As Five on Friday celebrates its fifth week and the NFL season put its first week of the new season in the books, the plan had been to look at legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his first game as a New York Jet—right here in the hometown of Eclaro world headquarters—and find inspiration, meaningful moments and no doubt a few metaphors to relate to our Engage, Evolve, Excel, Explore, Etcetera lineup. Visions of the number 5 danced in our heads—5 touchdowns, 500 yards, you get the picture. Nobody thought it would be the 5th snap of the game that would mean so much.
The Achilles heel injury that instantly ended Rodgers’ season was the most stunning moment of any NFL Monday Night Football opener in recent memory—even more stunning, perhaps, than the Jets improbable victory that very same night. But more on that later. At the moment backup Zac Wilson (who has defined “bust” for many NFL onlookers) went into the huddle, fans and Five on Friday folks alike felt their plans and hopes were gone for good. But as the clock ticked away, Wilson became a surprising focus of not just fans and commentator and Five on Friday, illuminates about the importance of having the Right People and the right plan in place no matter what game you’re trying to win.
Engage: There is simply no way that Zac Wilson thought he was going to be putting on his helmet in that opening game. He may have thought he wouldn’t need it all season, since Rodgers is not only Hall of Fame bound but also quite durable as football players go. But Wilson—who lost himself the starting Jets QB job last year due to any number of missteps, misplay and miserable moments—engaged with the veteran Rodgers throughout the off-season. He seemed to be paying attention on and off the field, witnessing both the in-your-face and intangible aspects of what has made Rodgers an all-time great.
No, Wilson was not great by any definition. But he was able to do the job necessary because of that willingness to engage when it mattered. That, in turn, has helped him…
Evolve: Wilson was the second overall pick in the NFL Draft only two years ago, and in his first two seasons with the Jets it seemed that he may have actually devolved. There are any number of reasons why. But his ability to step onto the field after Rodgers and Jets fans dreams were carted off into the tunnel, and help put the team in a position for an unlikely victory in overtime, demonstrated that maybe, just maybe, he has been changing for the better.
In order to keep the organization moving forward, that progress must continue. He will need to continue to engage with Rodgers, coaches and other team members in order to continue his improvement. There needs to be a plan in place and very honest, ongoing assessments of his progress. Only then might Wilson (and his organization) actually…
Excel: No matter how much Wilson engages with a legend, and regardless of the positive changes people have seen in this short sample, he is not going to become Aaron Rodgers. But he doesn’t need to be a Hall of Famer to excel. He simply needs to understand his role and be guided as to the best way to accomplish the task at hand. Coaches need to be able to see the day-to-day work that needs to be done with Wilson, and then establish and stick to the new plan that will chart the course to getting him there.
If he can continue to engage and evolve, then both he and his Jets will, yes, excel. That last part would not even be on the table without those first two steps.
But just in case, there is the need for the Jets to…
Explore: Tom Brady. Carson Wentz. Colt McCoy. We could go on and on with the names of potential veteran QB replacements that have been bandied about since Rodgers went out. The Jets—and the pundits who cover them in the media—have no doubt been exploring their options for a new veteran quarterback to come in and take over. And they should. Zac Wilson may not have lost in Week 1, but he is not their ideal disaster-recovery plan.
If the Jets have truly evolved and are committed to excelling, their leadership will continue to make assessments of their needs based on where they want to be next week and where they want to go in the future. They will examine their team, its strengths and weaknesses and needs and challenges. If they determine it to be the right move, they will go beyond their organization—as they did with Rodgers and others—to find the Right People they need to not merely compete, but to win.
Etcetera: In honor of the four snaps that Aaron Rodgers took on that fateful night, we look back at the first four weeks of Five on Friday with a quick highlight reel of revelations from members of the Eclaro team, just in case you missed them the first time around…
Engage: Putting yourself out there, introduce yourself and grow that network…
Evolve: “Change is not only inevitable but also essential.” Embrace transformation…
Excel: Talking to strangers can be a good thing…
Explore: In honor of Jimmy Buffett, a quick playlist of songs you may not know by heart but will no doubt want to put on a workday-inspired playlist
Etcetera: We'll let you call this play...