Time Capsule reposts blogs from years past.
In the eighth year of Teach & Serve, there are more than a few from which to choose!
Next One Up
Originally published in November 2020
I am a fan of the Denver Broncos. A big fan. I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t cheering on the orange and blue and, throughout most of my memory, cheering them on has been an easy and fun task. They have been competitive for a very long time … the last few years notwithstanding.
Recently, however, they have not been competitive. Some might say they’ve not been good. People who know football (I am not one of those people) would say they have been bad. And pundits have been waiting for the team to hit the proverbial rock bottom.
They might have done so last Sunday.
In 2020, everything is affected by COVID. The NFL is not an exception to this rule. In a fairly labyrinthine and fascinating turn of events, the Denver Broncos played a game this past Sunday without a quarterback active on their roster. The circumstances that caused this predicament will likely be the subject of a future blog, but the fact is this: a multi-billion dollar football franchise played 60 minutes of football without a quarterback.
This is not to say someone didn’t take snaps and attempt some passes. Someone did.
His name is Kendall Hinton, a practice squad wide receiver who hadn’t taken a snap at the quarterback position in years before 2:05 last Sunday afternoon. Again, he was a practice squad receiver. Not an active player. Not one of the best 53 who get a jersey every Sunday.
Practice. Squad.
Denver was hammered by the New Orleans Saints 31 – 3 in a contest that was not nearly as close as that score indicates as the saying goes.
What happened in the game was predictable.
What has happened since was not.
I have been so struck by the amount of praise Kendall Hinton has received in the last few days. I have been taken aback by the NFL stars – present and former – who have praised this young man – a man the age of my sons. I have been surprisingly moved by the comments and love of his teammates.
The NFL has a saying: “next man up” – meaning that, if someone is hurt, the next player on the depth chart steps in and steps up. And the team doesn’t miss a beat, presumably.
Next man up.
Next one up.
Kendall Hinton probably had dreams in his head of shocking the world and beating the best team in the NFC and writing a Cinderella story and becoming the subject of a streaming movie. He likely wanted to bask in success, watching himself on SportsCenter. He must have wanted the day to turn out differently than it did.
He was harassed. He was thrown around. He was beaten. Badly.
And how did he respond? He thanked the team for the opportunity. He thanked God for his chance. He thanked the fans and his teammates.
He was grateful. After the pounding he took, he was grateful.
This next one up was the right one up. He didn’t look at the hand he was dealt and say “no.” He didn’t curse his situation. He didn’t run away from the incredible challenge.
This next one up was grateful for the challenge, for the situation, for the hand.
Over the course of this year, we’ve all be confronted by terrific obstacles and challenges. We’ve been harassed and thrown around and beaten. All of us.
I’ve awakened sore from the beatings.
But we all could use the “next one up” vibes that #2 brought into a football game on a Sunday in November. We could all use the next one up feeling that he took into a no win situation. We could all use some Kendall Hinton in our lives.
