“I don’t get any reps.” That’s one of the easiest excuses to make and one of the least productive. I remember saying that to my sports psychologist when I was buried on the depth chart. “Are you looking for solutions, or are you just making excuses? What can you control?” He then had me list out all the things I could do to improve and generate artificial reps on my own. “Look for and find solutions, Luke.” So I made the list… - Take the script after practice and go through it on air with some WR’s. - Practice my signals and verbal operation at the line of scrimmage. - Draw out every play in that week’s game plan with my reads. - Audio record every play in that week’s game plan and play it back while visualizing myself executing it. - Go through previous cutups to better understand the offense. - Meet with any coaches who were available. The list went on and on… and it helped me shift from the victim mindset of “I’m not getting any reps” to one of ownership and making my reps. That list became my blueprint for growth and one I continued to use once I became the starter. So if you aren’t “the guy” right now, make a list for yourself of how you can close the gap and create those reps. And if you’re a coach, help your players through this process. Only one guy can ultimately play, but that doesn’t mean the other players in the room can’t improve despite limited on field reps. #MindStrength