Dropping the Ball

This will come as no surprise to those who know me well, but I watch a lot of football games on TV. I watch at least two games, sometimes more (more than one at once) on Sundays, and I watch the highlights in between. I love the NFL. But there are things that bother me.

Yesterday, I noticed a lot of receivers dropping the ball in clutch situations. Sometimes it was good — a Ram receiver dropped the ball to give Denver new life — and sometimes it wasn't — Daniel Graham dropped a pass in the clutch squandering that new life for Denver. Sometimes it was pivotal — DeSean Jackson dropped a pass in the end zone as the Eagles comeback fell short — and sometimes it wasn't — several New Orleans Saints dropped passes from Drew Brees but the team rallied to win anyway.

But none was bigger than the drop by Steve Johnson in Buffalo. In that game Johnson — who was WIDE open — dropped a potential game-winning touchdown pass. Everyone in the stadium thought the game was over, but it continued. And the Buffalo Bills lost the game to the Steelers a few minutes later.

I'm used to seeing receivers — even highly touted receivers — drop passes at critical times. It's a part of the game and, most of the time, those who drop the ball just brush it off. But that's not what Johnson did.

In one of the most emotional post-game press conferences I've seen in a while, Johnson owned his error and was torn up about it. He took responsibility for the loss and said he would never get over the way he let his team down. You don't see that every day.

While some will be critical of Johnson for his role in the loss and for blowing a big play, I was moved by the fact he took it to heart. So were his teammates. Buffalo running back Fred Jackson said, "No matter what, I want him on my team for the rest of my career."

We all fall short, we all make errors, and we all have times where we let others down. But it's how we respond in those moments that show our character. Johnson could have blown off the play, he could have complained about the elements or the throw, but he didn't make excuses, he owned his mistake. And his teammates respect him more for it.

The question is how we will respond in similar situations.