As an ex-player, how important is locker-room chemistry?

Mike Golic

You would like to have good chemistry on every team, but is it the be-all and end-all? No. You get along with some people and not with others. There were a few teammates I didn't care for, and maybe they didn't like me either. But on the field, you have to be able to perform. Camaraderie and unity in the locker room can do nothing but create harmony for the team. Does that translate into wins and losses? I have been in locker rooms with and without harmony, and either way we didn't make the playoffs. I don't know if one was better than the other. The bottom line is, that you have to do your job, whether you like someone or not. You won't hurt the team's chances because you may not like someone.

Mark Schlereth

It's huge. To me, chemistry is more important than talent. I've had the privilege of being on three Super Bowl championship teams, and if you looked at each of those three teams, we weren't the NFL's most talented team at the time. There were other teams more talented than we were. When a team has the right chemistry, the players forget about individual accolades and about making the Pro Bowl. Instead, they focus on playing with one another. That is what chemistry is all about. If you can get players to forget about their selfish, individual agendas and put the team ahead of themselves, they can win. There is no better example than the Patriots last year.

Merril Hoge

For happiness and contentment throughout the season, I think it's extremely important. But it's not necessary to win. I have played on teams that went 11-5, and we hated the defense and the defense hated the offense. Players hated each other. Chemistry, however, does make the season much easier, especially when a team has to fight through the tough times together.

Mark Malone

Chemistry is important because it's a team sport. Sometimes, a little too much is made of chemistry because ultimately it's about what you do on the field and not in the locker room. You may not have to go out to dinner with everyone, or have their wife and kids over, or have a picnic together in the offseason. Not everybody gets along in that manner. But if the chemistry is good, your teammates respect each other, and everyone understands that the game is played, won and lost on the field, then I think that's really all you need. Chemistry on the field is a lot more important than chemistry in the locker room.

Sean Salisbury

Locker-room chemistry is priceless. I was in the New England Patriots' locker room a few times, and I would imagine their chemistry was as good as any teams' in the league. It doesn't mean you have to be best friends, although it helps when a team is like a family that both hangs out together and trusts each other on the field on Sunday or Monday night. When there is too much stress going on, a player's mind can get boggled with too many distractions. Sometimes, good chemistry will make up for lack of talent.