Russell Wilson, Rookie QB, Loves the Pressure

“I love it when the game is on the line, when everyone else is nervous and I’m excited.” 

--Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback, discussing his mindset with under pressure.

Wilson played the game of his life in the NFC Divisional Playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons. Down 20-0 at halftime, Wilson lead the Seahawks to a comeback in which they led 28-27 with 31 seconds left in the game. Although, the Falcons kicked a game-winning field goal to defeat the Seahawks, Wilson was already looking forward to next season.

“The greatest thing about it is, we get to look forward to the next opportunity,” Wilson said.

Wilson passed for 385 yards on 24 for 36 passing, his career high, in his second playoff game.   Wilson completed the first 10 passes of the second half and rushed for 60 yards in the game.  The passing total was the highest in history for any rookie quarterback in an NFL playoff game.  

Wilson, an unheralded third-round draft choice, emphasized the Seahawks' resilience in coming back. "What defined the game was our attitude," Wilson said. "The way we played, and our resilient focus to play the game at a high level for the rest of the game.

"Anybody watching this game that knows football knows that was an unbelievable comeback, unbelievable game and an unbelievable atmosphere against a very, very good football team in the Atlanta Falcons."

Excerpts from nytimes.com, bleacherreport.com and seattletimes.com (January 13, 2013).

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Quiet Leadership: Eli Manning and Giants are Ready for the Super Bowl

“We got an excellent message from Eli.  It was very well-needed. For players like myself who have been to a Super Bowl, it is still great to hear someone speak with that kind of leadership. And you know, Eli doesn't say much. When he says it, he means it and you know it is coming from the heart." 

--Antrel Rolle, New York Giants’ safety, discussing a speech given by Eli Manning as they prepare for their Super Bowl rematch with the New England Patriots.   

Eli Manning’s Quiet Leadership"There's a lot of pressure coming into a season on a team like this and if you walked in and are working with a veteran quarterback, and you make a mistake and he's ripping you apart, putting you down or making it obvious on the field that it's your fault, then that would make a tough situation even worse.

"Eli doesn't approach it that way. I know that when me and Victor came in, we didn't know everything and we still don't. But when we made a mistake, ran the wrong route, he always took the time to help us. That's what good leaders do. They realize the team's not just made of vets. You have to be willing to accept other people's mistakes and Eli is great with that, one of the best.

"I don't know how he was before. But maybe because he didn't always get that when he started out he understands how important it is. Again, that's just Eli - hard worker, commander, leader."

-- Jake Ballard, the second-year tight end.

"Instead of jumping on receivers when they make mistakes, Eli is more likely to pull them aside on the sideline, explain what they had discussed in practice and tell them what he's expecting from them," said former Giants quarterback and current ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck. "When you have a guy who doesn't have a confrontational approach to dealing with things, that's a better way of handling things. One of the reasons he and Kevin Gilbride [Giants’ offensive coordinator] get along so well is because Eli is the way he is. Kevin can be pretty fiery."

"Eli told everybody at the beginning of the season that he's a leader," Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty said. "And he's proven that with his performance."

"I think a leader is someone who motivates someone to achieve a goal or change their actions or improve their actions, and Eli has that ability," Barden said. "Now, he's not the kind of guy who's going to get in your face or ride you and yell at you. He displays his displeasure or his emotion as anyone else does, but he goes about it in a way so that it doesn't negatively affect the game."

-- Ramses Barden, Giants’ third-year receiver, discussing Manning’s statement about his elite status as an NFL quarterback.

Elite Status as Quarterback

"That's been obvious to me, since I've been here and you want that kind of attitude out of your quarterback. Now he's had the opportunity to prove it beyond a doubt, putting up numbers that are beyond what people expected from him," said Barden. 

Solid Stability

"It's his strength," "You're not dealing with a roller-coaster guy here, you know? These are all young receivers and I know how confident they all are talking to him, trying to tell him what they see," said Sean Ryan, the Giants' second-year receivers coach.

