Fritz File #14

Every athlete dreams of making that one big play that will win the game for his team. In backyards and playgrounds all around the world kids imagine the half-court shot in the final seconds, the grand-slam home run in the 9th inning or the Hail-Mary pass that scores the winning touchdown. Most athletes never have the chance to live out those fantasies and in reality, most games don’t come down to one play, it’s actually five or six plays that will usually determine the result of a game.

Each team will execute 50-70 offensive plays throughout the 60 minutes of play in a football game, but only a few of these plays will have an impact on the final score. We’ve all been coached to believe that any play, if executed to perfection, has the potential to be a game-breaker. This is why it is essential to give it your all on each down, because nobody on either side of the ball knows when one of these game-breakers will occur.

Game-breakers play out due to series of events during a down; one person does something extraordinary, or another makes a mistake. Usually it’s a combination of execution on one side and of the ball and one or two small missteps on the other that will lead to these game-breaking plays that make football so exciting.

Sunday at the Big-O if you are looking for a new way to watch what is becoming a ritual Eastern Championship matchup, try and spot these five or six game-breaking plays as they happen. I promise they will be there, you just have to be looking for them. I guarantee I will be doing my part to make sure these plays happen in our favor. And you just never know, even an offensive-lineman can dream of making that one big play.

Luke Fritz
Offensive Tackle
#61