Chiefs LT Branden Albert Working On His Mental Focus

by Joel Thorman on Jul 20, 2010 9:00 AM CDT in 2010 Kansas City Chiefs Season

Branden Albert recently went back home to Rochester, NY totalk to kids from his hometown about being in the NFL and achieving your dreams.

He also talked briefly about his other life in Kansas City as the Chiefs left tackle.

So what's Albert doing to get ready for the season?

"I am working on mental focus," he said. "A lot of the things that were hindering me at the beginning of the season were mental, it wasn't physical. This year I am more in tune with the offense. I am just ready to help our team win. That is my main goal this year.

"It's a learning process. It was my second year in the NFLI was learning a new offense. It was an adjustment."

I'm a little surprised it was a mental thing. In fact, very surprised. Albert lost, according to reports, upwards of 30-40 pounds in Todd Haley's program at training camp and was all the way down to 305 pounds. Many thought the physical, and his weight, was a major issue with him in 2009 but apparently it wasn't.

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315-320

He wil likelly play at 315-320 this year and be very comfortable. The mental part of the game is always in play. All of his opponents have ability and he has to get that mental edge. Knowing that he is in better shape, and has done his homework is a great part of gaining that mental edge. Will Shields is a great example of a player who prepared mentally and physically. Great attitude

Jerome

by easyjb on Jul 20, 2010 9:10 AM CDT reply actions

Improving technique at less-than-30-lbs of playing weight is certainly mental. But its the physical change that forces him to improve the mental aspects of his game.

He can’t rely on throwing his weight around anymore.

The Chiefs will see a return to respectability in 2010, emerging as the front runner in the AFC West! ....And I'll quantify that however I choose. Ahem.

by ArrowSpread on Jul 20, 2010 9:12 AM CDT reply actions

Reminds me of one of my favorite Yogi Berra quotes...

“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”

I think the same thing applies to football.

10 + wins in 2010. Chiefs SHOCK the NFL!!! Mark it down.

by Scott B. on Jul 20, 2010 9:28 AM CDT reply actions

yes, love that one

Berra always had such a way with words

or there’s this one:

How can you think and hit at the same time?
Yogi Berra

for this case, maybe it should be “think and block” at the same time …

as for me, I know a lot of guys on AP think I’m a headcase or something, but, to quote Berra again, I can assure you all that …

Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true

"I shall conquer untruth by truth" - Mahatma Gandhi
"It's always easier to sell 'em some shit than it is to give 'em the truth" - Shel Silverstein, The Perfect High
Whitlock Rocks!
hi, Mo! 5 minutes!!!

by upamtn on Jul 20, 2010 9:51 AM CDT up reply actions

Watch the game film

I’ve mentioned before on this board and others that if you watch the game film, Albert was frequently lost on who he was supposed to block. It isn’t physical with him. Maybe it was the new offense. He made bad decisions and hopefully those can be eliminated. I was glad to see he acknowledged this. I assume this will lead to a much improved year. All the weight stuff was silly. It was a theory not supported by fact. He wasn’t getting blown off the line of scrimmage.

Last year was the year of absurd theories. Haley was a madman, the linemen were worse off for being in shape, Waters had the best year of all the lineman (because we like him—- watch the film, I’m guessing it was his injuries, but Waters had a terrible year) and Haley had a grudge against DJ and that’s the only reason he didn’t play more. All crap.

Now that all that is in the past, we’ll have a much better view of the team when the season starts. The team is more focused, the media is more focused and the fans will not have so much negative crap pumped into their skulls. Let’s fill the stadium and support these guys.

by ChiefConcern on Jul 20, 2010 9:40 AM CDT reply actions 6 recs

agreed and rec'd

mental focus is a big key to success and I’m glad to hear that he is taking a stronger mental approach. I mean to put it in another light, is it always the bigger and tougher guy who wins a fight? No not always, sometimes they will but if someone is smarter, and more mentally tough then they can always prepare to come out on top.

Are we the team to beat in 2010? I sure think so! Go Chiefs.

by jrcnc on Jul 20, 2010 9:52 AM CDT up reply actions

I'd guarantee a LOT of it was the new system ...

… installed halfway into preseason by Todd The Madman Haley after he dumped Chan Gailey …

new offense, new plays, new blocking assignments, new terminology, new everything … well duh, of course that goes to the mental aspect of the game, an entirely new playbook, and those things are as thick as the New York City phone book … a team of Mensa Candidates would have started out confused

one can only “assume” that Haley HAD to know that would happen … nobody learns an entirely new system and playbook in just a few weeks

by upamtn on Jul 20, 2010 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions

Sounds like you're still down on Haley for doing that

The only thing I can fault him for is not doing it earlier in the offseason. The timing was bad, but it was the right decision. Certainly better than transitioning to an entirely new system now.

