Taking the Ball Out of Mahomes' Hands

 I find it interesting how many Kansas City Chiefs fans and others are griping about "taking the ball out of Patrick Mahomes' hands" at the end of the Chiefs' loss last night. Let's not let the facts and game situation get in the way of this argument, shall we?

3:14 to play, ball at KC 25: Mahomes passes to Byron Pringle for 23 yards. The ball is at the Baltimore 48. In one pass, the Chiefs have already moved the ball to midfield with more than two minutes left to play. And, keep in mind that the Chiefs' defense had not truly stopped the Ravens all night--that the Ravens stopped themselves with their two turnovers earlier in the game.

2:35 to play, ball at KC 48: Mahomes passes to Travis Kelce for 13 yards. At Baltimore 39 at the two-minute warning. So, the Chiefs are in long field goal range already at the 2:00 mark, meaning that they are in serious danger of scoring too quickly and thus giving the ball back to Baltimore, who has one timeout left.

2:00 to play, ball at Baltimore 39: Mahomes hits Kelce for seven yard gain, putting the ball at the Baltimore 32 yard line. Now the Chiefs are in range for Harrison Butker and a winning field goal.

1:25 to play, ball at Baltimore 32: Mahomes hands off to Clyde Edwards-Helaire who fumbles. Baltimore recovers. The replay shows that Edwards-Helaire never did get the ball tucked away. However, is that "taking the ball out of Mahomes' hands" or is it the prudent play call, given the desire to position for a winning FG while keeping the ball away from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' offense?

In sum, the call was the right one--the handoff between quarterback and running back wasn't executed properly and, once again, we see the tight margin between winning, and losing, in the National Football League.

Where Were You?

 The headline on my digital news feed this morning read, "Where were you on that fateful day?" I immediately thought of Alan Jackson's song, written days after 9/11/01, with the lyrics "Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?"

Who among us doesn't remember where we were at on the morning of September 11, 2001, when the twin towers in New York went down and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. was in flames? As Jackson's lyrics say, "Were you in the yard with your wife and children or on some stage in L.A.? Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke risin' against that blue sky? Did you shout out in anger in fear for your neighbor? Or did you just sit down and cry?"

The memories of that day for me - and I'm sure for most - are still as vivid as they were a short time after the tragedy of 9/11.

I was working at Sprint on that Tuesday and, like most mornings, was in the office early attending to what I needed to accomplish before the meetings and various demands of that day began. A colleague on my team - another consistent early-to-work person - came in and said "Turn on your TV--I heard that a plane flew into a building in New York." I immediately thought that a small plane must have somehow veered off course and crashed.

I turned on my TV and she and I looked on at a scene of smoke billowing out of the north tower of the World Trade Center. I remember that my immediate reaction was "What the...!?" It was hard to determine what had happened and the news commentary we listened to was equally unsure. 

We stood in my office, watching, and soon others joined as word spread that something was amiss in New York. My office was filled with co-workers--all eyes focused on that TV and the story that was unfolding. All eyes watched as a second plane flew into the south tower and the commentary, both on TV and in my office, shifted to one of shock and terror.

The world forever changed on that day. Now, 20 years later, we once again reflect on that fateful day--of lives lost, of stories of courage, of the forever impact on all of us.

Much has and will be written, said and reported on today, tomorrow and this weekend as the reliving of 9/11 is played out across all media. My suggestion to you is that this be a time to sit, reflect and never forget the lives lost and the forever impact of that act of terrorism. 

"The World's Greatest Metronome"

 The death on Tuesday of Charlie Watts, drummer for The Rolling Stones, has made me reflect on his life and the steady leadership that he provided to the "world's greatest rock-and-roll band." 

Watts joined the Stones in 1963 and never missed a concert during that timespan of numerous tours, albums and appearances. News of his death caused a variety of tributes from fellow entertainers. The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey, said Watts was the "perfect gentleman, as sharp in his manner of dress as he was on the drums." And Joan Baez commented that he was "a prince among thieves" and " a gentleman through and through."

It was Questlove's (The Roots) tribute, though, that I found most interesting. 

"He's always been a solid foundational drummer. He was the anti-drummer. He wasn't performative to let you know how hard he was f----ing working. He gave you the basic foundation." 

Quest continued, "Watts became a legend not because of who he was associated with but because he's providing the foundation. Only real drummers know the value of Charlie Watts and the fact that he was the world's greatest metronome. Trust me, his 'less is more' technique is probably some of the most genius playing that you'll ever hear."

There is certainly a lesson in leadership in the way that Watts provided the foundation for a band that has been together for 58 years and which includes two enormous personalities (onstage and off) in Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. One can easily make the case that the Stones would not have been "the Stones" without the talent - and quiet leadership - of Charlie Watts. Watts' place in The Rolling Stones is a lesson for all of us in how we perform, team...and lead.

Road Closed to Thru Traffic

 A week ago, a digital road sign appeared in my neighborhood saying “Street closed, August 12.” 

The notice caused a momentary, mental "hmmm" as I carried on with my mission of wherever I was going in my car. I gave the sign nary a thought after that one flicker of acknowledgment.

The date of August 12 came and I was once again in my car traveling the usual route when I came across a larger, more permanent sign in the road that said "ROAD CLOSED TO THRU TRAFFIC." My muscle memory told me to carry on because this is my normal route, right? I quickly came across another sign, across the entire road, that emphasized "ROAD CLOSED TO THRU TRAFFIC."

I grudgingly turned the car around and found an alternate route to my destination. While longer and less direct, I still arrived at where I needed to go.

Isn't this a metaphor for life these days? Isn't this a metaphor for what businesses and brands and organizations are dealing with as the pandemic hit, seemingly waned, and now is back in its continued disruption of our usual, chosen paths? How many saw an initial sign but carried on believing the challenge to be short-lived? Or, perhaps not believing that it was a challenge at all?

The longer, altered route may be less satisfying during the journey but the end result is often more rewarding given the challenge that's been overcome. While the longer way may not synch up with our desire for instant gratification or our muscle memory, it does satisfy the need to problem solve and to achieve the desired result.

Don't let the longer way get in your way.