“We’re gonna win this game”: Skip Holtz defuses a crucial situation and manifested the Birmingham Stallions USFL victory
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Skip Holtz USFL
The first season of the United States Football League was a resounding success and football fans who were skeptical about any football tournament outside of the NFL making a long-term impression and being watchable in general, however, the ones criticizing it ended up lauding it and even recommending some of the steps and initiatives taken in these games to the NFL.
As is with every sport, no matter which league, be it the big leagues or the minor ones, we always get to see a show of sportsmanship in every game by the players but what is often overlooked is the contribution of the coaches. We are accustomed to seeing the coaches of the winning team being drenched in Gatorade but what we tend to not come across are the pep talks and the times they have remained cool as a cucumber even though the game might not be the most favorable for them.
Skip Holtz proves his excellent coaching abilities by keeping his quarterback under control and maintaining his composure:
The Birmingham Stallions won the debut season of the USFL and the game against the Philadelphia Stars in the finals came down to the wire and had all of us biting our nails. With just 3 minutes left in the ball game, the score was at 23-20 with the Stallions trailing. The team was playing its backup quarterback in the most important game of the season.
It is natural for a backup to get flustered and especially in such situations you may throw 9/10 passes correctly but the one that you miss and end up getting intercepted on stings the most. The backup QB ended up throwing a pick 6 to the Stars and he was shaken. He was put in a situation of this magnitude for the first time and was on the verge of completely losing confidence in himself. He went to the sidelines where the sideline camera caught him explaining his situation to coach Skip Holtz, he seemed visibly annoyed and nervous at the same time.
The duo had a back and forth, coach Holtz asked him why he made a different play than what was instructed to him and the quarterback was forced to adapt due to the defensive pressure. When the quarterback began to lose his composure and justified the play, coach Holtz remained cool through it all. He calmly speaks to his quarterback, who he can clearly see is frustrated. “I’m telling you what I think. I’m trying to get the ball to No.7. Don’t get frustrated, we’re gonna win this game, we’re gonna win this damn game,” he concludes.
Coach Skip Holtz was visibly in the biggest game of his career and despite all the media attention and viewers who had their eyes fixated on him, he managed to stay calm, he did not let the moment control him but he controlled the moment. He kept his emotions out of it and spoke to the quarterback in a firm yet non-aggressive manner, he clearly conveyed his point of view to the quarterback, and the most important aspect of it all, he reassured him by telling him everything will be okay, and that the team will overcome this deficit.
And indeed they did. The Stallions killed it, maybe this is exactly what his quarterback needed, being a backup and in a position like this, it is natural to doubt yourself if you have not done this enough and during such times, nothing helps more than reassurance from a person like the Head Coach. Skip Holtz really deserves that win for the way he handled this situation.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2235 Articles Published)