One year ago today we began the adventure that is the EverydayQB. 125 posts later, thanks to your interest and support, we’re still going strong. Following a year of sports and sharing my thoughts on what it means to be an athlete, a quarterback, and a successful person in this world has been a great joy. Our mission is still the same: To bring sports news, concepts, strategies and methods, as well as my personal experiences, to this site and reveal how they could impact your everyday life. Whether you’re a high school athlete, a businessperson, a parent or just someone who loves sports, Everyday QB is a place where you can learn more about sports and give you a ‘game plan to tackle life head on every day’.

So here’s a brief snapshot of some of the top posts from the last year. A highlight of thoughts that reflect our first ‘season’ in the blogosphere. Thanks for supporting the EverydayQB!

-Preparation and consistency are pivotal and crucial in helping you and your team be successful. Identify your every day drills and focus on perfecting them in your life.-The Power of Consistency

-“Having a team that can put personal needs or disagreements aside is important in being a successful team. Personally and professionally, encouraging others to come together as a team can go a long ways in helping your ‘team’ be successful.”-Coming Together When It Counts

-Leaders have the responsibility to look out for and help those that cannot look after themselves or who are suffering persecution at the hands of an oppressor.-A Leaders Responsibility

-”Don’t let an opponent or outside force determine how you will live life. Find out what gives you passion and pursue it.”-Remembering Your Passion

-”how the coach and quarterback interact and operate is pivotal to a team’s success. So what are the two most important components of a quarterback/coach relationship? Its simple: Trust and Respect.”-A Quarterback and His Coach

-”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 the fear that I thought was chasing me, that I thought would destroy me, actually has no power over me.”-Facing the Fears of Life Head On

An age old debate in the business world has often been whether or not the value of being an athlete has anything to do with competency and ability in the world of business. Do athletes make better employees than those who are not? Are the skills and abilities learned in the athletic world a comparable and instructive tool by which women and men become more prepared for the competitive world of business? You have all seen the NCAA commercials where athletes from various universities talk about ‘going pro’ in fields other than sports. So what qualities, if any, prove to be helpful in transferring from the athletic world to the ‘real’ world? Here’s a few thoughts:

1. Discipline: To be an exceptional athlete, you must be disciplined. You must commit to training your mind, body and heart to a focused and concentrated effort. The discipline of an athlete does not take place over night, but is developed over years of practicing his/her craft.

Translation to the business world: Employers expect their employees to be punctual people with integrity and honesty. Good employees follow rules and work diligently to accomplish the tasks they are given.

2. Teamwork: Must sports have some sort of team element to them. Even in track and field or swimming, there are relays and team points that include a team as a whole in competition. Athletes learn the importance of others having success around them. They learn how to empower and encourage others to succeed so that the can succeed.

Translation to the business world: No great business was ever built by one person. Even Donald Trump needed other people supporting him to get him where he is today.

3. Competition: Good athletes know how to compete. Good athletes love to compete. Good athletes thrive on competition, the exhilaration of a challenge and the feel of performing under pressure and coming out on top. Athletes learn how to win and to lose with grace and character.

Translation to the business world: Our society is built on a competitive business model. Being able to outwork and out-innovative the competing business is crucial to a companies survival in our market.

In conclusion, athletes have the ‘opportunity’ to develop these important skills of discipline, teamwork and competition, in their athletic fields. However, not all athletes develop these skills. As such, it is difficult to say with certainty that ‘all athletes make better employees than non-athletes’. Certainly men and women can develop these important business skills outside of the athletic world. However, an exceptional athlete who has developed these skills will have a profound and positive affect on any business because they have learned these skills in the world of sports.

We’d love to hear what you think. Let us know in the comments section.

Don’t forget! Today is the last day to email (ryan@salemec.com) with your thoughts on leadership, sports and the game of football to enter to win a free NFL jersey of your choice.

