Frontview Mirror - Patience In Sports

As we head into the weekend, I am thinking a lot about patience in sports. The Atlanta Hawks at 10-2 have the NBA's best record. What impresses me about the Hawks as how they have given their team to mature and develop. They have stuck with Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams, and Head Coach Mike Woodson and are now reaping the benefits. This makes me also think of the Michigan Wolverines and Head Coach Rich Rodriguez. After two years, his future is unknown even though he had install a new system and get the players to operate within that system. I am not a Rodriguez fan and lacks even rudamentary people skills but they need to give him at least 5 years. Other thoughts:

• With no great college games, look for the top Heisman candidates to put up big numbers against inferior competition. I am not a fan of this award being a lifetime achievement honor and Tim Tebow has not been the team's best player. That award would go to Carlos Dunlap or Joe Haden. Therefore, my top 3 "2009" Heisman candidates are C.J. Spiller, Mark Ingram, and the best college football player, Ndamukong Suh.
• I would love a +1 college playoff this year. Your going to get your SEC match-up in Alabama and Florida but a Texas-TCU game would be awesome!
• How can you not enjoy Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. With 17 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions, Favre at 40 years old is the NFL's leading passer with a 107.5 rating. Stay young Brett and keep throwing deep to Sidney Rice!
• Speaking of the Vikings, Percy Harvin is amazing!
• Have you realized that the Cincinnati Bengals have swept both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Assistant Coach Mike Zimmerman has taken the defense to a new level.
• I am fascinated by the resurgence of Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans. I was never a fan of his since he scored a 12 on his Wunderlic Test but along with Chris Johnson, he has energized this team.
• I am loving Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski on MNF.
• Sarah Palin is a ratings machine. Don't believe me, ask Hannity, O'Reily, and yes even Oprah.
• I am seeing 2012 tomorrow with my wife. I think she is setting me up for a serious "chick flick".
• I'm watching Season 4 of The Unit on dvd. What was CBS thinking canceling that show?
• I can't wait for the Cleveland Browns vs Detroit Lions. Okay, I'm kidding...unless the NHL is on.

Finally, I can't wait to post lesson 3 of Leadership Capacity tomorrow. Having a great time writing those insights.

Frontview Mirror - "I Ain't Got Nuthin' But A Cheeseburger"

"I ain't got nuthin' but a cheeseburger." That is the quote from one of the alleged victims of the armed robbery attempt by 3 University of Tennessee football players. My heavens! I am no longer amazed that a person's talent cannot take them farther than their character can sustain them. However, I am constantly amazed at how little character some talented people have. That and the following ten items are things I am thinking about at the end of a very busy but productive week.

1. Georgia Teach Head Coach Paul Johnson made a $14 million decision last weekend. Going for it on fourth down and potentially putting GT in the BCS was an unbelievable, gutsy move. When asked what would happen if it would have failed, Johnson said "Many coaches find safety in losing in a conventional manner." When you lose conventionally, you can blame it on the kicker, referees, weather, or something else. Johnson basically was showing that with the game on the line, he wanted the ball and outcome of the game in his hands. I hope all leaders find a home in non-conventional leadership.
2. This weekend we get the latest installment of Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady. I see the Patriots winning 35-31 in a shootout between these two all-time greats. Pats' defense is just the better of the two units.
3. Stanford will beat USC this weekend 21-17. Folks, this is not an upset.
4. Auburn Tigers will beat the Georgia Bulldogs 38-35 in a crushing defeat in Athens. The Dogs' defense makes opposing QBs look like Heisman candidates. Stephen Garcia looked like Danny Wuerfful. Ryan Mallet has his coming out party. Jonathan Crompton looked like Peyton Manning. Tim Tebow looked like, well, Tim Tebow. And Chris Todd will look like Jason Campbell before he went to the Redskins.
5. There is no scientific evidence that Global Warming even exists. However, if it does and we experienced in Georgia this week, I am huge fan of Global Warming! If we get sunny days in the 60s in November, then sign me up for a gas guzzling SUV and a big carbon footprint!
6. I traveled to Baltimore for a few days this week. Two thoughts - first, I think downtown Baltimore by the harbor is the prettiest big city I have ever been to. Second, have you ever noticed no one ever smiles in an airport. People just spend their lives going places they don't want to go or worse, they have nothing positive to come home to.
7. I wrote about this in my twitter account earlier this week, but if you're a church that needs help with messaging and communications, there is no one better than Details Communications. They are great friends and do a great job helping churches better communicate the Gospel's life changing message.
8. You can't have creativity without creation. I am concerned that there is a lack of effective creativity in many churches. What we often default to is repackaging the same message in different language. While this "language land rush" can many times turn a phrase in such a way that it engages the unconnected, other times it's a feeble and lazy attempt of putting a new paint job on an old car.
9. I love my church, Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, GA! I had lunch this week with my Associate Pastor Shane Freeman. Great guy. Crawford Loritts, Shane, Matt Farlow, and Tim Beard are just awesome and four of the finest men you will ever meet. Because of their leadership, I am a better husband, father, and man than I would have been without their input into my life. Thanks guys and I'm always praying for you!
10. Every year I set a personal goal for myself. In 2010, I hope to launch a new concept and product line in the ministry area of small groups. I have the mock-ups and am really excited about how it could connect people by creating avenues where people can share their lives with others. Let's see what God does with it.

