The Truth About Every Person

Ron Prince, head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats, said of his quarterback, Josh Freeman, “…he means a lot to us from a running and passing standpoint, but more importantly, from a leadership standpoint. He has been successful but also been there when things haven’t gone well. And the guys on the team know that no one on this team is under more scrutiny that he is.” The comment came during their battle this past weekend with Oklahoma, which they lost, 35-58. But Freeman, threw for a career-high 478 yards for K-State, with all three touchdowns coming as the Wildcats mounted a comeback to tie the game at 28. Unfortunately, Oklahoma was a bit too much for the Kansas State team.

But Josh Freeman is a great example of one person making a significant impact on a sports team. Just as I mentioned in my last post, ‘The Truth About Every Team’, that everyone on the team is responsible for doing their job and helping their team be successful, this same mantra is true, ‘individual people can make a difference on any team’. While these two statements may seem like a paradox, they actually are both needed on any team, in any business or family.

Take for example, Sam Paulescu, the Dallas Cowboy’s punter. He is the fiance of a friend of mine, and has been signed and dropped in the NFL over the first few weeks of the season, and has landed in Dallas. While punters are an important part of every football team, they often get overlooked or viewed as a ‘special teams’ player that doesn’t get the praise and the celebrity status that a quarterback or wide receiver would be given. He made a huge tackle in Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay that ignited the crowd and his team and helped them get the win. He made a difference in the outcome of the football game. Check out the video at Dallas Cowboys.

At Everyday QB, we’re going to be taking a look at the week of a college quarterback and his preparation for the game on Saturday. This ‘work’ week, can apply to your business and home life as well, and prepare you to be successful and to tackle life head on, with a game plan in hand and tips and motivation to make a difference. Its important to lay the ground work first, no athlete jumps into game week without preparation. There is always a practice week, daily doubles, learning the ropes and learning the plays. Today’s lesson is an important one: Every person can make a difference on a team. They can have a significant impact on a situation and always contribute to a team’s success. No matter what your apparent status or rank, age or title, whether you’re a quarterback, with all the pressure and scrutiny that Josh Freeman has, or you’re a special teams player like Sam Paulescu, you can help your team be successful.