Silver Lining in the Playbook: Christian McCaffrey

I knew my Dad would be devastated—yes, devastated— by the 49ers loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship. The talent of the Philadelphia playbook was too much. I gave him some time and space to cool off and called him the day after the game. I have but one silver lining to him. That silver lining is Christian McCaffrey.

This is what I said: Dad, are you okay? I know you're disappointed. Hey, I don't know if you heard. On the charter flight home last night—the pilot wasn't feeling well. Turns out they had Christian McCaffrey step in for him. Of course he helped bring the team home safely.

For but a moment, my Dad believed me. I think all of San Francisco could too. He is the one player who scored a touchdown. He carried the ball 15 times for 84 yards, added four catches for 22 yards and threw an incomplete pass on a trick play. When Josh Johnson, the Niners fourth string quarterback went down, a friend asked Siri "who is 49ers fifth string QB." Siri actually paused. My friend responded for Siri. "#23, Christian McCaffrey." Good answer.

Christian McCaffrey is one very important example of what went right this season for the Niners. Most would argue the best story features "Mr. Irrelevant, QB3 who became QB1 Brock Purdy" and they would be right. Furthermore, Purdy serves as yet another example of just how often the NFL draft gets it wrong. Noted. Or maybe we should talk about Coach DeMeco Ryans, Niners' defensive coordinator. He navigated the terrain for one of the best defenses in the country—even if they didn't play that way on NFC gameday. The 49er Faithful should thank Coach Ryan and wish him well, as he accepted the position as the head coach of the Houston Texans. But, I would like to focus on #23 because there is so much to recognize and celebrate in this running back. With Ayook, Kittle, Samuels, it's already fun to watch the Niners run the ball. McCaffrey made it that much more electric and electric. Thank you, Kyle and John!

Given Stanford football's schedule, my first memory of Christian McCaffrey should have been the damage he did to Notre Dame football. Lucky for the Irish however, in his three years with the Cardinal, he only played in one game. Instead, believe it or not, McCaffrey came into my radar because of the remarks from Stephen A Smith.

Stephen A says a lot. Loudly. Proudly. Time and again he has called for higher praise for the running back.

“How many times do I have to say it,” Smith ranted Thursday on First Take. “I’ve said this about Christian McCaffrey before and I’m gonna say it again. Ladies and gentleman – it’s damn near reverse discrimination! If this brother were Black, we’d be talking about him more. I mean this dude is SPECIAL!”

In his first game as a Forty Niner, McCaffrey became the first player since 2005 to rush, throw and threw for a touchdown in the same game. No doubt, special is one way to describe him.  His coaches agree.

McCaffrey turned pro after his junior year at Stanford. Rather than talk more about the Niner loss, I asked my colleague—who was on the coaching staff at Stanford for five years what it was like to be around a player like him.

He said, "I actually talked to my freshman about Christian before the Niners picked him up. I asked them Why it's important to do the small things well? Then I reframed the question, Is it important? I said I think it is—because how we do the small things add up. They determine everything." He added, "I've never seen anyone do the small things like I did in Christian McCaffrey. He paid attention to everything. That pays dividends when it comes to the big things. He made the entire program better. Truly, he raised the bar. It was awesome to be a part of all that. And I want my students to know they can learn from that example. They took can care about the small things...it's a place to start, right?" Right!

As a coach, I have had the gift of witnessing the impact a gifted and determined athlete can have on a team. When they make everyone around them better, the result is joy, delight, inspiration, and more often than not success and/or victory.

The NFC Championship wasn't a fun game to watch. It wasn't a victory nor did it play out to the billing it got. But, it did give sports fans and opportunity to think about the role of players and coaches, the talents we have and how we use them. How we respond when things don't go our way and when they do what we should not take for granted. There are more than a few silver linings in those playbooks. Pay attention to the small ones....

Photo Credits
QB
NFC
Stanford

Luck on Luck

Please circle the appropriate number in response to this statement: “My opinion is as good as anybody else’s.”

1. strongly disagree
2. disagree
3. not sure
4. agree
5. strongly agree.

