It's December. Your team is 2-12 with no shot of playing for a division title or reaching the playoffs. Your game is nationally televised. So the question on the minds of many observers is, “What is your team playing for?”
The last time I checked the NFL was still a business, so players sign contracts that compensate them for their performance. For example, Sen’Derrick Marks, defensive tackle for the 2-12 Jacksonville Jaguars, needed one more sack to earn a $600,000 bonus during Thursday night’s game against the Tennessee Titans. He accomplished that feat on the last play of the game as Titans’ quarterback Charlie Whitehurst scrambled to attempt a “Hail Mary” pass. Incentives aside, salaries should be all the incentive needed for these top-notch athletes. NFL players are fortunate to be compensated so well for playing football. There is no reason why a player needs additional motivation.
Many fans believe that tanking the remainder of a schedule to secure a top draft spot is the only way to salvage a losing season. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In the NFL, players are ALWAYS being evaluated regardless of their team’s record. Front offices will judge if players are worth their price tags and coaching staffs will try to determine which ones can help them win more games. With the margins of talent being so close in vying for roster spots, NFL players can’t afford to “lay an egg” down the stretch. Once the next season begins, that lackluster performance will be evaluated. And it won’t bode well for them, whether it’s with their current team or any of the other 31 franchises. I also find it hard to believe that extra motivation is necessary, given player’s salaries compared to the general population. How much more fortunate could a person be?
Besides salaries, there is also that competitive spirit these athletes possess. The win/loss column matters in the playoff picture, but each game is an independent event for the individual athletes. Most players believe they have an opportunity to win regardless of the division standings. This is why teams love to play the role of the spoiler. I quarterbacked for the Cleveland Browns against the Pittsburgh Steelers in December of 2009. The Steelers had playoff possibilities at stake while we stood with only one victory. Given the hatred between the franchises, our team took great satisfaction in knocking Pittsburgh from the playoffs in that nationally televised contest. That actually sparked a series of four consecutive wins and we finished 5-11, saving head coach Eric Mangini’s job for at least another year. Had we not won that game or the four straight to end the season, and instead had sprinkled five wins throughout the schedule, who knows if our owner would have decided to keep Mangini for the following season? Regardless of the standings, we had plenty to play for.
The December portion of the schedule end also gives rookies and other inexperienced players the opportunity to show they have matured and improved. Many times injuries to veterans impact the result of the season, but this allows younger players and highly touted draft picks to showcase their skills.
Case in point: In Thursday night’s contest, Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles exhibited perseverance and toughness, playing on a sprained foot in a short week. Although his numbers weren’t impressive (12-of-24, 115 yards, 1 TD), Bortles led two touchdown drives to secure the Jaguars’ third win of the season. These are the types of games that can reassure your General Manager (David Caldwell in this case) that he made the right decision in selecting you.
The idea that players lack the motivation or incentive to compete in December could only come from an outsider’s perspective. Anyone who has been in a locker room on a seemingly hopeless team knows that games down the stretch are opportunities to audition for next season. With compensation, competitiveness or spoiling another franchise’s season at stake, no player benefits from tanking down the stretch. Players and teams much finish strong if they wish to continue to compete at the NFL level.
With all this being the case, it begs the question, “Turn down for what?!”
