You Want A Playoff…Here It Is!

With all of the BCS scenarios and complaints about this system that so accurately tries to pick the best teams in college football, yet always seems to leave a team on the outs, these weekends championship games are setting the stage for an interesting pattern of big championships games with big implications. The biggest of the games, of course, is the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators. Even though the Gators are a ten point favorite, with games as big as these, there is no telling what might happen.

The SEC has always been a conference that has produced teams battling for a spot in the national championship game. Other teams in other leagues have equally interesting championship games this weekend. The Oklahoma Sooners have to play well to beat Missouri and USC…well…could probably still lay an egg and beat UCLA…but you never know!

As the college football season is winding down, or ramping up…depending on your view and how good your team is, Friday’s for a college football team become increasingly important. As you lower the physical energy expended in practice because guys are beat up and tired, there is a tendancy to lose mental focus as well. But with complicated schemes being created to throw opponents off and player’s bodies growing in fatigue, the mental aspect of football becomes increasingly important.

Whoever said that football players are stupid, didn’t know the game of football. They may be right in the sense that we find joy in bashing heads together, getting beat up and bruised, cold and wet on Saturdays, but the game of football is mentally difficult and complicated. The amount of reads and mental processes that go through every play in a football game are numerous and extensive. Consider the steps a QB goes throw when starting a play.

1. Call the play/make sure you’re teammates are doing okay/have confidence in your voice and encouragement if needed

2. Break the huddle with precision and accuracy/check the down and distance/take your first look at the defense.

3. Make sure your teammates line up correctly/scan the defense from left to right/back to front

4. Check the depth of corners and safeties, how agitated the linebackers are, where the defensive line might shift

5. Start to call the cadence with authority and precision/check to see how the defense moves/send the receivers in motion

6. Consider calling an audible/Anticipate where your reads are on the play/Keep your head moving so the defense can’t time a blitz

7. Keep the crowd noise out of your head/Prepare for the play/Snap the Ball/Read the Defense/Execute the play

Six of those seven steps happen before the play even starts. There are a myriad of other things that go on during the play…but that’s another post, another day.

Mental focus becomes key then, to success on Saturday. Mental focus is equally important in your business and family situations. Staying focused on goals and commitments when energy and the body is growing weary, finding ways to relieve stress and stay focused on the goal, becomes pivotal to success. Take time to relax your body and to allow the mind to focus and gather strength. As your mental capacities sharpen, they can will the body to continue to be effective and productive.