It was an extremely busy but great and productive week. I am getting ready to enjoy a great weekend with my family and enjoy Global Warming in the South.

Frontview Mirror - Things I Am Thinking

As I wind down a very productive week, the following are several things I am thinking and focused on as we approach the weekend.

• Congratulations to the New York Yankees, the gold standard of American team sports. I found it interesting that everyone kept focusing on their pitchers starting with limited rest. What everyone neglected was that during the final month of the regular season, Sabathia, Pettitte, and Burnett had extra rest for 15 of their 22 combined starts. This was a strategic move to setup the post-season. Quality leadership makes decisions today that affect tomorrow's success.
• I was shocked by New Mexico's Elizabeth Lambert and her actions during a recent soccer game. As a father of young girl and trying to picture her as the victim here, I think not only should Lambert be permanently suspended and her scholarship revoked, I honestly think she should serve jail time for assault. Some physical actions should not be protected just because they take place between the white lines. I'm sure she's a talented player. However, I am reminded that your talent can never outrun your character. Check the link below and see if you agree.
• On the other end of the spectrum, Mike Linch, Lead Pastor of the great NorthStar Church in Kennesaw, GA, may be the most genuinely nice guy I have ever met. Check out his twitter and blog links on this site. If you live in North Atlanta, go check them out this Sunday.
• I love Mark Richt as the Georgia Bulldog coach. I could not think of a better leader for young men preparing them for life. Sports is measurable which makes it such a good study of leadership. However, with Mark, you also should measure wins and losses off the field. In that arena, he may be the best coach in America.
• Is there anything better than serving the under-resourced in your community?
• Jon Gruden is fantastic on MNF.
• Alabama will be too big and physical at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball for LSU. Mark Ingram takes the Heisman lead with a big day. Alabama rolls to a 24-14 win.
• For sheer entertainment value, I am loving the pillow fights between the SEC coaches!
• The Houston Texans will not win, but they will give the Indianapolis Colts all they can handle. Bob Sanders is out for the season which hurts the Colts deeply. Andre Johnson with a huge day but the Colts hold on 35-31.
• The game I am looking forward to most this weekend is the entertaining Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys. Once again, DeSean Jackson puts on a show for a national audience. Eagles 35-21.
• Percy Harvin is the most explosive offensive weapon in the game because of speed and versatility. You can line him up anywhere on the field. Unbelievable how he lasted to the mid-first round. With limited financial resources, every successful ministry or business has versatile, multi-skilled team members.
• Finally, the NCAA continued their disappointing decision-making with a full-season suspension of Dez Bryant. Early prediction, like Harvin because of his size and return capability, if selected by anyone other than the Raiders or Redskins, he will be next season's Rookie of the Year.

Frontview Mirror - I Can't Wait

It is a huge weekend coming up which I would like to dedicate to Jerry Glanville, former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. It was Glanville that prior to the 1992 season traded Brett Favre to the Green Bay Packers. 5877 completions, 66,808 yards, 476 touchdowns, 3 MVPS, 10 Pro Bowls, 275 consecutive starts, and 1 Super Bowl championship later Favre returns to Green Bay this weekend. I can't wait!!! My thoughts on that and other items are below.

• Just like Michael Myers in the movie Halloween returned to a small mid-western town and terrorized it on Halloween night, I see Brett Favre slashing through the Green Bay defense this weekend. With Adrian Peterson and the other offensive weapons having a big weekend, I see Minnesota winning 27-24. Experience matters. Favre has played too many big games in the stadium to be intimidated by the atmosphere and environment.


• Has anyone noticed that Kyle Orton has a 26-12 record as a starter. With two weeks to prepare, look for Denver to remain unbeaten on the road in Baltimore.


