Have you ever captained a sailing yacht?
Me neither.
But when the America’s Cup competition was held in San Francisco in 2013 I got to hear a number of the crew members talk of their experience. It is exhilarating to listen to their tactics and as one said, “When you find that groove that allows you to just trim the sails for maximum speed, it is a high over any other high I have ever experienced.”
In my world, I see trimming the sails as important too. But I apply it to National Football League teams entering the postseason. If, by chance, a team wins on the last day of the season in a game they didn’t need against an opponent that did, they consistently underachieve when the games count for them again in the playoffs.
Yet, when a team that has their postseason slot assured before their last game and then loses ... it is as if they are trimming their sails. They come out in their first postseason game with a proper blend of talent and motivation.
That’s what the Buffalo Bills did on Sunday. In a game they didn’t need, they rested key starters and allowed the New England Patriots to beat them on the scoreboard, 23-16.