The quarterback position is one of the most sought after and heralded positions in all of sports. The quarterback is someone who must be able to lead his team effectively and be poised and passionate about success and victory. The quarterback must also be able to execute plays, adjust to audibles and create something out of nothing. That is why, unlike many other positions, the quarterback position is usually one player for the majority of football games. The continuity and flow of a game necessitates one man leading the team through the ups and downs of every contest. As such, training camp is a time where multiple quarterbacks compete for those starting spots. It can be an intense competition between men to rise above the others and claim the starting spot. Different coaches look for different things in their starting quarterbacks, but the result must be the same: the guy that produces, plays.

Many NFL teams are now faced with the difficult decision of deciding who will start the preseason in that starting role. The jets, lions, browns and vikings all have races going for that starting spot. Will it be Anderson or Quinn, Clemens or Sanchez, Culpepper or Stafford?

In my experience with starting spot races, the key is to show the coach that you are the one that is the best fit for the position. I have won some races and lost others, but the competition between quarterbacks is not usually hostile. There is camaraderie and teamwork, as you encourage each other to work harder and perform better. The most successful teams are often ones that have competitive races for the starting spot. Sanchez and Stafford are better off because they must be pushed by the likes of Clemens and Culpepper to perform in practice day in and day out, which will in turn better prepare them for the long and arduous season. It will be interesting to watch each of these races and see who rises above the others. Check out EverydayQB on Monday for a breakdown of these races. Have a great weekend!

It may sound funny, but one of the most important positions in all of football is the holder. The holder is often times a backup quarterback or receiver who holds the short snap for kickers during field goals and extra points. Most people don’t even notice these player jog on and off the field, or even during the kick, except for when they make a mistake. There is immense pressure on a holder to catch a snap and place it in the position that the kicker wants it to be to strike it with success.

The holder spends sometimes hours with the kicker, working on holding the ball the way that the kicker wants them too, practicing catching balls from the snapper and placing them on the spot for the kick. It is a thankless job, but a pivotal one.

Any game can hinge on a field goal or extra point, and the holder must be reliable with his hands and under pressure to do the job required of him. The holder is also the main encourager to the kicker, helping him stay calm in the pressure situations and motivating them to be perfect all of the time.

There are many jobs in this world that are like that of the holder. Jobs that are expected to be performed, but that no one notices. Jobs that, when done right, never receive any applause or recognition, no fame or praise. But these jobs are the foundation upon which companies and businesses are built upon, hard working, reliable individuals who show up, day in and day out, and get the job done. They deserve recognition and thanks for their hard work. So find the ‘holder’ in your business or company and make sure they know that you appreciate their hard work. Your team will be better for it.

This week I was invited by my old quarterbacks coach from Western Oregon University to come out to the campus and help out with a high school team camp the past two mornings. It had been awhile since I’d been back out to see the coaches and the field where so many memories were, so I thought it’d be a great chance to catch up and get in touch with coaches and players again. So the past few days, I’ve spent the mornings coaching freshmen and sophomore quarterbacks through basic drills out at WOU.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, not only because it was a chance to finally, for once, be the coach and tell others what to do, but because being back around football got me back in touch with something that will always be a big part of my life. As I walked around on the field, the smell of sweat and grass brought back great memories and refreshed me quite a bit. While I’m not sure how much help I actually was to the young quarterbacks, I realized how much in love with the game of football I still am. Football is a physical and powerful sport, yet it requires such intricate technique and training. And as I led the quarterbacks through drills and helped them with their technique and throwing motions, I realized how much I love football.

Sometimes, we can lose touch with things that have been a major part of our lives. Whether it be that we’re too busy, doing other things or not wanting the nostalgia or emotions to arise, we sometimes let things that were once important to us slip away. I believe, however, that while our lives might change over time, hopefullly we can still hold onto the things that have been meaningful to us in our lives. So over the next few weeks, whatever it might be for you, try to reconnect to something that you might have lost, and hopefully you’ll experience the same refreshment and peace that I have the last few days.

Sunday is a special day around the world as many countries celebrate Father’s Day, a chance to celebrate and honor men who have the privilege of being fathers. There are many types of fathers in the world, some good, some not so good, but a day to honor those who have loved and sacrificed for their children is well deserved.

This Father’s Day has special meaning for the EverydayQB, as my wife continues to carry our twins inside of her. While I’m not sure if this is my first official Father’s Day or not, I have been thinking a lot of fatherhood and reflecting often on the effect my own father has had on my life.

I have a lot of things to thank my Dad for, just a few of which are the love of sports that he has instilled within me. I can remember sports always being a part of our lives, playing catch in the backyard (making me chase the ball if I overthrew him, insuring accuracy later on in my career), watching the great sports events of the last twenty years and sharing those memories together. My dad was there for my greatest victories and most devastating defeats. He coached all of my sports teams through junior high and my brother and mine double’s tennis team in high school. He taught me about how to compete with honor and integrity, to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat.

