Nobody Said It Was Easy
How I Live the One More Shot Mindset
Do I want to write this right now? No. I’d rather be talking about a game-winning play. A sack. A highlight.
But that’s not this week. Our team had a great win and I feel really good about where we’re headed. I felt good going into the Browns game. I really liked how I was playing in the first quarter.
I’ve learned something over my career:
“Making it” is a daily practice.
You enjoy the good times, and work through the tough times.
Having my family at the game added another layer. My kids are still too little to fully understand what an injury means at daddy’s work. But they sense when something’s different. They know when I’m suddenly not on the field. They notice when I’m not bending down to scoop them up the same way after the game. I hate that. But I use it as a different kind of fuel.
When I was drafted by the Lions coming out of BYU, I had surgery before I ever took a regular season snap. Last year, I broke my face in Week 1 and played the rest of the season with a visor. It turned into one of the strongest years of my career.
I’ve been here before. That doesn’t make it easier. But it reminds me I know how to walk through it.
I created One More Shot because I fully believe in the mindset behind it.
You don’t get to control when your shot comes.
You only get to control if you’re ready for it.
I didn’t expect to have to live that out again so soon.
But here we are, so let’s get after it.
Your initial thought might be that time away with an injury is a lighter load and less work. In my world, it’s the opposite. Here’s how I see it. This is my profession. I pride myself on being durable and injury-free. I’m paid to be on a football field making plays. With that in mind, I’m relentless about treatment. It is my job to do everything in my power to get back out there. These days are longer. I go into work extra early, do my treatment, have a full day of work meetings, and get more treatment after hours. I have one job, and it is to be able to do my job.
Some of the best chapters in my career have come after moments like this.
The next one is being written now.
LFG!
Do you feel like your ability to be a leader in the locker room or in the film room is diminished when you’re injured?
Thanks for sharing with your heart on a sleeve. Injuries are the most helpless feeling and I can only imagine amplified to the level of livelihood and brotherhood involved that you spoke of.
You’ll be ready for the next shot no doubt man, can feel the fire in your words.