I love to watch football. I don’t watch a lot of television, but on any given Sunday during the football season you can find me perched or at least somewhere in the periphery of the television from about 1 pm to 11 at night.
My living room is open concept so I can mill around, cook, clean and do laundry during the games, but if my team is playing I’ll usually watch play by play.
I don’t know how I developed such a fascination for a game I pretty much hated and did not understand as a child.
Growing up in the Caribbean, the one TV channel I could pick up on my antenna in the hilly island interior was taken over every Monday by this foreign game, where a bunch of large men crashed into each other without seeming to make much progress up the field, before crumbling into a jumbled heap.
It made no sense to me and I was pretty much annoyed at having nothing to watch.
Fast forward to 2013 and the Seahawks were pretty much on fire and amazing to see in action. Their vaunted defense was a work of art and I was hooked.
Since then I’ve become an avid fan of the game, watching intently and consuming blogs and articles after.
Now that the 2015-16 season has ended, I think it’s the perfect time to reflect on some of the life lessons I’ve learned from the game.
WHEN LIFE THROWS INTERCEPTIONS…
When a quarterback throws an interception that results in a touchdown by the opposing team, the “Pick Six” that is the delight of defensive players everywhere, he immediately has to get right back on the field and start playing again.
Imagine that- you are in a high pressure situation that is being broadcast to millions, you make a bone headed mistake, and you have no choice but to get back out there and get your team back in the game.
The quarterback only has a few moments to berate himself before he has to go right back and perform.
If he stays in the negativity of the moment of the interception, there is no way that he can move forward in the game. He will just make another costly mistake if he doesn’t immediately put it behind him.
Life Lesson #1: You Have to Put Negative Events in the Past Behind You
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WHEN LIFE KNOCKS YOU DOWN…
Life can sometimes be like Von Miller and Demarcus Ware. It will speed around the edges, blindside you when you are not looking and sack you with the force of a thousand bricks.
When a quarterback is sacked and there are downs left to be played, unless he is injured, he has to pop right back up and play the very next down.
He cannot slink off and go nurse his wounds, even after just being crushed by a swarm of 250 pound human wrecking balls.
He has to shake off any resentment at his offensive linemen and trust that they will protect him this time, or else he will get jittery and start making errant throws and forced decisions.
Life Lesson #2: You have to Get Back on the Horse and Trust that Things will Get Better
WHEN LIFE FORCES A FUMBLE…
Sometimes the quarterback is about to make a throw, one that might have perfectly hit his receiver, but then his hand is knocked by a defensive player and the ball comes loose.
At that point , everyone on the field, including the quarterback jumps into the fray, trying to recover the ball.
The quarterback can’t stand hands akimbo watching it all go down, he has to risk life and limb to give his team a chance to keep the drive alive.
Life Lesson #3: You can’t stand by and watch things unfold. Be an active participant in your destiny.
I’m going to stop here for today and let this sink in.
You are the quarterback of your life. The most important player on your team. You set the pace of the game and are ultimately responsible for the outcome. Are you acting like a Super Bowl winning , future Hall of Famer or more like a 3rd string scrub? The choice lies with you!
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