But more important than all of the sports skills than he ever taught me, my father taught me how to be a man of respect and love. A man who strives to be tough and tender, to treat all equally, to love faithfully and serve loyally. To stand up for the oppressed and proclaim peace and hope. He has taught me how to make a difference in this world for the good. These are the things that I pray I can pass on to my children, the things that really matter in this life. Thank you, Dad, for everything you have so selflessly given me. I love you. Happy Father’s Day.

At a meeting this week with his coaches, Tony Romo, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, was told he needed to lose a little around the waist. The quarterback needs to be in better shape in order to lead the Cowboys through another run at the NFL title. Jason Garrett sat Romo down and used words like, “bottom heavy” and “we love you but…”to encourage Romo to work just a little bit harder. Not only does being in shape at the start of the season count, but as the season goes along, it is harder and harder to maintain strength and endurance. When nagging injuries start to creep up and the winter months come around, many football athletes can struggle with staying in game shape. Quarterbacks can have a particularly difficult time during the season because so much of their week is just trying to recover from the soreness and prepare mentally for the next week.

Garrett and Romo’s discussion was probably one that was needed and it came from a coaching staff that is starting to demand the best out of their players. This could give the Cowboys a better chance of finishing strong this season.

Athletes being at an optimal weight can always be a challenge for some. Not only for athletes, but each of us probably may not be at the ‘optimal’ weight we want to be at. The EverydayQB Challenge to lost weight has been going okay. It has been difficult, after losing those first initial pounds, to continue to consistenly lose the weight to stay on track. I think my mindset was a little bit like Romo’s, that I could just show up and everything would be okay. But instead, I’m going to transfer some of my own emotions onto Romo’s  experience and use it as an opportunity to motivate myself to buckle down a little harder, eat better and work out more often, and hopefully, Romo and I can shed the pounds that I want to.

The New York Times released an article on Tuesday with allegations that Sammy Sosa, former Chicago Cubs star, tested positive for illegal steroid use in 2003.

The article states that, “The 2003 test that ensnared Sosa was the first such test conducted by Major League Baseball. Under guidelines agreed upon with the players union, the test results were to remain anonymous but would lead to testing with penalties the next year if more than 5 percent of the results were positive.

That is indeed what occurred. But for reasons never made completely clear, the test results were not destroyed by the players union and the 104 positives were subsequently seized by federal agents on the West Coast investigating matters related to the distribution of drugs to athletes.”

Though the union has filed papers that the list was illegally seized, the damage has been done. Bud Selig stressed the importance of the current toughness of testing and the ‘antiquity’ of the testing back in 2003.

What irritates me is the way that ESPN has presented this news. They have not approached the news with skepticism, but instead, thrown Sosa under the bus. Furthermore, ESPN.com interviewed Rick Reilly on Tuesday, who has had a grudge against Sosa since 2001. Reilly’s interview was deplorable at best. He stuttered and stumbled his way through a report that was obviously biased and contained interesting comments. He threw out accusations with no substantiation and sounded like a parrot repeating ‘I told you so’ throughout the entire interview.

Reilly’s responses to questions were choppy and unprepared. He made statements that Sosa, in 2002 was, “swearing at me in spanish, saying, are you my father, swearing about my heritage” and “he just freaked out and it was a little bit scary”,”like agatha christie’s ten little indians” and “like he’d been in some sort of steroid farm”. Someone needs to work with Reilly and his similes. Or hire another writer. Comments like this are unprofessional and carry derogatory connotations.

It is frustrating to me that ESPN would interview one of their own that was so openly bias against Sosa and latch onto news that is fresh and uncorroborated, making this a full blown conspiracy. While ESPN has been providing solid sports news for many years, I believe their handling of this situation is unfortunate. Sosa, and others, ought to be given the benefit of the doubt and extensive and thorough investigations should be continued before allegations are made. I’m sure the next rising star that the media doesn’t want in the Hall of Fame will surely fall from grace, somehow, some way, thanks to American Media.

Agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments section.

There are certain moments in our lives that we will never forget. These moments can be moments of great joy or great pain. And in these moments, our bodies seem to overload, often times with emotion and/or other experiences. It is during these times that are body seems to go into a state of emotional shock and our system is overloaded.

Speaking of shock, I’ve been in a near comatose state since my wife and I had our first ultrasound of her pregnancy yesterday and found out that we are having twins! Our emotional system has overloaded with all of the implications that these statement has on our future lives. Many people already have asked us how we feel, but the honest answer is, “I don’t really know”.

In sports there are often these moments of shock, good or bad, when things happen that are unexpected. Whether its a last minute shot that miraculously goes in or a 50-yard field goal that’s a dagger into the heart.

So here are some tips in dealing with emotional shock. This post is probably more for me than anyone else at this point, but if you experience a similar situation, perhaps these tips will help.

1. Breathe-Your biggest risk at this point is losing critical oxygen to the brain. Try to breath slowly and calmly, regulating those overwhelming feelings.

2. Sit Down-Standing can make you feel more dizzy, as your balance as to work harder to keep you from collapsing.

3. Relax muscles and body position-Try to keep your muscles and body from tensing up, restricting blood flow.

4. Cry-Crying can actually be one of the best ways to process emotions, whatever they might be. The physical act of crying provides the emotional release than can otherwise build up and put pressure on the emotional system.

