The National Football League season is just around the corner, and I’m a big fan of the sport. I order the NFL Sunday Ticket so I can watch every Cincinnati Bengals game. I take part in fantasy football. I even shift my work schedule around so that I can watch football, spend time with my family, and still get plenty of work done from September through February.
Yep. I love football.
Football is as strategic as it can be brutal. It features a lot of stop and go, and a lot of guessing in order to make sure the offense can move forward or – if you’re on the defensive side of the ball – barely move at all.
The NFL has largely been built on the running game in the past, with the passing game being used more and more in recent years. In fact, the forward pass has been around for less than 100 years (American football has been around since 1869) and was not exactly welcomed with open arms when it was first introduced to the game.
Why was that?
Well, teams initially didn’t know how to defend it. That meant huge gains for the offense and more scoring. Over time, defenses adjusted and the risk of the forward pass became greater as the secondary defensive players (generally the ones who covers the eligible receivers of the football) were able to catch the ball instead – or intercept the passes.
The forward pass can be risky, especially the farther down the field it is flung. There is more time for the defense to adjust. The quarterback’s accuracy can be compromised the deeper he throws it. The chance of something going wrong is greater because the difference between where the ball was and where it is set to be is greater.
But sometimes, in order to catch the defense off guard or because they’ve played the run, you have to throw the deep ball…despite all of the risks involved.
Life is no different.
Sometimes you need to play it safe and make short gains. But sometimes you need to go deep. You need to figure out if you can make that big play happen. And if you have the right pieces in place – the right approach, the right mindset, the right tools – you’ll have a better chance of reaping the rewards of going deep.
If you’ve got the right approach in place – either The Time Crafting Method or another one that works for you – then don’t be afraid to throw the deep ball every once in a while. The results – no matter what they are – will be worth receiving.
