Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said he couldn’t define pornography but he would know it when he saw it. Whether or not I can define being a winner, I do know that I saw it last Monday night in Atlanta.
I saw it in Drew Brees’ eyes and it translated into his actions. He threw two hideous interceptions late in the game against the Falcons. The Saints needed a TD to win and keep their hopes alive for the division and number one seed in the NFC. Brees throws those interceptions and how did he react? Like a leader and winner.
Brees didn’t freak out. He didn’t throw his jersey into the stands and storm out on his team. No, that would be Vince Young’s response to adversity. He had fire in his eyes and determination. He led his team on a drive that won the game. He’s a winner.
Being a winner is not a measurable. Let’s go to the playground for a pick up game. There’s a lot of quarterbacks to pick from. You get to watch them for a while. Picked first are Jeff George, Ryan Leaf, Jamarcus Russell, and Vince Young because damn they look pretty. That’s fine. I’ll gladly take Bart Starr,Joe Montana, Tom Brady or Drew Brees. Wayne Gretzky would be standing a while waiting to be picked for pick up hockey too.
This doesn’t just apply to sports. There are people who just get it. They have a mind set that says they will succeed. Paul Westphal said that Charles Barkely was a pleasure to coach, that he had fire in his belly. Westphal said that you see frustrated NBA coaches because they have players without that fire and there’s nothing you can do to give it to them.
Tom Golisano lived out the American Dream in building Paychex from the ground up. He started with nothing. His motto in hiring? You can’t really motivate people so hire people already motivated and just don’t de-motivate them.
Being a winner counts. Especially in a leadership position like quarterback. Or point guard. It will be interesting to see how this new generation fairs in that respect. There is no questioning the amazing talent of both Derrick Rose and John Wall. But are they leaders? Time will tell. Will they make their teammates better or will they just make great plays, padding stats. Leadership is judgement. Supposedly Wall’s close friend on the Wizards was Gilbert Arenas, before his trade. Hmm. Not great judgement. Interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment