Humble Pie 8

Since I retired from playing in the NFL people always ask me what I do to get that rush or thrill from competition.  Most people assume that I miss the game so much that I go by camp to watch practice and try to get down on the sidelines for games.  Sorry to disappoint but I've been there done that.  Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful to the game and all of the opportunities that it has given me but after 14 years it was time to find something else to get that thrill of competition from.  For me, I get my competitive juices flowing when I get on the water.

It doesn't matter if I am in a tournament, derby, or just fishing with my son's.  If I am on the water, I am competing.  I can't think of any other sport that offers more things to compete against than fishing.  You have the fish, the elements, other boats, other fisherman on your boat and perhaps  most difficult are your buddies that are expecting a report.  I don't know about you guys but I wnat to have something to brag about when I call someone with a report.  Having this thought in the back of my head always really motivates me to elevate my game.  Whether it's my game plan before I get out on the water or the decisions that I make once I get out on the water, I want to be dialed.

On the flip side, sometimes when you are competing you get your butt kicked.  This happened to me recently when I was fishing with Bob Funk of Mustad Hooks.  Bob fishes for salmon on Lake Ontario and used to guide here in Washington State. I knew I was fishing with an excellent fisherman and I was really putting some pressure on myself to perform.  The original plan was to go tuna fishing but after looking at the swell forecast and knowing that we only had one day I thought it best to go salmon fishing.  I had caught some fish the week before and was feeling pretty darn confident. After all, the kings have been on the bite and the pinks were showing up in force.     

Good coaching is always a plus when you are trying to raise the level of your game.

 Bob's son boated our only salmon of the day.

Well, what happens when you get a little cocky?  You guessed it, that's when you get your but kicked.  It reminds me of an experience I had when I was playing in Atlanta.  I was playing guard and was matched up with Warren Sapp.  I was having a great game and wasn't giving him anything.  Right before the half, Sapp went out of the game and some no-name guy that I hadn't even seen on film came in.  I said to myself "no problem", I can relax a little and still wear this guy out.  No sooner did I say that the guy beat by me for a sack.  The first and to my knowledge the only sack he ever got in the NFL. Years later as my career was winding down with the Seahawks my teammates were looking at an advertisement in a real estate magazine and this guy has an add with a picture of his sack and me laying on the ground.  Let's just say some lessons learned keep on teaching years later. 

Fishing is the same way.  It teaches us hard lessons sometimes but that is when we have the opportunity to ask questions and get better.  When I was out on the water with Bob and his son we were watching people catch fish all around us.  Boats over here, boats over there, singles, doubles, triples, everyone was catching fish.  Except us, that is.  It was a hard pill to swallow but I had to take my lumps.  I tried to blame our lack of success on Bob's UW sweatshirt but that probably didn't have anything to do with it.  After reviewing the day and asking myself and some other guys some questions and really trying to learn from the experience I think I have some answers.  The next time I am out on the water and people are catching fish without me I will do things differently.