"…But after being with him for a while, it's his consistency not only as a quarterback but as a person that you know you can count on,” Barden said.

At the outset of Manning's fourth season that Tiki Barber introduced himself as a network commentator by calling Manning's leadership skills comical. Months later, Manning led the Giants past the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. Process is all about patience.

"He's all right, he's as tough as they come,"

--Hakeem Nicks, wide-receiver.   

Intelligence and Preparation

"He has functional intelligence. He can sit in a film room and break down route combinations, pass protections, defensive fronts, and he can do it all in about three seconds. Coaches like to get into the habit of running tape over and over so players understand what you're trying to do. Eli doesn't need that. We get excited about fast-twitch athletes, guys who are really explosive physically. He's what you call a fast-twitch thinker."

--Duke offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, who coached Manning at Ole Miss.

"For us it's no surprise our offense goes how Eli directs it," Giants left tackle David Diehl said. "His understanding and grasp of our offense, his knowledge of things, the way that he's able to recognize blitzes or coverages or different things. When he is watching film, he notices things that the [defensive] line is doing. Not many quarterbacks pay attention."

A season ago, he was berated by Giants fans for not showing enough emotions on the sidelines during a difficult 10-6 season. Now, it is considered remarkable how he never looks rattled especially during the playoffs. Manning boasts an all-time playoff mark of 6-3.

"I think it is his mentality. It is his approach. Nobody sees what he does behind the scenes. He is a studier and a pounder. He is looking for every little advantage that he can get. He is just trying to be the best he can be to help this team win," head coach Tom Coughlin said.

"If we could all just remember that and use that. He loves playing against the best competition, but it is just all about doing the best for his team."

"I think we are always confident going into games. Guys understand the way to win football games against good teams. Our defense is playing great with pressure and turnovers," Manning said. "Our offense for the most part is protecting the ball and playing smart football. When we have a chance to make a big play we are making them."

Excerpts from ESPN.com (2/4/2012) nytimes.com (01/20/2012) and Sports.yahoo.com (01/16/2012; 2/2/2012).

Ray Lewis: The Team Player

"As a man, I said it earlier, not one play won or lost this game. Could you have put us in a position to keep playing, absolutely. But one play didn't win or lose the game. There is no one man who has ever lost a game. Don't you ever drop your head. We win as a team, we lose as a team. There is no 'Billy is the fault, Bill missed the kick.' It happens, move on, move on, as a man, because life doesn't stop."

--Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens' linebacker, telling the media what he will tell Billy Cundiff, who missed a game-tying field goal that allowed the New England Patriots to win the AFC Championship.

The Ray Lewis Mentality

"For us to be here now, I'm hungry again and I'm thirsty again. Every time you go through something like this, it has to drive you. I truly believe that's the only thing that makes people great. It's not the ones who always winning that people remember. It's the ones who go through tough times."

--Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens' linebacker, after losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. 

Lewis is a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a16-year NFL veteran and 13-time NFL Pro Bowler.

"Is this my last time as a Raven? Absolutely not," Lewis said. "Let me answer that question before somebody asks me. Absolutely not. It's just too much. Life offers too much. Everytime you step on this field, it's a true blessing."
 
"God has never made a mistake. Ever," Lewis said. "Somebody is going to feel like this tomorrow, and somebody is going to feel like this in two weeks in the Super Bowl. And whomever wins it, that's their year. That's a fact, and there ain't nothing nobody else can do about it. That's the irony of sports. There is a winner, there's a loser, and when you lose, you've got to suck it up like a man and say 'You know what Father? If it's your will, so be it. As a man you got to keep moving, and a team keep building, remembering this taste."

Excerpts from http://www.hometownannapolis.com (1.23.2012).

Eli Manning Leads New York Giants to the Super Bowl Again

“Eli is just as calm in the fourth quarter as he is in the first quarter of a preseason game. They expect to score. That’s impressive.”