5. Process-If you are an ‘external processor’ try to talk about how you feel, write your thoughts down, or even talk to yourself outloud if your alone. The work of putting your feelings into words can help prevent shock. If you are an ‘internal processor’ find a quiet place to sit and think or take a nice bath or relaxing cat nap.

These tips can help you process emtoional news and moments of shock. While they are inevitable in life, they also provide us with markers of our lives that make life meaningful. I’ll never forget the news of our twins for as long as I live, hopefully the shock won’t kill me.

Yesterday I met the bravest squirrel I have ever known. My wife and I were driving to a high school graduation party outside of the city where we live. We were enjoying the beautiful drive, the weather and the rolling fields in front of us. As I was driving, up ahead I spotted a squirrel in the middle of my lane. I knew that there was no way I was going to be able to completely stop before reaching the doomed squirrel, and I knew I wasn’t going to swerve to miss the squirrel, because as much as I love all the animals of the Earth, I’m not going to put my wife and the child she’s carrying at risk. So, I tried to slow down and hoped the squirrel would hop out of the way, like they normally do.

But this squirrel responded in a remarkable way. Instead of running off to the side of the road, he turned and I am sure that he looked me straight in the eyes. Then, instead of bolting off out of the way, he actually RAN toward our car! I slowed down as fast as I could but couldn’t stop, I knew I was going to hit the squirrel. As the squirrel continued to sprint towards me and I knew the impact was certain, he didn’t stop. He ran toward the car and as I drove over him, I waited for the inevitable thump that was going to be me hitting the squirrel and sending it to the great beyond. I waited, and waited, for the thump but it didn’t come. I looked out my rear-view window and I could scarcely believe my eyes when I saw the squirrel continuing to run down the road, unscathed.

I was stunned and amazed by the courage of this squirrel. Though he may have simply been frozen and reacted by instinct, heading the wrong direction into a confrontation with my mechanical beast, I can’t ignore the apparent courage of this squirrel. Often times in our lives, there are certain things that are bearing down on us, that strike fear and anxiety into our hearts. So often I find myself just trying to get out of the way as that fear comes at me, or ignoring it so that I don’t have to face it. But this squirrel has inspired me to, instead of running away from fear and anxiety, and it eventually catching me, to turn and face it head on, and realize that the fear that I thought was chasing me, that I thought would destroy me, actually has no power over me.

May we all tackle life head on, like this brave squirrel.

A great article over at ESPN today highlights Arkansas tight end D.J. WIlliams and the difficult road of life that he and his mother and two sisters have faced. With an abusive father, Williams has worked through many difficult situations and feelings, watching his mother be physically beaten by his father. While those times of fear and emotional trauma have had a strong and damaging effect on Williams and his two sisters, they have responded by offering hope to a world that desperately needs it.

“When things get tough for me, whether it’s on the football field or anywhere else, I just think about what my mom’s gone through and the great things football has brought me,” Williams said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to give back to her and give back to others.

“I want moms and kids out there who are going through what we went through to know that there is a way out. Look at us. We’ve come from living in a shelter and wearing hand-me-down clothes to me standing in front of 80,000-plus almost every Saturday just to watch me play football.

“Even when you think all hope is lost, dreams do come true.”

D.J. Williams and his family have become a source of strength and hope for many in the Arkansas community. Bobby Petrino says of Williams, “In every aspect of his life — whether it’s the training room or the weight room, with his faculty advisors or with the women’s basketball coach — he becomes great friends with them,” Petrino said. “He’s just a great young guy who appreciates life and makes it easy for everybody.

“If you didn’t know he was a star football player, you never would because of the way he conducts himself on campus. That’s what is so special about him.”

D.J. Williams has found the formula for success the EverydayQB celebrates. It is not just about how you ‘perform’ in a sports or business arena that defines what kind of person you are, but how your life, your whole life, effects and transforms others. D.J. Williams is effecting others lives for the good.

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower

Successful leadership is one of the most sought after, yet elusive, attributes in life, sports and business. There are different leadership styles, personalities and positions. Leaders hold an important key to the movement and success of whatever it is they have been called to lead.

I think back to the different coaches that I have had in my life, leaders in the game of football, and how they have employed different leadership styles and tactics in order to breed success in their players and team. What I found is this: the most successful leaders, were men and women who inspired within me the desire to be successful. They did so, not be yelling or forcing me into performance, but by modeling and serving those they were in charge of leading.

Some leaders use fear as their motivator, threatening, yelling or attempting to scare employees or players into action. But their yelling turns to noise and their fear turns to dust when they lose the respect of those they are to lead. But those who lead with other’s best interest in the forefront, those leaders that serve the people they are responsible for earn the respect and loyalty of those around them. These types of leaders have people they will actually follow them, not out of fear or coercion, but ought of love and loyalty.

Each of us is a leader in some facet of our lives, whether its in business, sports, family or some other area. I would suggest and challenge each of us to consider how we might serve those we are leading and then watch and see the respect and support that is gained by these selfless service.