As the game of football continues to evolve, the role that positions and players continue to change as well. But there are some remarkable men who have consistently been considered some of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. What was it about their roles and skills as quarterbacks that made them some of the greats? Are there some common threads? Let’s take a look at four of the best quarterbacks of all time and what made them great. Their quality is more than their stats or what they accomplished, its the legacy and way in which they played the quarterback position. In no particular order, some of the greatest qbs of all time are:

John Elway: The number one draft pick in 1983, Elway was a tenacious competitor. He was never out of any football game, holding the NFL record with 40 career fourth quarter comeback wins. Above all, Elway was a great at making the players around him better. He was able to carry the Denver Broncos, making it possible for them to have the success that they did.

Elway says, “I’ve always joked about Joe Montana not appreciating his Super Bowls nearly as much as I do because he never lost one. We lost three before we got one.”

Joe Montana: One of Montana’s greatest strengths was being in the right place at the right time. Montana was able to execute a system from a brilliant coach in Bill Walsh. Montana knew how to manage a football game and was able to inspire his teammates to play hard and had amazing success.

Montana says, “Winners, I am convinced, imagine their dreams first. They want it with all their heart and expect it to come true. There is, I believe, no other way to live.”

Johnny Unitas: Even guys like Montana and Elway get shivers when they hear the name, Unitas. Unitas led the Colts to the 1958 and 1959 NFL championships and was named All-NFL for five seasons including three Player of the Year awards.Unitas also won three MVP trophies and was selected to play in 10 Pro Bowls. His lasting legacy and contagious charisma make him one of the wisest and most respected players in the game of football.

Unitas says, “There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done.”

Peyton Manning: Peyton Manning is perhaps the hardest working quarterback ever. Manning puts in more hours and more work and is more prepared for a game on Sunday than most quarterbacks ever. He has a presence and intelligence that inspires confidence in his teammates. He is able to lead a football game, taking advantage of defenses and what they do and getting the ball into the hands of people who can make plays.

Manning says, “You hear about how many fourth quarter comebacks that a guy has and I think it means a guy screwed up in the first three quarters.”

Who’s your favorite quarterback and why? Let us know!

Life has a way of keeping us humble. So often things happen to us that make us wish we could go back in change. And, as human beings, we so often learn by making mistakes and failing. But at what point does self-deprecation and only remembering the painful memories become unhealthy? Modesty can soon turn into a lack of self confidence and positive successes can become suffocated in the midst of too much focus on negative experiences.

A few weeks ago I had a chance to relive some of my old sports memories. Initially all I could think of was the importance pass I missed here, or the bad game I had there. But the person with me forced me to work past those and remember some of the successes and great moments I had as an athlete. I began to realize something. Those failures and mistakes were important to learn from, but they were not the whole story. Behind the ugly faces of those disappointing games and mistakes was a beautiful picture of successful career as an athlete. And it wasn’t about all the stats or the scores or the awards, it was about the memories with teammates, the road trips, the quirky plays and the great feelings that came from playing a game that I loved.

When I took the time to wade through the pain that is always present when we first revisit memories of mistakes or failures, when I made the effort to remember the whole story, I realized that my experience was so much more than those brief moments of failure and that those weren’t the only moments that had to define my future.

So often we wind up repressing good memories with the bad, losing a beautiful picture of a career or experience.

The challenge, then, is to work past the failures and mistakes, not negating or forgetting them, but seeking to remember the victories and successes as well, breeding a wholeness and confidence that was has been accomplished is worth being proud of.

Each one of us has a degree of power. In some situation, somewhere, we have some form of power over someone else. Whether its the power of privilege, the power of authority, the power of love or the power of persuasion, there are many forms of power within our worlds. It is no different for the world of sports. Coaches hold power over players, players struggle for power amongst themselves, power is the catalyst by which things happen.

So what then, is the proper use of power? Are we doomed to be corrupted by it? In the words of Lord Action, does “Power tend to corrupt, and absolute power corrupt absolutely? Are great men almost always bad men?” Is there a way in which power can be used to do good without corrupting those who use it?

I would suggest that there is a method for which power can be used without corruption or misuse: power must be given away. If power is invested, spent, given to others to in turn, empower them, power can be a positive thing. Those given the power away do not lost their power. In truth, their power is strengthened and enhanced. The role of a coach, a teacher, a mentor, a leader, is to invest and share their earned or inherent power to shape and grow those they have power over.

Coaches can either use their position of power to massage an ego, or, they can use their position of power to shape and mold young women and men who are healthy and powerful themselves.

