Around this time last year I wrote some blogs pertaining
to the NFL playoffs and Super bowl. I’m going to write another series of blogs
revisiting some of the same and possible some new topics.

Last year I wrote about Colin Kaepernick’s ability to
persevere in the face of adversity. This was highlighted in last year’s
playoffs when he repeatedly helped his team battle back from deficits. I
mentioned how he seems to have the much desired trait of being able to learn
from and move past mistakes without becoming distracted with negative self-talk
or fearful predictions. This year he showed the same resiliency. The year began
poorly when the Niners lost two of their first three games. These losses to the
Seahawks and Colts were blowouts. Kaepernick rebounded by winning the next 5 in
impressive fashion, the closest game was when the Niners beat the Cardinals by
12. Then more adversity when the Niners lost to the Panthers by one and then to
the Saints by three. Kapernick responded well by winning the regular season’s
six remaining games and earning a playoff spot in what was arguably the league’s
toughest division, the NFC West. Kaepernick’s season ended last week when he
was a play away from bring his team back from a deficit against the Seahawks.
Instead of throwing the winning touchdown, he threw an interception. But keep
in mind that he accounted for 92% of the team’s offense, partially due to
running back Frank Gore’s 14 rushing yards. Plus, it was only the second time
all year in which Kaepernick threw multiple picks in one game. Last year I
questioned whether Kaepernick was “the real deal.” I think there is enough
evidence to solidify his place as one of the better QB’s in the league. I would
say one trip to the Super bowl and two NFC championship games prove this,
coupled with only one off season of preparation as starting quarterback. But
there is always doubt. He made a mistake on last week that would wreak havoc on
most performers’ minds. But I’m going to predict (which is not a bold
prediction) that Kaepernick again demonstrates the ability to respond favorably
in the face of adversity.   

Richard Sherman, the all-pro cornerback for the Superbowl bound Seattle Seahawks made
headlines on what was one of the best and most athletic plays of the playoffs,
ever. The 49ers were driving down the field when Sherman acrobatically blocked a
pass intended for Michael Crabtree, which was then intercepted. The play both
earned the Seahawks a trip to the Superbowl, while ending the 49ers season.
However, it was the aftermath that garnered all of the attention. Sherman patted
Crabtree’s on the but/attempted to shake his hand, put his hands on his neck in
the universal choking symbol while staring at Niner QB Kapepernick, and then he
was interviewed a minute later on the field in what seemed like a WWE pre-match
  interview between the Ultimate Warrior and Mean Gene Oakerlund.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjiQ6yv0Dg4  


Needless to say social media, sport stations, and the media could
not get enough of this behavior. People chimed in with different viewpoints that
ran the gamut between proud acceptance and angry criticism. Everyone seemed to
have an opinion about his behavior. The sport analysts have been dissecting the
motivation behind Sherman’s actions, commenting on his intelligence, and
debating on the impacting of trash talking in sports. But there is an important
underlying psychological concept. Every performer (athlete, artist, business
person…) is constantly sifting through the inner voices. Unfortunately, for
most, the negative voices are often the loudest, which lead to anxiety, lowered
motivation, and poor performance. A lot of the work I do in my private practice
is to help athletes understand this concept, while simultaneously developing
strategies to quiet the negative voices and making the positive voices louder.
In Sherman’s case, the loud inner voice escapes and is shown to everyone.
Terrell Owens, Mario Balotelli, Barry Bonds Cristiano Ronaldo, Muhammad Ali…
There are many stories of Michael Jordan’s immense ego, but he was able to stay
in good standing with the fans. But that is rare for an athlete to remain in
public favor while display being supremely confident and bragging. Then there is
someone like Terrell Owens has very few fans today. The goal for most athletes
is to build the private ego, while remaining publicly humble. Sherman is an
amazing football player, some of which can be attributed to his huge ego and
unwavering confidence. But his public image took a huge hit last weekend and he
seems to be OK with that (Click on the link below.) His performance during the
Superbowl will be under enormous scrutiny. Many people will be pulling for
Peyton Manning to expose Sherman as a fraud. He is not a fraud, but even the
greatest egos succumb to the pressure. Sherman’s ego will be contending with the
pressure of being in the biggest game of his life and the pressure of being
under everyone’s magnifying glass because of last week’s behavior. Did Sherman
unwittingly create a beast too big for his giant ego to handle? 
From a psychological standpoint it is going to be a lot of fun to
watch.

