For about 58 minutes last night the Monday night football game was what I wanted it to be. The Commanders had the ball and the lead and were driving down the field. Then mother nature caused a bubble and a second year QB caused a bumble that lead to a depressing lose. It is a lesson in the young career of Jayden Daniels. That sometimes we need to go backwards to go forwards.
It is hard to win in the NFL when turning the ball over three times. Interceptions and fumbles are going to happen. It is the unforced errors that are going to kill you, and that is what we witness last night. When Jayden couldn’t corral the snap on the Commanders final drive he should have eaten it. His priority should have been to secure the ball, but he proceeded with the ball. He attempted to hand off a ball he had no control over, and it ended up on the ground and in the possession of the Bears. Who drove down the field for a game winning field goal as time expired.
For 58 minutes the Commanders outplayed the Bears, but that doesn’t always lead to wins. In football, as in life, small mistakes can quickly turn into big ones. I look back at the past year and wonder where all my small mistakes were. How many fumbles have I had along the way. At times it feels like I am stumbling and bumbling my way through life. The last few years have felt like that.
I saw a study recently that when men become parents they lose a part of their brain. It stops receiving blood flow and slowly dies. So, when I have felt like parenting is making me lose my mind it is because I have.
Mistakes are a part of life, but sometimes we need to eat the small mistakes so that they don’t become bigger mistakes. Jayden Daniels, hopefully, learned a valuable lesson last night. That his first priority is ball security. Hold onto the football at all cost. If it means a broken play that results in lost yardage that is much better then the other outcome.
At the spot on the field where the Commanders were the worst case scenario was a Tress Way punt after more time had been run off the clock. Instead they ended up coughing the ball up and the Bears ran it right down their throats.
It is hard to win when you let little mistakes become big ones. It is a lesson we should all take in stride and learn from. When life hands us a slippery football the best thing to do is fall on it. Don’t compound the small mistakes by ignoring them or struggling against them. Eat it and live to fight another day.
David Huzzard Writes 