I never thought I would learn something applicable to mission work from Tom Brady. But I did.
Thursday, my son Ben and I watched the Patriots smoke the Bucs in a preseason game in Tampa. We're Steelers fans, so we didn't care about the outcome, but finding some dirt cheap tickets, we got to have one of those spur-of-the-moment, father-son memories.
Since we knew we would be in the nose bleed section, we brought some binoculars. Ben followed the action on the field, but I was probably more intrigued by the action on the sidelines. No disrespect to the Bucs, but I intentionally chose to sit behind the Patriots' sideline, desiring to see Belichick and Brady in action. Let me clarify that I don't like these guys—they usually [but not this year] beat the Steelers—but they are living legends and, unfortunately, modern heroes, being masters of a game that makes no difference eternally.
Belichick was boring and mechanical, hands on his hips, almost robotic. Even his navy/khaki outfit was bland. He stayed between the 45 yard lines, studying and evaluating like a conductor tuning his orchestra before the concert. Once or twice I saw him speak to someone, quick and curt. His players steer clear of him as if he were cloaked by a force field (see photo above). They seem to fear him more than they love him, which is probably why the team can pursue and subdue bargain-priced loudmouths and rebels who straggle in from other teams, like Ochocinco and Haynesworth. One rookie messed up right in front of Belichick and hit the turf; you knew his world had stopped. He slowly raised his head like a mouse, hoping against hope that Belichick hadn't seen the gaffe. Even from the upper bowl, I could see two little white orbs of sheer terror inside the poor kid's facemask as he looked up at Coach Doom.
Tom Brady, on the other hand, was more fun to watch, providing more learning points. He led his teammates onto the field and led the little pep-rally huddle thing they do. He played the first half, throwing two TDs on his first two drives. But I really enjoyed the second half, and focused on Brady using every spare moment to mentor and teach. For almost the entire third quarter, he sat with his top three receivers, Deion Branch, Wes Welker and Chad Ochocinco, newly acquired from the Cincinnati Bungles (see photo below). Brady was talking non-stop, gesturing, getting up and demonstrating, etc. Ochocinco was asking questions, and Welker would get in on the reply. Crass and disparaging as it is to compare football to mission, I have to admit that the exchange really reminded me of a missionary teaching his men how to run with the ball entrusted to us by our Coach. We are to do and teach. Show and tell. Find a "Peter, James and John" and help our disciples to be successful (in God's eyes) ...
... later, Welker and Branch moved on, but Brady stayed put with Ochocinco, investing into his life, certainly knowing that doing so would make the team mission a success. Ochocinco even pulled out an iPad (or some kind of e-tablet), ostensibly with a playbook app on it, and they kept working together, oblivious to everybody else around them and even the game itself (since they were now playing the third-stringers) ...
At one point, the two men got up and Brady took a stroll on the sidelines. Keep in mind, there are a lot of new, aspiring New England Patriots out there who probably still haven't gotten Tom Brady's autograph yet, so it was entertaining watching younger guys try to saunter over his way, like shy junior high boys inching closer to the pretty girl. Brady was kind and small talked, but very quickly made his escape to find another strategic person who would be best served by his input … in this case it was second string QB Hoyer (#8 below). For ten minutes, while the third stringer was playing, Brady and Hoyer debriefed. Again, a great lesson is found here in taking advantage of using every possible minute to build into your team in the most strategic ways possible. Use your time efficiently. What you do off the field is what makes you a success on the field.
Finally, the best photo of the night was in the rainy fourth quarter after everyone else was leaving. My son and I went to the front rows for a closer view. I snapped this shot of a Steelers Nation man snapping photos. There seemed to be more Steelers jerseys in the stadium than Bucs and Pats jerseys. Nevertheless, thanks to the Pats for some good reminders.
