Football I.Q.

   

Knowing is half the battle.  - GI Joe

It is good to clarify.  Vince Lombardi, the Hall of Fame and legendary Green Bay coach for which the Super Bowl is named, was a subscriber to this theory, as well.  Once, after a particular humiliating loss to an inferior team, Lombardi began practice by huddling up his players and holding a football high in the air.  Then he spoke these clarifying words of reprimand, “Okay, we go back to the basics this morning…gentlemen, this is a football.

The following is an attempt to give more clarity concerning the game of football that can get confusing with all of its jargon.  Sadly, well into my adult years, I knew nothing of the terms I am about to share with you.  I never played organized football, but rather played pickup games, and often all we would say in the huddle was: Get open. 

Here are some terms I think can expand your football IQ:

The FADE PASS is not when the reception goes blank on your television screen just as a receiver is about to make a big play.  Actually, it is when the quarterback will lob the ball over a beaten defender to a receiver at the back corner of the end zone.  In essence, throwing to where only the receiver catch it.

The BACK SHOULDER PASS is not a pass that you throw over your back shoulder in order to trick your opponent.  Instead, it is a pass thrown when the defender has turned his back in order to keep up with the receiver. The quarterback recognizing this throws the ball aiming at this teammate’s back shoulder, in hopes the receiver will turn around at the last second to catch it.  When thrown well, it is nearly impossible to defend.

The FIVE TECHNIQUE is not a strategy a football player contrives to see where he will be financially in five years.  Rather, the five technique is when a defensive lineman lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. In today’s game, this term is thrown out often and it sounds cool, although the average fan has no clue what it means.

 

A POST PATTERN is not a football player who routinely posts a blog about his feelings after the game.  Actually, it is when a receiver runs straight down the field for about ten to twenty yards and then cuts toward the middle of the field, in the direction of the facing goal post.  It often results in a big gain or touchdown when properly executed.

The RAZZLE DAZZLE play is not when you purchase a bag of multicolored highly sugary candies called Razzles that make your teeth fall out.  Instead, the razzle dazzle is a broad term for a trick play, such as the flea flicker or hook and lateral, where the highly risky play looks like one thing and turns out to be another.

An ELIGIBLE RECEIVER is not a young football player who is actively seeking a potential spouse.  Relatively speaking, an eligible receiver is often an extra offensive lineman, who is not a tight end, that lines up on either end of the offensive line.  This player must report to the official, and often comes into the game near the goal line as a ploy to trick the defense.  When the play is run he pretends to block and often goes uncovered. Sometimes it will result in a touchdown, depending if the burly player doesn’t have butterfingers and can catch.

Last, but not least, is the READ OPTION that is not a choice you give a high school student between choosing a book or watching a video.  The read option is normally when a quarterback, with running ability, takes the ball in shotgun formation and runs with the ball toward one side of the field, with the running back close behind him. The QB will look at what angle the defensive end is coming from and then either run himself or hand it off to the running back who is behind him. If this play is run correctly, it often allows for a fairly big gain.

Now that you have more clarity about football remember to use it wisely, because it is always good to know more, however, it is never good to be a jerk about it.

Football I.Q. is great, but make sure you are investing even more time in being a decent human being.

Swavel

 

Running Late

There is none righteous, no not one. (Romans 3:10)

Its 5-0 what?

    

This was not my best moment.  As I woke up on that fateful morning, a few weeks ago, I was already half an hour late to pick up a fellow employee.  Not to mention, I was supposed to be at work at 5 am.  It just felt like the day was doomed and I couldn’t see how it could be fixed.  My mind was swirling as I yelled at the bedroom wall in frustration, waking up my wife.

  

Then in the midst of my tantrum, my wife asked me, “can I help? ‘ Like a jerk I said, “No.”  My brain felt like an Etch-a-Sketch that had just been shaken clean.  Never mind I didn’t even know how she could help.  In hind sight, I should have kissed her and told her, “it was enough that she cared and that was more than enough help.”  However her mere tolerance of my confused state was a far better solution than telling me to get my act together.

Have you ever wondered what goes through an angry or frustrated person’s mind? Allow me to share some of the things that were running through my confused mind on that particular morning:

1 I’m already late- can’t be fixed.

2- Going to lose overtime pay- can’t be recouped.

3- Have to do reconnaissance and call the two guys from work to tell them I will be late- will be embarrassed

4- Must find the phone number of the guy I needed to pick up – frustrated at being disorganized.