Bosses or managers in the work place have the same choice. Will they use their power for personal gain and self-inflation? Or, create a workplace where people are thriving and growing because the power that is given to the leader is being invested and shared in the team within which they are working?

The choice is present in any situation. What will I do with the power given to me?

Second, we must nullify the myth that power only exists within a select few. This is simply not true. Though there may be levels of power, when I as a player decide to take my power of choice and cooperation and submit it to the power of my coach, an amazing opportunity for success can occur. When I place my power of trust into the hands of another and they, in turn, value and protect that power I have given them, a bond and relationship is forged which is strong and difficult to break.

We each have power. What will you do with yours?

This week’s ‘Inside the Game’ choice was a no brainer. Tomorrow, one of the biggest games in the BCS season will be played when the Florida Gators travel to Louisiana to take on the #4 ranked LSU Tigers. This epic game could have National Title implications, and very possibly a preview of the title game in January. In a game like this, when the eyes of the nation will be watching, the shoulders of each teams quarterbacks are feeling mighty heavy. Let’s take an EverydayQB inside look at what each quarterback will have to do to lead their team to victory.

John Brantley (Gators): Coach Urban Meyer and the Gators will make the right choice and not start Tim Tebow, letting him fully recover from his concussion in last week’s game. The Gators need Tebow completely healthy for the rest of the season and they can recover from a loss to the Tigers on Saturday. Enter Tebow’s backup, John Brantley. Brantley is a different type of quarterback than Tebow, but no slouch. This sophomore quarterback was highly recruited out of high school and is slated to be the next great qb at Florida when Tebow goes on to the NFL. In order to be successful, Brantley has to play his style of football. The offense won’t change much, but Brantley is not the athlete Tebow is. Brantley needs to control the football and make cautious and intentional decisions with the ball. Brantley needs to play well enough to give the Gator defense a chance to win the game for them. Tiger stadium will be an extremely hostile environment for Brantley, and he must focus and be poised as the starting quarterback.

Jordan Jefferson (Tigers): Jefferson has had a great year for the Tigers so far, with a 62.5% completion percentage and 7 touchdowns coming into Saturday’s game. He had a solid game in the Tigers win against Georgia last week and needs to have another solid performance on Saturday night. As the home starting quarterback, one of Jefferson’s goals must be to put points on the board early, forcing the Gators to play from behind and wonder if they can be a #1 team without Tebow. Jefferson must distribute the ball and maintain a solid and consistent rhtyhm to the Tigers offense. With the support the exceptional Tiger defense on his side, Jefferson needs to play mistake free football to give his team a chance agains the Gators.

This game is a close one, and a potential BCS Championship Game matchup. LSU has the slight advantage because of location and Tebow’s questionable health. The Gators defense rises to the occasion, but the Tigers edge out the #1 team in college football.

EverydayQB prediction: Gators 24, Tigers 27 (8:00pm ET, CBS)

October 21st will mark the 1 year anniversary of the EverydayQB! Thank you for reading and making this blog a success so far. There are so many blogs out there and so many different people writing so many different things. I am thankful for readers like you that are interested in how sports and football are valuable to our everyday lives.

As a thank you for contributing to the growth of the EverydayQB community, we want to have another grand prize giveaway in celebration of 1 year on the web. But this time, instead of having you leave comments which make you eligible for the drawing, we’d like to here more about what you think about the game of football and quarterbacks.

So here’s the deal. Email The Everyday QB (ryan@everydayqb.com) and share what you think are some of the most important attributes of a great quarterback, athlete or leader. By sending the email, your name will be placed in a box to be eligible for the drawing on October 21st when we will give away an authentic NFL Jersey of your choice, a great gift for Christmas time or to wear to support your team!

The emails can be text or video, but must contain at least a paragraph of your thoughts and beliefs on what makes a great athlete, quarterback or leader. On October 20, we will post all of the submissions in a blog post for everyone to see, kind of a collage of values that make great leaders and athletes.

If you have a website or blog that you are affiliated with, don’t be shy to add that onto your email and we’ll link it with your name.

Thank you again, for making EverydayQB a meaningful and successful moment in people’s everyday lives.