 --Eli Manning’s brother Peyton said outside the New York Giants’ locker room after their overtime N.F.C. championship game.  

Eli quarterbacked the New York Giants to a win in the N.F.C. championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.  Manning and the Giants advanced to the Super Bowl with a 20-17 victory.   They will face the New England Patriots whom they upset in their previous Super Bowl meeting in 2007.

Excerpts from nytimes.com (January 23, 2012)

The Green Bay Packers: A Season of Ups and Downs

“You never go into a season and think you are not going to face adversity.   Everybody stepped up and played the way they were supposed to play, and that’s what you have to have. The comfort level hasn’t been big since March, and it’s not going to change. We have four more quarters to go.”

--Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, discussing an up-and-down season in which the Packers had to win their final regular season game to qualify for a sixth-seed in the NFC.  

After a season of setbacks and failures, the Packers have now made an improbable run to the Super Bowl and are a slight favorite to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.  They have beaten the Philadelphia Eagles and Michael Vick; the Atlanta Falcons, the #1 seed in the NFC;  and the Chicago Bears on the Bears' frozen home field.  The remain standing while many other NFL favorites were sent home. 


Their season has been one  in which mental toughness, perseverance, and emotional resilience have been needed at times when their playoff survival was on the line.  They possessed the poise and tenacity that championship teams need to move forward.  


Perhaps their season has resembled your business or personal year. How well did you anticipate adversity? What kind of resilience did you need? How well  did you bounce back?       


What about this year?  Do you or your team have the ability to deal with adversity and failure?  Do you display extreme strength and emotional resilience to tolerate pressure and bounce back from setbacks?  Are you able to persist through difficulties?  Can you accept criticism and constructive feedback?   Do you have the determination to persevere?  


Are you willing to pay the price to achieve success?  Do you display the toughness to endure the pain, suffering and hard work that brings results? Do you have the mental toughness to withstand the most difficult of circumstances?  Do you have a way to learn from your mistakes?  Do you have the expectation that things should be smooth and free from difficulty?    Are you prone to whining and complaining about how hard things are?  


Perhaps you need to readjust your expectations and build up your tolerance for adversity, like the Green Bay Packers.  


Excerpts from the New York Times (January 25, 2011). 


For more on mental conditioning, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.

Green Bay Packer Aaron Rodgers Thinks He Is In The Zone

"This probably was my best performance -- the stage we were on, the importance of this game.  It was a good night."

"I just got into a rhythm, not only throwing the football but moving around in the pocket.  This was probably my best performance. I think the stage that we were on, the importance of the game, so yeah, it was a good night."

"It was one of those nights.  I felt like I was in the zone."

--Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers' quarterback, who lead the team to an upset of the NFC's #1-seeded football team. 

In the Packers' 48-21 blowout of the Atlanta Falcons, he completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 136.8. His 86.1 completion percentage was the fifth best in NFL playoff history.

During the game which put the Packers in the NFC Championship Game and one win away from an appearance in the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl wide receiver Greg Jennings said Rodgers shot him a nasty glare after Jennings slipped on a route when the score was 42-21. The message, as Jennings explained later, was clear: The Packers aren't about to let up at this time of the year. 

"He was pretty perturbed, but that's his mindset right now," Jennings said. "It's scary when you have a guy who's approaching things like that."

"It's a physical and mental phenomenon. A chemical cocktail floods through your body as glycogen, adrenaline and endorphins. And it's a feeling of a purposeful calm. When you have this feeling, you feel that nothing can go wrong. You feel in control. And you are completely immersed in the moment."

Jim Fannin, sports psychologist.  

The body reacts to stress by rushing blood to the brain, giving the individual a heightened sense of clarity. The blood also goes to the large muscles to improve quickness, strength and agility. Rational thought takes a backseat to the subconscious and intuition often takes over.

