Author: Don Yaeger

It’s only been a couple of days since the nation got two of the best Conference Championship games in NFL history, and some wounds are still fresh. But there’s not been a better sports weekend that I can remember to talk about one of the most elusive habits of Greatness: Using adversity to fuel your competitive fire.

Three lessons in “winning” from a fake punt: The New Orleans Saints story When your team finds the moment slipping away when all of the energy is flowing against you and it feels like the day just isn’t going to be yours, how do you change momentum? Do you seek the wisdom of a mentor? Follow conventional wisdom? Circle the wagons and declare that you’ll live to fight again another day? Not if you’re Sean Payton.

Like a lot of NFL fans, I sat down to watch the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Chicago Bears. (Full disclosure: I did so from Auckland New Zealand, where it was actually Monday morning) I was curious if the Eagles’ late-season magic would wilt beneath the Bears’ new Monsters of the Midway. So, like a lot of NFL fans, I was fully invested when the Bears kicker, Cody Parkey, stepped out onto the field with 10 seconds...

There’s something special about a fresh start. It’s one of the enduring sentiments of sports, even if we hear it stated differently. Some of the best clichés are about starting from scratch: We have to take it one game at a time. Today’s a new day. What happened last week doesn’t matter. There is no tomorrow. This is a must-win game. This was just one of 162 (or 82, or 16). I just want to finish this week 1-0. We’re...

The film rooms for the offensive and defensive lines of the Chicago Bears has a different feel to it this year. Every lineman who comes into the rooms knows there’s a possibility something great might be just around the corner. I’m not talking about blocking for a long run or protecting on a great pass. That’s what offensive linemen do. It’s part of the job, usually done with little fanfare or credit. But in Chicago,...