 http://mmqb.si.com/2014/01/20/richard-sherman-interview-michael-crabtree/

Feel free to comment and/or make a
prediction
Broncos 34
Seahawks 19

Most athletes, at some point in their career, admit to
engaging in some superstitious acts. In high school, I wore the same T-shirt
under my jersey. Some of the more bizarre ones include former NHL star Ray
Bourque putting new laces in his skates before each game and in between each
period or the 1975 New York Islanders carrying a bag of elephant dung with the
team throughout the playoffs. One of the most superstitious athletes is former
MLB pitcher Turk Wendell who always chewed four pieces of black licorice while
pitching, jumped over the base line, brushed his teeth between innings, drew
three crosses in the dirt of the pitcher’s mound, and insisted the figures in
this contract ended in 99. Then there is current NHL super star Sidney Crosby.
He takes a different path to the team’s locker room each home game to avoid
walking past the visitor’s locker room and he engages in a specific pregame
routine, which includes a PB and J, specific stick taping, a soccer kick
around, stretching, wearing a lucky cup, and a specific handshake with teammate
Evgeni Malkin. 

I bring up this topic because I’m currently reading
former pitcher Jamie Moyer’s book “Just Tell Me I Can’t.” It chronicles his
career, but is centered around his relationship with a sport psychologist. For
any Phillies fans or athletes who want better understand the mental approach to
the game, it is a great read. He discusses superstitions and how they relieve
the player of responsibility by welcoming luck into the game. Some of the
previously mentioned superstitions seem to have no real benefit in mentally or
physically preparing the athlete. But Crosby’s routine is not just
superstition, it is probably an important piece to his mental preparation. Many
of the best athletes adhere to a strict pregame routine which helps with the
mental preparation and focus necessary to compete. One of the things I often
examine with my clients which facets of the pregame routine that help improve
focus and which ones hurt performance. 

I understand that athletes find comfort and lower their
anxiety with superstitions. However, in my line of work I often help athletes
build confidence by attributing success to hard work, great preparation, and
talent. When you begin letting superstitions “dictate” your success, you might
begin to admit that your success is due to something out of your control and
this often decreases confidence.      

As the Philadelphia Eagles are preparing for a playoff
game that was unexpected at the onset of this season, I would like to talk about
Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboy quarterback. Everyone who follows the NFL is aware
of the “fact” that Romo falls apart in December. Analysts talk at length about
how Romo can’t handle the pressure of the big games late in the season and that
he makes big mistakes that determine his team’s playoff fate. It is easy to
focus on his mistakes during these big games because the light shines
brightest. Plus we feed into this mistake scrutiny because as a culture we are
obsessed with mistakes of others, whether it is Romo, Miley Cyrus, Lance
Armstrong, or Mel Gibson. Is this true that Romo folds with the pressure? Most
NFL fans would reply with a resounding yes. There is evidence to support this. A
botched field goal hold against the Seahawks in the playoffs in 2006, a 2007
loss to the Giants in the playoffs, and losses in “win or go home games” in the
final week in 2008, 2011, and 2012. But let’s look a little deeper. Romo has the
most fourth quarter comebacks and game winning drives since 2011, since 2009 he
has thrown 27 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions in December, and from
2009-2012 (with a minimum of 200 passing attempts) Romo has a December
quarterback rating of 106 which is higher than Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Peyton
Manning. 
 
It is a little confusing because there is evidence to
support both sides of the “Does Romo fall apart in December?” debate. The
reason I mention Tony Romo is because it is likely he has conducted this debate
in his own head, similarly to how each of us analyze our own mistakes. But have
you ever taken the time to imagine that what we say to ourselves after a
mistake is sometimes wrong and inaccurate. Think about a time when you were
rejected by a love interest, missed out on a potential job, got cut from a
sport team, or a friend was no longer a friend. Did you tell yourself that you
were ugly, too stupid, too slow, or just not good enough? Was this
self-criticism accurate? Sometimes yes, but more often no. The problem is we
rarely try to distinguish between valid and invalid self-criticism. For example,
when rejected by your crush, maybe you are not attractive to that particular
person, but it does not mean that you are an altogether unattractive person.
When you got cut from your soccer team, it might mean that you were not skilled
enough for that team. But it does not mean that you’re a terrible player who
will never find another team and continue to have fun and develop as a
player.
 
Consider the possibility that it is your vanity kicking
in when you beat yourself up for a mistake. The vain underlying message that
accompanies that severe self-criticism is that you are supposed to be good at
everything all of the time. It is vain to think you should be perfect and free
from mistakes. It can be helpful to reframe what a mistake means to you. It
does not have to mean that you are not pretty, smart, talented, or good enough.
Mistake making can be a form of instruction because we learn from our mistakes.
The research shows that when you allow yourself to make mistakes you are more
likely to learn on a deeper level. 

Predictions for Saturday’s game between the Eagles and
Saints are welcome as well as any comments and/or questions about this and all
blogs:

 Eagles 34 Saints 30