Tim Brown: Altria's the Real Deal

When managing a portfolio, you are often faced with difficult decisions: Which stock is going to perform best for me? Is it time to cut a position that is just not living up to expectations? What does the current market environment mean to my portfolio?

In many ways, coaching football is very similar. Which of the veterans is just not pulling his weight anymore? Is it time to start the rookie in his place? How do I motivate my team when playing the toughest team in the league?

Basically, it comes down to decision-making and motivation.

When you look at coaches in the NFL, there is a clear-cut winner as the players' coach: Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts. In my opinion, he is the best coach in the league.

Why? Well, it used to be you needed a coach who was great with the X's and O's. However, now the game is so complex on and off the field that you need a coach who can also be a counselor and, for the most part, a father figure as well. In order to do that as a coach, you must have your priorities in order.

Dungy is one of the most professional coaches. He even went through one of the most difficult experiences a father can go through -- the death of his 18-year-old son -- and never flinched in his job.

Dungy's reputation is impeccable off the field and on. He just happens to be one of the best X-and-O coaches in the league as well. He knows how to put the right people in the right places. (And a great portfolio manager knows how to pick the right stocks in the right sectors at the right time.)