We’re in the stretch run of lovely football and it has been oh so tasty. The LSU Tigers capped off a perfect 15-0 season by clobbering Clemson to win a national championship. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs scored 41 unanswered points to erase a 24-point deficit against the Houston Texans. Not only have the games been exciting, but there is also a lesson to be learned.
Before I get to the lesson I’d like to refer to something that New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick said in the HBO special Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching. Belichick made a very insightful statement to Saban — “The great ones can get to the top of the mountain and say you know what, I can be even better.”
Consider how Belichick’s point applies to LSU and the Chiefs — teams that had done a lot of winning, but strived to be even better. LSU won a lot of games with their former head coach Les Miles. They claimed a national championship and played in another BCS title game under Miles. The Mad Hatter had a record of 114-34 at LSU. He won 77 percent of his games! Miles was fired in 2016 after a 2-2 start to the season. Ed Orgeron was named interim head coach and later became the full-time head man. It worked. Tip of the cap to quarterback Joe Burrow and former passing game coordinator Joe Brady who played huge roles in LSU’s success, but it all started with the dismissal of Miles and hiring of Ed O.
Another bold move by the Chiefs paid off in a major way. Kansas City traded two first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Bills to draft quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Last season Mahomes was named MVP as he threw for 50 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards. Oh, and he became the first player in NFL postseason history with 300 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, and five touchdown passes in a single game against the Texans on Sunday. Yeah, that move worked out too.
LSU and the Chiefs could’ve been content with being good. LSU was successful with Miles and so were the Chiefs with their former quarterback Alex Smith. The Chiefs were 50-26 with Smith as the starter and made the playoffs in three straight seasons. Smith actually led the entire league in passer rating in 2017. Firing Miles and trading up to draft Mahomes were largely viewed as risky moves. As it turns out they were moves that paid off handsomely because both teams were hellbent on being even better.
What’s also interesting about LSU and the Chiefs is that they looked to improve areas that were not glaring weaknesses. When we think about improvement, we generally target our deficiencies. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, looking to strengthen an area that is already strong can pay off in a big way. In sports radio, what are some areas that might be your strengths, but could actually be even stronger? Here are a few possibilities:
Ignoring negativity
Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson had a special season. He led the league with 36 touchdown passes and rushed for 1,206 yards. The rushing yards alone were sixth in the NFL among everybody. Those studly numbers didn’t translate to the postseason though as the soon-to-be MVP threw two interceptions, and fumbled in a loss to the Tennessee Titans. He was asked about his thoughts regarding critics that were sure to emerge after his performance. Jackson said, “I don’t really care about what they say. We’re just going to keep going and get ready for next year.”
Maybe you’re good at brushing negativity aside like Jackson as a sports radio host. Chances are you could be even better. It isn’t just Twitter that is largely bathroom graffiti with ads, it could be nasty comments from callers, texters, or even negativity from a co-host that not only disagrees with you, but tries to discredit your opinions. Not allowing negativity to get you off track is vital in sports radio. If you’re already good in that area, look to get stronger.
Celebrating the wins
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow smoked a cigar after beating Clemson and many of his teammates danced in the locker room with Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The Tigers know how to celebrate a national title in style. You might be the same way when it comes to your own success. I’ve gotten better about celebrating my wins in sports radio, but I’m a perfectionist by nature. What I do wrong generally stands out more to me than what I get right.
Former Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Michael Irvin has a great outlook on celebrating. He told The Athletic: “Any great journey that you’re going on – even in life – if you say, ‘I’m only going to celebrate when I get to the finish line,’ then 95 percent of those people will never make it there. But if you start at the genesis of your journey, and you make small celebrations all along the way – like when I get a quarter of the way, I get to celebrate. If I get to 50 percent of the way, I get another celebration. But, man, you bring out small celebrations ’cause those journeys are too long! 100-yard journeys are too long. The NFL has given you small celebrations. They’re called first downs, and if we end up with enough of these, we will end up with a touchdown. That is a great metaphor for life.”
Focusing too much on imperfections can drive yourself crazy. It’s important to also look at what you actually do well. You might be good at celebrating the wins, but I bet that you can improve there.
Resetting
Ahh, yes, it’s been drilled into our sports radio brains that resetting is incredibly important. Listeners are typically in and out during broadcasts. They don’t hear everything yada, (data), yada, (research shows), yada. It’s very true though. I’ve always pointed to music to describe resetting. How many songs repeat the chorus? The vast majority of them. Imagine if we heard the chorus — arguably the most important part of a song — only one time. That wouldn’t make much sense.
It’s the same thing with sports radio. When you have a solid angle on a topic that is getting a reaction, mention it more than once during your show. If listeners are reacting to your comments that Packers’ tight end Jimmy Graham was tackled shy of the 36-yard line against the Seahawks on Sunday, and that the ball should’ve be respotted, and the officials should’ve then measured for a first down, well mention it more than once. Stick with what’s working. If you’re good at resetting, look for ways to be even more consistent and creative while doing it.
These are just a few examples of possible areas that you can improve in. There are hundreds of things you can look at. I encourage everyone reading this — and God bless all of you wonderful people — to think like LSU and the Chiefs. Don’t just look to improve your shortcomings and glaring weaknesses. Target your areas of strength and look to be even better.
Brian Noe is a columnist for BSM and an on-air host heard nationwide on FOX Sports Radio’s Countdown To Kickoff. Previous roles include stops in Portland, OR, Albany, NY and Fresno, CA. You can follow him on Twitter @TheNoeShow or email him at bnoe@premierenetworks.com.