Predictions:
This year will be better

by jmcgoblue on Jul 20, 2010 10:02 AM CDT up reply actions

oh, I agree ... in that it SHOULD have done in the early spring last year

seriously, it took THAT LONG to figure out that he didn’;t like or want what Gailey was doing? sorry, that speaks to poor communications and a lot of misunderstanding

now, I like and respect Gailey, and I think he’d have been good had he stayed and been allowed to do his thing … that said, Haley/Pioli are within their rights to say “seeya” whenever they want to, but the TIMING was beyond atrocious … why Haley couldn’t figure it out with Gailey way back about April of last year is beyond me (either you like it and agree with it, or you don’t) … rather like heading out on a cross-country trip from New York and stopping in Philly for a new car because you didn’t like how the old one felt on the open road, you should have had a feel for that before you left the house

by upamtn on Jul 20, 2010 10:11 AM CDT up reply actions

Blow up

Maybe there was a blow up between them that led to the release. It also could have been Gailey not wanting to work for Haley more than Haley not wanting to work with Gailey. We will never know….

by groundedchevy on Jul 20, 2010 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions

Of course this is speculation

But I imagine that Haley had to be convinced early on (by Hunt &/or Pioli) to keep Chan as OC so he could focus on the daunting job of being a HC. Haley reluctantly agreed to this, but after seeing how the offense was being run through the preseason he realized that the style was incompatible with what he wanted to do…so he convinced management to let him take on the additional responsibility, since he’s responsible in the end anyway.

Predictions:
This year will be better

by jmcgoblue on Jul 20, 2010 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs

Totally agree with this. Haley had to go through game situations with Chan to see that it wasn’t going to work out. He couldn’t know that until going through it. It would have been nice if Chan was fired earlier, but until both he and Haley lived the games, lived the situations, they couldn’t know it wasn’t going to work. Haley could have taken the easy way out, stuck with Chan, and set the team back for a year from where HE wanted it to go. He took the courageous way, the short trem pain way, and we are far better off this year for it.

by dablueguy on Jul 20, 2010 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Agree and Rec'd

I agree also. In fact, if you go back thru some of the interviews last year, Haley alluded to having to get the owners approval to nix Gailey. Haley stated exactly what you talked about—he’s responsible for the team, so ultimately the O’s performance rests with him anyway…

Man, that took a lot of guts to do that. He could have just kept Chan and maybe won 5-7 games, but he bit the big one and installed the O he believed in. Not to mention he was hired so late he had to settle for Clancy on D. No wonder the guy was ballistic on the sidelines

I remember him saying after the season the main thing in the 09 season was to just get through it, and there were many times there ’was no light at the end of the tunnel"…geez, that had to be a B.

by rwalke10 on Jul 20, 2010 9:20 PM CDT up reply actions

agreed!

Team Pioli/Haley. Decade of the Chiefs.

by SDChief on Jul 20, 2010 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions

I was saying this all last year

Albert, along with most of the rest of the line typically didn’t get physically domniated… they acted like they didnt’ know whom to block.

The TE and the OT often seemed to look at eachother while the QB was getting sacked, as if they were saying “whose man was that?”

As the season went on, they generally seemed to figure it out, and the playbook opened up…

the predictable offense, lack of running game (LJ), dropped passes, and erratic QB play are all symptoms AND causes of the first-year struggles in the new system…

we SHOULDN’T see a repeat of that this year

this should be the most exciting Chiefs team in years! Most major needs filled with playmakers, and the league's best coaching staff... 10-6 a possibility?

by stagdsp on Jul 20, 2010 12:49 PM CDT reply actions

totally agree stag...albert looked lost at times...like many of our lineman...but I could just see it, lot of mental mistakes, lot of missed assignments

I went back as well over quite a few games the other day…and it really did come down to a lot of pressure from the TE/OL not knowing who they were blocking.

I have hopes that this offensive staff makes all the difference…Ive seen what they have you do as the head coach, its ridiculous in a way…I respect them so much because during the season they are like football zombies…they have to be(even more respect for their wives)…So much work without having to run the darn offense and coach the quarterback while yelling at Bowe, yelling BACK at Wade, telling lawrence where he needs to line up….the list goes on…and on…

high hopes for Albert the OL, and the offense as a whole.

Team Pioli/Haley. Decade of the Chiefs.

by SDChief on Jul 20, 2010 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions

I've been working on my mental focus too! It seems to be working, I've already ..................................................... what was I saying?

Word.

by BigRedChief on Jul 20, 2010 1:02 PM CDT reply actions

heh

Team Pioli/Haley. Decade of the Chiefs.

by SDChief on Jul 20, 2010 1:10 PM CDT up reply actions

I can see that.

With the scheme change and his physique change there was alot of mental obstacles to overcome. Joel refers to the weight change as being more a physical obstacle then mental but I would think its the opposite. Coming in with less weight means you need to focus more on technique and can’t rely on bad habits that a heavier weight would help you get away with. All those things to me are “thinking” things where focus and concentration and mentally knowing what you’re doing.

"Success is never ending, failure is never final."

by GenericBrand on Jul 20, 2010 1:46 PM CDT reply actions

honestly

I believe that Haley/hunt/pioli were already talking to Weiss and perhaps even romeo while trying to work out a deal. I wouldn’t be surprised one bit. In retrospect..i applaud Haley for doing away with Gaily when he did and letting find work elsewhere. I also think had they not known for sure about Charlie that gailey would have finished out the season as oc. ..Just imo. I am certain for fact that i am sooo ready to see some football. Go chiefs!!!!

by SinyGuy on Jul 20, 2010 4:21 PM CDT reply actions