5- After feeling an initial adrenaline rush, my body was starting to drag- can’t win.

6- Spilled coffee on my white shirt as I hurriedly got in to the car and yelled again-disgusted and angry.

7- Driving faster than I should, trying to make up time and save face- needless carelessness. 

Strange as it may sound, our anger can fuel us to do destructive things and, in my case, not be open to sound reasoning. Even when offered assistance by my wife to reset and try again, I pressed on feeling the need to fix it myself.  Notice I choose to let anger overtake my sensibilities.  My wretched human nature needed to be controlled like a matador tames a bull with his flowing red cape, instead of letting it run free, do damage or just act like a fool.

Unfortunately, like all of us, I have acted despicably before.  As a teen, I remember one particular nasty moment when I verbally insulted another guy about my own age for sport. The best way I can explain my poor behavior is with two reasons, albeit not excuses. One being, I was in a fury to impress another friend of mine, thinking incorrectly if I put someone else down it would elevate me. Second being, I had been put down by others in the past and had been hurt and strangely took it out on someone innocent.

My reasoning quickly vanished when I saw my victim’s facial expression and realized what I did could not be undone.  The guy I was trying to impress was even repulsed, which he should have been. Something I detested came over me, kind of like opening Pandora’s Box, and it was awful.  There simply is no good reason to hurt someone else for sport.

Now why would I be such a knuckleheaded jerk?  Mainly because sin is nasty.  Sin by definition means treating others unfairly, meanly, and thinking only of yourself.  In my opinion, anger can aptly be described as a tornado.  It is fueled by anger, frustration, embarrassment, and feeling like a loser.  When all those emotions come to together and then are unleashed by an individual on others, it can do some serious damage to the landscape of those around us.

This brings me back to an excellent lesson my wife taught me that fateful day, while I was being an angry jerk.  Fortunately, I did not take my anger out on her, but I made a fool out of myself and one of my daughters was even awakened by my tirade.  On that day, my wife simply loved me, and love has a way of making anger look like a downright waste of time.

We should never be running too late to allow anger, like coffee stains a white shirt, to ruin a perfectly good day.

Swavel

Any Last Words

Author’s note:

What you are about to read is from a special guest blogger, who happens to be one of my favorite people in the world.  She is my middle aged daughter, Sianna.  Hope you enjoy her sense of discovery and lucid thought, as much as I did. 

Her very proud father, Swavel

 

 

Any Last Words

                I am always amazed at how film directors always create the deepest, most moving, and most touching last words that take up a full minute. In reality, most people’s last words would be screams of terror. It always caused me to wonder what my last words would be. Last words can mean a lot. They can show your appreciation, be funny, or even change the way people think about you after they die. Here are some of my favorite last words:

                My bad. – I always wanted to use funny last words. This was something I want to say if my death is by some silly mistake I made. Like overheating myself by wearing a parka in the middle of summer. I know that would never happen in real life, but I wanted to start out this list on a light tone.

                I thought I’d have so much more time. – These last words are probably not something people would say outside of a movie. I chose this phrase because it’s so true. It’s like in the story where the boy is given a ball of yarn that, when unraveled, can skip through times in his life. Eventually, he skips through everything important including his and his wife’s deaths. Most of us often think that we have so much more time and, in thinking such, waste so much of the precious time we do have.

                I love you. – This phrase is a classic one so often used as last words in movies. It sounds so cheesy, but it’s still true. I don’t want to be like the person in the movies whose last words to their loved ones are an argument or harsh words over something stupid. My dad comes up to me at random times in the day and says, “Sianna, you are loved!” And I suddenly realize how little I tell him the same thing.

                I’m sorry. – I used to listen to a CD series called Down Gilead Lane. In one episode, a man died and the last words to his wife were, “I’m sorry.” This surprised me as the man had been a loving father of three and a strong Christian. And then I realized he was talking about before he was a Christian when he had never really been there for his family. He was apologizing for all the things that he did wrong in his life to anyone. That is why “I’m sorry,” has become some of my favorite last words.

                The simple truth is that I struggle to remind myself that all the things of this world are temporary. My Uncle Tim has often told me things like, “Everyone who has ever eaten broccoli has died.” People would gasp and ask if that was really true while I would think about it and say, “Wait a minute. Everybody dies eventually.” I want the people closest to me to know that I loved them, that I cared deeply for them, and to be proud of me and my accomplishments. 

My hope is this, that when my time comes, I’ll know just the right words to say. 

Sianna