“Respect Everyone, Fear No One.” 

That was a “Leachism” posted all over our football building—and it’s critical when it comes to how you prepare and how you perceive the game ahead. When I was a college coach, we played a “lesser” opponent. Our QB had just come off an incredible run and had been named National Player of the Week a few weeks prior. This game though? He was… fine. Average. 

 From the outside, he played well. But he and I both knew it wasn’t his best. After the game, he pulled back the curtain: 

“I overlooked this team. I didn’t prepare like I should have.” 

He’d let the perception of the opponent dictate his preparation. He didn’t respect them. Fortunately, we still won big that day. But when I was a player in college, I wasn’t so lucky. Twice I lost to FCS teams (yes, twice). The root cause? Walking into those games thinking, they’re just an FCS team… not USC, Oregon, or Stanford. That mindset got us punched in the mouth. 

Fear No One

On the flip side, you can’t fear your opponent either. In my first career NFL start, we were facing the defending Super Bowl champions—the New England Patriots. The night before the game, one of our coaches, who’d been in the league for over thirty-five years, put up their defensive rankings (which I recommend not doing if you are a coach): 

• First in Pass Defense 
• First in Turnovers 
• First in Rush Defense 
• First in Points Allowed 
• First in Sacks 
• First in EVERYTHING… 

Then he said, “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this before!” 

“Wow” was right. Not to mention they also had the greatest quarterback and coach in NFL history. We walked into that game, or at least I did, beaten in our minds before we even took the field. 

So how do you protect yourself from falling into either trap? 

Focus on what you can control. 

In college, we’d get detailed scouting reports: “6'4", long wingspan, very fast, great hips—avoid throwing at him.” I stopped reading them. I’d just watch film and make my own notes. I focused on my job and responsibility. The beauty? Coach Leach didn’t care about the external either. 

His philosophy: Do your job. Execute. Kick their ass. 

It freed me from obsessing over certain players, conference awards, or NFL projections. 

Most games, I didn’t even know the names of the guys I was competing against until I’d see them drafted months laterand think, “Oh yeah, that guy was pretty dang good!” There were a few exceptions, of course, like Vita Vea, Buddha Baker, Harry Gaines, and Harrison Phillips… Those guys were damn good! 

This type of mentality was at the core of Leach’s Air Raid philosophy and worked the same way. Stick to your identity. Run your stuff. Prepare the same, whether it’s David or Goliath. 

Respect Everyone. Fear No One. 

Nobody’s better than you, and nobody’s less than you. Treat every opponent the same. 

Keep your preparation the same. And focus only on what you can control.