The Truth About Every Team

Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.    
- Vince Lombardi

I found no greater joy in sports than when I was able to contribue to helping my team win. There is a healthy pride and a satisfactory contentment that comes when you know that you made a significant contribution to a game or situation, because I was tested and found reliable, and I supported and helped my teammates.

The bond between teammates can be one that can run deeper sometimes than friendships and even families. It is similar, perhaps, to the bond experienced between soldiers at war. While the stakes are different, the concepts are the same, that you are in a type of battle, a struggle, a fight, and you MUST rely on the man or woman to your left or to your right. When you have the peace of mind of knowing that that person next to you is working just as hard not to let you down as you are working to hold them up, the you have a real TEAM.

Teams can be found anywhere, on the field, in the office, in an organization and in the home. Teams function for all different purposes, whether its to win a competition, be succesful in the market or raise and love children and spouses in a healthy environment. While each team is different, every team needs the same thing: Individuals committed to helping the team be successful.

In NCAA College Football, the Big 12 conference is experiencing incredible offensive success, with 31% of the teams in its conference games gaining 500 yards or more. 26 times offenses have risen above the 500 yard mark. The reason: Individuals committed to a group effort. Big 12 teams have learned the concepts of teamwork and working together towards common goals, effectively executing their part of the play to produce a positive end result.

I believe that football, unlike many other sports, heavily relies on EVERY person on EVERY play to do their part to help the team be successful. While a pitcher on a baseball team or a point guard on a basketball team can ‘take over’ the game, football requires each position to do their part, otherwise the play will be unsuccessful. A linemen must get his block to open the hole or create and maintain the pocket, the quarterback must make the right read and deliver the ball accurately, the receiver must run the right route and be in the right place to catch the ball and the running back must block the blitzing linebacker or move the football down the field. All these things need to happen for the play to be successful.

Each of us are a part of many different teams. We have families, jobs, friends, sports teams, community organizations, where we are called about to make an individual effort for the benefit of the group. Everyday QB is about understanding how we as individuals can face challenges, develop strategies and effectively execute plays to help our teams be successful.

Our next post will focus on the layout for Everyday QB. A week and schedule that will prepare you for any ‘game’ or ‘competition’ you may have in your life. The week will be an insight into the life of a college quarterback, but will be relevant for you, the individual, no matter what teams you are a part of. Because we are all striving to be successful and striving to contribute to our teams, learning how to commit and effectively carry out the play is the key to any team’s success.