-guess-that-is-the-strange-part-of-the-human-brain-that-people-have/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I knew I shouldn't like him cause I know it's not working, and everybody tells me that, and I convince myself I don't... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/i-knew-i-shouldn-t-like-him-cause-i-know-it-s-not-working-and/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [The statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-statesmen-will-invent-cheap-lies-putting-the-blame-upon-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) [Browse all 1,431 Convince quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You have to convince your players that the only reason a play failed was that they didn't execute properly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill McCartney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-the-only-reason-a-play-failed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Convince" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-the-only-reason-a-play-failed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/bill-mccartney-29657_convince_you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-t_1713027.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/bill-mccartney-29657_convince_you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-t_1713027.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/bill-mccartney-29657_convince_you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-t_1713027.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You have to convince your players that the only reason a play failed was that they didn't execute properly.” — Bill McCartney", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill McCartney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You have to convince your players...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-the-only-reason-a-play-failed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/you-have-to-convince-your-players-that-the-only-reason-a-play-failed/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```