"I've coached singular athletes like golfers and tennis players who can get in that mind-set but when you're on a team, with many people in that mental and physical state, it's contagious. If you notice, most of the athletes that struggle with retirement are the ones that have not only had personal success, but they've also had team success," says Fannin.

"You're in a foxhole, you're in a zone state with somebody. You're still friends with that guy, if you both survived the thing, 50 years later. You have a common bond that you shared that you just can't replicate. And words can't decribe what you experienced. That's a mental dance that hard to replicate in business. It can be done in relationships. But those things take time."

"No one has been able to define what it means, but everyone knows it exists. It's when everything - the physical, the mental, and the emotional - comes together. Everything seems to click."

-- Walt Thompson, professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University.

Athletes refer to the state of being in the zone when everything comes together, when one does great things, and when mind and body are able to stretch to the limit to accomplish greatness. This state involves total immersion and focus, such that distractions and "noise" are absent. Often, at times of peak performance, athletes find themselves "in the zone." For basketball players the basket seems bigger and wider. They can't miss. For baseball players, they report being able to see the baseball bigger, more clearly and in great detail. Football players describe a feeling of being invincible with the ability to run all day through their opponents without being touched. In the zone, your confidence is high, worry is non-existent.

Mental conditioning helps athletes to improve confidence, increase focus, prevent distractions and manage emotions in order to get in the zone.  To get more information about mental conditioning, check out The Handbook of Peak Performance.  

Excerpts from ESPN.com (January 17, 2011).

New Orleans Saints' Mindset Brings Them Into Playoffs

“Honestly we expect and plan on playing in the postseason. That expectation is something to where it would have been disappointing had we not had this opportunity. I would say that once you’ve had a chance to win a championship, your thirst for more of that type of success only grows stronger. You never take for granted these seasons or these years because this group isn’t something that’s a permanent thing.

“I don’t view (the playoff berth) as a checkmark in what we’ve wanted to accomplish. We want to accomplish bigger things than just getting into the postseason.”

--Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints' head coach, after New Orleans clinched consecutive playoff berths for the first time since making three straight appearances from 1990-92. 

After winning the Super Bowl last season, Saint regular season wins like the one over the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome this weekend are not a big deal in New Orleans.

A big part of this mindset and high expectations for the New Orleans Saints comes from quarterback Drew Brees.   

"He can put a mistake past him, and the players all feel that with him under center, we are in any game we play," Payton said of Brees, who completed seven consecutive passes on the go-ahead touchdown drive, including a 6-yard touchdown to tight end Jimmy Graham on third-and-3.

"I was just telling myself, give ourselves a chance," Brees said. "The defense did a great job of stopping them ... and I've seen this team come back and win in a lot of different ways. So despite everything that had happened previous to that last drive, we could go 90 yards just one play at a time, convert some first downs and find a way to take the lead back."

The Saints fought their way back in Monday night's game, marching 90 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 3:24 remaining.  

"It's very rewarding, because you're going to have things happen like that. It's not always going to be rosy. There's going to be some mistakes made and potentially mistakes made by you," Brees said of the clinching drive. "So you just have to find a way to respond. At the quarterback position everyone is looking to you for confidence. They want poise, composure. If you get rattled, they get rattled. If you stay poised, they stay poised. And you just try to show that for them."

Brees completed 35 of 49 passes for 302 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in another winning effort.

Excerpts from NOLA.com (December 28, 2010) and 2theadvocate.com (December 29, 2010). 

For more information on performance psychology and mental conditioning, click on Peak Performance eCoach, and request access.

Tony Romo: Dallas Cowboys' Quarterback Learns About Accountability

"It's very easy in this profession to look at somebody else and blame. It's almost difficult to make yourself accountable to the rest of the guys. But when trouble arrived, we stayed committed to the plan. There wasn't all the little bickering and guys stayed committed to the team.

