The Last Word

There are power in words. 

Whether spoken or left unsaid, written or carved in stone, words can bring the blessings and richness of joyful life or the bone-crushing destruction of a cursed opportunity.

I live in a sports town that has adopted the latter. 

My Carolina Panthers lost another close NFL contest this week.  This time it was on the road to the seemingly listless Buffalo Bills and the final score was 24 to 23.  If you follow the Panthers, you'll notice that I left out several words in the reporting of that defeat.

Here's how most are reporting it in the Carolinas on this overcast Monday morning.

The Panthers found a way to lose another close one in the last seconds in a game that they should have won.  Talented third year Quarterback Cam Newton can't close the deal in the forth quarter and Head Coach Ron Rivera is snake bitten when it comes to games decided by a touchdown or less.  At this point, unless we have a 3 score lead with under 10 minutes to play in the game, we are going to find a way to lose.

I left out the four-letter words that most are utilizing to drive home their argument when discussing the Panthers around the water cooler...but you get the point.  Every fan base has been here.   That moment when you realize that your team has become this year's Bad News Bears...only these guys get paid a lot of money and actually try to win games.  No one will argue against that last point.  These guys actually try REALLY hard to succeed, and short of some O-line depth and bona-fide defensive secondary players, they are talented enough to win.  Certainly, they have enough pieces in place to beat the Fighting EJ Manuel's.

But there we were again.  Staring down the barrel of a last second loss again.  Knowing that there was no way it could happen again.  Expecting the inevitable numbness of watching the other team celebrate their ability to turn the improbable into certainty...again.

So what should Carolina do?  More specifically, what should Ron Rivera do?  Most people that I have spoken with in the twenty hours since the final whistle believe his best strategy would be to start packing his bags.  Maybe they are right.  Certainly, his ability to stick around for much longer feels improbable.  Good team, bad results, new GM, preseason owner ultimatum, 10 blown 4th quarter leads in 3 years.  Sounds rather damning to me. 

If you choose to focus on those words. 

My namesake is Casey Stengel.  I grew up in a minor league locker room with Grady Little as a mentor.  I am a coach at heart, and I can tell you that there are times where you look around and think, "It's over".  Whenever, I feel that way I am reminded of the power of words.

I am not talking about platitudes.  Platitudes are for self help gurus.  I'm talking about words.  Sincere, simple, raw, unwavering words.  There are countless examples from the locker rooms of days gone by.  One only has to look back to a few words delivered last year by Chuck Pagano in the Colts locker room. Or, go a few years deeper in the word vault and pull out Coach V or Knute Rockne.  I grew up in Durham, NC and during my time there from 1983-1993 there was an up and coming coach for a private college for brainiacs who had a way of using words to dictate to his players that they could move mountains.  Big mountains.  I think a couple of his teams actually could have redrawn the Appalachian trail map had they so desired.

Some will point out that the current Coach of the Panthers has said "all the right things" so far.  And, that by all accounts he has his team's buy-in.  And, that's lovely...if you want to run for public office.  Not if you want to get off of the proverbial "hot seat" as a NFL coach.

Coach Rivera has one more shot.  If he makes that shot, he'll have one more after that...and so on.  He knows it.  His players know it.

Not that he would want to hear my advice, but if I could have Coach's ear for a few minutes before the Panthers take the field against the equally down-and-out NY Giants next Sunday, my advice would be this:

Sit everyone down.  Get eye level.  Speak to the mountain.  Everyone knows that this is it.  This is that "last chance".  Put it out there.  Use simple, real, raw words.  I don't know Ron Rivera, but if all accounts are true, he would do this in a humble, gracious and indelibly endearing tone.

I would imagine he already plans to use these words at some point this week. 

My last bit of advice, would be to steal a chapter from the aforementioned up-and-coming turned legendary coach at that brainiac college in Durham. 

Stand up, smile, and remind the players why they play this game.  Guys, at it's worst, this game is still supposed to be fun.  Forget hot seats, and records and the feeling that this can't keep happening.  We know what the problem is and we will not, despite our circumstances, choose to dwell on that.  Instead, go out and have fun.  Play like you did when you laced up your first pair of real football cleats. 

Play like tomorrow doesn't matter.  Play like it's the last time you'll ever see a football field.

Win or lose.  Choose to have a blast between the lines. 

I'll take my chances with a team who wants to do that.

That would be my last word...

Here's hoping it isn't Coach Rivera's.