Intriguing elements of what made Lombardi so successful- he created a highly competitive atmosphere during practice week, w/ exacting standards. He was an excellent teacher of small detail & repetition. He placed staff in positions to succeed, even if it meant shifting a role

He had coached in a military environment (see Popovich, Kryszewski, Knight, P. Brown). He was keenly observant- it was he who noticed Larry Brown cocked his head to one side to hear signals (Brown had a hearing difficulty in one ear- no coach or teacher picked up on it)

He created an environment where employees or subsets bonded (grueling tryouts, close wives). He instilled pride in the brand, which informs performance. He was progressively inclusive. All these things help build a strong unit in an era that predated free agency

Unsung dynamic about Lombardi dominance, in a period where opposition included Jim Brown, John Unitas & Deacon Jones- is how well conditioned his clubs were (see Auerbach, Red). In the final minutes of games that was pivotal. This is pre- strength coaches or '70's Steelers