"I've only been playing for four years now, but we played two of them before and I felt like one of them was my fault. So I didn't feel like this was the most impossible thing ever that everyone made it out to be. The other thing is, if you're good enough you'll win. If I wasn't good enough to win a playoff game as a quarterback then I wouldn't have. It's very simple in the approach. It's just I'm going to go out there and play as hard as I can, I'm going to commit to it fully, this team is and if we're good enough to win, we'll find a way to get the job done."

--Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys' quarterback, disucssing his maturity and sense of accountability.

In his first career playoff win after two defeats, Romo completed 23 of 35 passes for 244 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a 104.9 passer rating.

"That No. 9 over there has a long future that’s just beginning to reach its potential in my mind. You can put a lot of things together when you’ve got stability at quarterback. It falls off fast. It’s like holding Jell-O when you don’t have a quarterback."

--Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys' owner.

"He's certainly developed as a quarterback. This is a completely different team, the dynamics of this team are very different.

"And again, I keep saying this, but his approach is to try to get better every day. That's what's allowed him to grow and to develop, and it has a lot to do with how he goes about his business, and hopefully, he can continue that this week."

--Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys' assistant head coach.

Romo uses self-talk to overcome mistakes.

"I said to myself, 'OK, I threw an interception, but I can't play as if I'm afraid to throw another one, Romo said after an interception this year. "If I do, I won't play with the same tempo or speed or ability."

Romo is focused on continuous improvement. "Nothing excited me more than to work on something and see the improvement," said Romo, who finished the regular season with 26 touchdowns and a 1.6 interception percentage -- Dallas' best since Troy Aikman in 1998. "When I stop improving, I'll quit."

With that, the Dallas Cowboys have alot more in mind for the NFL playoffs.

"Our goals are much bigger than winning that first game," Dallas linebacker Keith Brooking said after the Cowboys beat the Eagles, 34-14, Saturday night, in the wild card playoff game. "That's just being dead honest with you. We have a lot left that we want to accomplish and do. This is just the tip of the iceberg for us."

"Know what? It won't be as much fun if we don't take care of business during the week and prepare the way we can," safety Ken Hamlin said. "Continuing playing is great, but we're not settling for this one game."

"That's what I love about this team, it's on to the next thing," defensive end Marcus Spears said. "You really don't have time to soak in what you just did."

Balancing focus, intensity and calm, Romo is extremely competitive.

"I know that sometimes my nature seems too light," said Romo, who became the first quarterback in Cowboy history to take every snap of the season. "But underneath I'm extremely competitive. I'm focused."

Excerpts from ESPN.com, Dallas News.com, New York Daily News, and CBSsports.com (January 4,10-11, 2010).

For more on the Dallas Cowboys franchise, click on Dallas Cowboys: Peak Performance Case Study.

Cardinal Accountability: Getting to the Super Bowl

"It feels good. It's my job. I want to make sure I'm accountable. If not, I get that death stare from Kurt."

--Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals' wide-receiver, talking about his record-setting performance in the NFL playoffs.

Fitzgerald has 419 receiving yards in the 2008-2009 postseason breaking the great Jerry Rice's record. Fitzgerald has become the favorite target of veteran quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner as the Arizona Cardinals have advanced to the Super Bowl despite 50-1 odds.

"Larry's not a flashy guy. he's not going to showboat, not going to taunt you. He gets into the end zone, and he acts like he expected to get there."

--Tim Hightower, Arizona Cardinals' rookie running back.

Fitzgerald caught three touchdown passes in the Cardinals' 32-25 win in the NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cardinals will now play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.

"He always said he was going to be the best receiver in the game, and he is. He doesn't play football for the fame. He doesn't play football to have cameras shoved in his face. He plays football to be the best receiver who ever lived and win championships. That's not a show, that's Larry."

--Tyler Palko, former University of Pittsburgh quarterback, who played with Fitzgerald in college.



Excerpts from the New York Times, 1/19/2009 and 1/25/2009.