The Don Meredith Principle

Just heard that Don Meredith has died age 72. Many of you probably do not know that he was the quarterback of the NFL Dallas Cowboys football team and later one of the ABC commentators on "Monday Night Football". He also was a natural philosopher and I take him as one of my mentors. Seriously. Here's why...

Sometime a long while back, I was watching MNF. I can't remember what teams were playing or when and it doesn't matter. What I do remember is that it was very late in the game, with maybe ten seconds left. The team with the ball was down by five points. They had time for only one more play in order to score and win. They couldn't just kick a field goal for three points, they needed a touchdown. But they were fifty yards away from the goal line. So that meant they had to pass all the way down the field. The other team knew that. Everyone in the stadium knew that and several million tv viewers knew that.

So the ball is snapped. The quarterback steps into the pocket and hurls the ball way down field. The wide receiver is streaking underneath, leaps up and nabs it barely, with the pads of his fingertips. He hauls it in, it looks like a score! But the defensive back slams into him, knocking him end over end and the ball bounces on the turf. Incomplete. Game over.

So Howard Cosell, the main announcer, goes on and on about how this was a clutch play and this is professional football and the receiver is paid to come through on big plays like this and he blew it and blah blah blah. On and on Cosell drones, but then in the background you can hear Don Meredith say:

"You go down in there and do it, Howard"

I never forgot that. I try to live by that. It's easy in this world to criticize and complain and hold people up for their honest failures. But I don't listen much to those who know everything and have attempted nothing. Everyone is an expert but few have the courage to actually take the risk and try to achieve something difficult. I try to listen to experience not know nothing jerks.

"You go down in there and do it, Howard".

Thanks, Don. Rest in peace.