• The Georgia Bulldogs can beat the Florida Gators. They won't however. Too much defense but the Dogs keep it respectable. Florida wins 21-10.


• It is amazing to me that Matt Barkley has beaten Ohio State, California, and Notre Dame on the road as a freshman. Look for him to add the Oregon Ducks to that list.


• The New Orleans Saints will blow out the Atlanta Falcons in a raucous atmosphere on Monday night. I'm not convinced that the '76 Steelers could win in that stadium on that night. Drew Brees continues his battle with Peyton Manning for MVP.


• I love watching the Philadelphia Eagles. They have so many athletes and big play options. I'm just convinced they have waited to unleach Michael Vick against a team like the New York Giants. However, with no running game and not enough protection for Donovan McNabb, look for the Giants to win 31-27 on the road.

Finally, Fireproof is my favorite movie of all time. Saw the following tweet from my good friend Ike Reighard. I can't wait for this either! - RT @MichaelCatt: check out http://www.thenextsherwoodmovie.com/ we are announcing the title and theme on Sunday night Nov 1 (cont) http://tl.gd/nosf

It should be a great weekend and I didn't even mention the World Series or the NBA's opening weekend.

Frontview Mirror - Troy Polamalu

As I head into the weekend, the main item I will be interested in seeing is the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Minnesota Vikings. I think the game will be won in the secondary so I am picking the Steelers primarily because of one man, Troy Polamalu. I think in this Golden Age of Safeties, he is the greatest who has ever put on a uniform. The following are some leadership principles we can extract from his performance:

1. Knowledge of the Game. It is well documented that shortly after the 2004 season ended, he watched every defensive play of that season of seven of the top safeties in the league to feed his thirst to learn. Troy stated "In a game with a lot of great athletes, the mental edge is what you (have to) have."
2. Flexible Options. At 5-10, 200+ lbs with 4.4 speed, he has the physical capacity to line up at all three levels of the defensive side of the ball and free-lance on each play making him difficult to prepare for.
3. System Fit. When you combine his instincts, versatility, physical capacity, and the Steelers multitude of schemes and blitz packages, Polamalu is given the trust to constantly be in position to make plays. He says "This is the perfect system for me, without a doubt. They're always putting me in the middle of the action."

Whether it will be helping to hold Adrian Peterson to under 100 yards, or intercepting at least one of Brett Favre's passes, I think Polamalu and fellow Safety Ryan Clark will be the difference in the game.

Key thoughts - As a member of your ministry or organizational team, do you have a thirst to be a continual learner? Are you multi-skilled and can help in any number of areas? And finally, are you in an environment that maximizes your effectiveness? Watch the video below and see what happens when you operate in your strengths zone.

Frontview Mirror

As we head into a good sports weekend, the following are key thoughts that I have:

1. Heisman Trophy race. If you had no knowledge of college football, the following would be your current leaders: 1) Jimmy Clausen 2) Jacory Harris 3) A.J. Green. We all know that Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are the leaders, I'm just saying. However, if Notre Dame beats USC, look for Clausen to take the outright lead anyway. If Joe McKnight has a great game, look for him to enter the top 3.
2. USC vs Notre Dame. ND has a weak defense and USC has the best offensive line in the country. Also, Ronald Johnson returns at WR. Clausen will have his moments but USC by 10.
3. Oklahoma vs Texas. I thought this was the funnest game of 2008 and my expectations are high for this one. Bradford will be returning. McCoy is the 2nd coming of Drew Brees. I like UT's speed on defense as the decider in a very high scoring game.
4. Andre Johnson has been the best WR in the NFL for 3 years. His touchdown run against Arizona last week was the most violent touchdown imposed by a WR I have ever seen. Too much Bengals though.
   
   
   
   
5. Philadelphia Eagles Offense. Jeremy Maclin was last week's highlight reel. I'm picking Brian Westbrook or LeSean McCoy as this week's hero. I'm thinking they have a HUGE package for Michael Vick but are saving it for the New York Giants on 11/1.
6. Great Match Ups. Brett Favre vs. Ray Lewis, OU-TX, Giant vs Saints, MLB playoffs, Bradford vs. McCoy, Jimmy Clausen vs. Taylor Mays, and the Kansas City Chiefs vs Washington Redskins. OK, I'm kidding on the last one.
7. Someone told me the NHL season had started. I put that in my "Sasquatch Category". There are some who claim they've seen it but there is no actual visual confirmation.