The vast majority of my students, circle 5—strongly agree. I always look for the one or two juniors who circle 1 or 2, those few who realize that maybe their opinion is not as good as anybody’s else’s. Sorry, it's not.

William O’Malley illustrates this effectively in “Building Your Own Conscience.” He writes,

One day I was walking along a school corridor and saw a boy sitting on a bench reading Of Mice and Men. I stopped and said, "That's a terrific book."
"It's garbage."
Hmm. "Well, the author did win a Nobel prize."
"It's still garbage."
"How much have you read?"
"Ten pages."
That lad was saying more about himself than about the book or Steinbeck or the Nobel Foundation. He was claiming that his uninformed opinion was as good as anybody else’s. It’s not. An opinion is only as good as the evidence that backs it up.

A lot of people have an opinion about Andrew Luck’s decision to stay at Stanford University and not enter the NFL draft. And with the sheer amount of media attention he has received there is no shortage of evidence to back up reasons why he should have left “The Farm.”

I was struck by how many people were willing to offer their opinion on this matter as I watched the first round of NFL playoff games. As far as I am concerned the only opinion that matters on Andrew Luck’s decision is from one of two people—Luck and Luck, Andrew and his parents. And what about Coach Harbaugh? With all due respect to his recent preoccupation, his voice weighs in at an “honorable mention.”

What we know from Andrew Luck however is fairly limited. In an official statement through Stanford he said "I am committed to earning my degree in architectural design from Stanford University and am on track to accomplish this at the completion of spring 2012."

His father added "This is a win-win for him. He gets to spend another year at Stanford, be part of a team that will be highly ranked again next year, finish his degree and enjoy Palo Alto. It's not like the NFL is going anywhere, it's one of the best run leagues in the world. It will still be there when he graduates."

In short, Andrew Luck remains what most sports fans truly desire—a student athlete who is just that—a student athlete. Fans complain that certain schools maintain few if any academic standards. Stanford does. Others long for the days when athletes stayed at their school for more than one or two years before turning pro. Yet, here we have young man, considered to be a lock for the number one pick in this year's draft, and most people cannot understand why he chose to stay. In light of this, I believe Luck’s decision may reveal more about us than it does about him. And strangely enough, I found Sunday’s Gospel, the Baptism of the Lord holds a similar truth.

As Jesus stood to be baptized by John the Baptist he said: Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Mt 3:13-17

The Little Blue Book says "One day he took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and stepped forward. The heavens opened and the Spirit came upon him, and a voice from the heavens said, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. His life would never be the same."

Although it may be difficult to claim that Luck’s decision to stay at Stanford is sacramental, his decision took a lot of courage. I have no doubt his parents are pleased with their son’s noble pursuit. I think it’s safe to say his life will not be the same.

Christ did not need to be baptized; he was free of original sin. But his decision to do so is significant, for in his baptism—the prophecy was fulfilled. It speaks of Christ’s humility and the covenant between God and humanity. Christ’s baptism is for us. Why? we are called to imitate Christ in all things.

Ultimately, Christ’s choosing to be baptized, reveals more about us than it does about Jesus. We too can receive the spirit from the baptized. We too are summoned to step forward and do the right thing. We too will receive God’s grace when we seek to fulfill righteousness. And when we do, the good Lord is well pleased.

I have no doubt sportswriters have had a heyday with his name. Luck at Stanford! Luck remains at Stanford! He has certainly lived up to his name--good fortune. Cardinal fans will delight in the good fortune of another year with number 12 on the gridiron, another shot at the Heisman trophy and come June 2012 a fine graduate. Now that’s not an opinion; it's something anyone can and should strongly agree with.

