O-Line Leadership

My son Brooks played Offensive Line in high school. I love anything about coaching so reading an article about coaching an offensive lineman was interesting to me. Don't judge.

Sometime leadership is just clear and obvious and just slaps you in the face. No explanation is needed. Here is what I read in a recent Sports Illustrated article.

Andrew Whitworth is 6'7 and 330 lbs. He has a bald head and salt-and-pepper beard. He radiates class and confidence. Inside his locker, engraved on his lock-box, is a passage: I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say, "Because of you, I didn't give up." Tacking up a motivational message like this is one thing. Living up to it is another.

This off-season, Whitworth approached the final year of his contract and watched the Bengals draft two potential replacements. How did he react? By reaching out to both rookies, inviting them to his house and offering any help they needed. "At the end of the day, who you are as a man is more important than who you are as a football player," says Whitworth. "For those guys to one day be as good as they can possibly be is more important than whether or not they beat me out. If you're a true warrior, competition doesn't scare you. It makes you better."