I wasn’t going to do it.
I told myself I wasn’t going to write about the lessons we can learn from the Super Bowl.
I know I am one to look for lessons in everyday events. And about midway through the game I had mentally drafted a blog post about the 5 things we can learn from Super Bowl XLIX. With crazy stories like Chris Matthews going from Foot Locker to Randy Mass clone, the post would have practically written itself.
There were so many lessons that could have been drawn from the game, but by the end of the 3rd quarter I had changed my mind and convinced myself not to write about it. I figured that so many other people were going to write pretty much the same post that I had planned. And quite frankly, they would probably write it better and faster than I would (evidence here). That is by no means a bad thing. I just figured the blog world didn’t need another Super Bowl lesson post.
But then anytime I looked at Twitter, I kept being reminded of one specific lesson.
When Malcolm Butler jumped that route, the coach in me screamed, “Preparation.” Knew without hesitation where to go on that “pick” play.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) February 2, 2015
The more I learn about Malcolm Butler’s path to that INT, the more my heart swells. Testament to the Big Three: Believe, Persevere, Prepare! — Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) February 2, 2015
Everyone kept talking about Malcolm Butler’s game saving interception. And many people were attributing it to one thing…preparation.
Butler, himself, mentioned that when asked about the play, “Goal line, preparation, the formation they were in with the two-receiver stack, I just knew they were throwing a pick route,” he said. “It was on the line, we needed it, and I just beat him to the route and made the play.”
It took less than seven seconds for Malcolm Butler to jump in front of the Russell Wilson pass and win the Super Bowl, but the reason he made that play had more to do with seven days, than seven seconds.
It is safe to guess that the Patriots coaches noticed something when watching game film on when the Seahawks run what Butler called “a pick route.” It may have been the way receivers line up or maybe the way Russell Wilson looks at the field. Whatever it was, the Patriots drilled it into their players’ minds in the week of practice leading up to the game.
Malcolm Butler spent seven days preparing for the seven seconds that would make him a household name. Like Scar from The Lion King, Butler knew how important it is to “be prepared.”
So, even though I told myself I wouldn’t write about a lesson to be learned from the Patriots vs. Seahawks, I chose to do so anyway.
Preparation is not always pleasant, but it’s results can be rewarding.
That is why we force ourselves to podcast every week. That is why we stay up late writing. That is why we swim one extra lap even when our arms feel like pool noodles.
So when our Super Bowl comes, we are ready to jump the route and make the play.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