Photo Credits
Andrew Luck #12
Luck & Harbaugh
Baptism of the Lord

Aching Pain or Delicious Hope: Stanford vs. Notre Dame—A Spiritual Experience

Desire can show itself as aching pain or delicious hope. Spirituality is ultimately about what we do with that desire. What we do with our longings, both in terms of handling the pain and the hope they bring us, that is our spirituality. –Ronald Rohlheiser, “The Holy Longing”

I never thought standing outside of a locker room after the Notre Dame vs. Stanford football game on Saturday, November 27, 2009 would prove to be a spiritual experience. Two talented teams, two respectable programs, two dramatic season records and this night marked their one final game of the regular season. As I waited with three other alums to present the “Legends” trophy—a beautiful Waterford crystal bowl that stands atop of a redwood base recognizing the heritage of both schools—aching pain and delicious hope looked me in the eye. The lights from the field cast a surreal glow in the space outside the stadium where we stood, providing me with an interesting vantage point. Not one player or coach emerged through the tunnel without the look of either unmet longing or fulfilled desire. In that moment, I came to understand the very essence of spirituality was unfolding around me.

Aching pain
Questions loomed large about the future of Coach Charlie Weis; this loss nearly sealed his impending fate. Losing a game in the final two minutes hurts, but losing a head coach may hurt more. The buy-out of Weis’ ten year contact, the loss of a potential recruiting class who had wanted to play for him, the process of firing any person—albeit “one of our own,” exacerbated the aching pain.

I watched the Notre Dame trainers and managers pack up and roll out the massive operation that is college football. Already a serious and important task, they worked quickly and quietly. A smile was nowhere to be found. This was most readily apparent on the face of this team, Notre Dame Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who was accompanied off the field by Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick. I wondered if Swarbrick kept his arm around Jimmy to protect him from another irate fan or if he was begging him to reconsider leaving early for the NFL draft. Clausen left Swarbrick’s head-lock to embrace a football trainer in a hug said that—“I’m sorry” and “this stinks.” On the final play of many games, Clausen alone led his team to victory. His face revealed a tangible disappointment that this game and his career at Notre Dame did not end in this fashion.

When I caught the strong profile of graduate assistant and former Notre Dame All-American Bryant Young, the words that he said at the “Legends Weekend” lunch just the day before haunted me: it’s not how you start the season, but how you end it. Every member of that team wished the season had ended differently—the Irish were 0-4 in November. If spirituality is about what we do with that desire, I concede, it went to the right team.

Delicious Hope
The Stanford Cardinal had much to celebrate. Just one week prior, their arch rival--the Cal Bears won the “Big Game” at Stanford. This was a team that had surpassed expectations all season long; it was obvious they were unwilling to lose again. The “Fighting Harbuaghs” had something to prove and completing this season at home with a win was the only option.

Players became increasingly vocal with their cheers and whistles as they began to fill the locker room. Even Condelezza Rice, honorary game captain, couldn’t curb her enthusiasm. Before she addressed the winning team and coach with her congratulations, she stopped to shake our hands and acknowledge what an exciting game it was. Rice holds a master’s degree in political science from Notre Dame and speaks candidly of her support for the Irish. But on this evening the former Secretary of State, now a professor at Stanford’s Hoover Institute, was anxious to celebrate with the victors.

The presentation of the trophy could not begin without the man who made this triumph possible. Delicious hope was most palpable in running back Toby Gerhart, and his Heisman trophy run. That award would be determined in two weeks time. On this evening however, visions of the Heisman danced in the heads of every Gerhart fan.

And when at long last Coach Harbaugh was freed from the media circus on the field, we asked him when would be the best time to present the Legends trophy. Harbaugh took one look at it “Let’s do it now.” My male cohorts followed him inside the locker room to honor the winners. The boisterous crowd gathered close as they listened to a Stanford coach share the history and significance of the trophy. Everyone then bowed their heads as they said the “Lord’s Prayer” together. It doesn't get much more spiritual than that.

The Essence of Spirituality
Spirituality is largely open to interpretation; it can be tough to define. If Rohlheiser is right, if what shapes our actions is our spirituality, then the Irish need to work through the aching pain and move past the regret and disappointment of the 2009 season. Delicious hope waits and so too does the “Legends Trophy.”

Football players, coaches and fans all long for a storied season like Stanford's. Despite the aching pain, delicious hope is what keeps us returning one year after another. So too may an unexpected spiritual experience that the game provides.

Photo Credits
Weis

Claussen

Team Prayer
Condi