It’s 4th and 1 on the Eagles’ 47-yard line.
Coach Gase gives the signal… we’re going for it.
I take the snap under center, play fake it to Le'Veon Bell, and roll right. I’ve got my man. I let it rip and deliver a beautiful spiral.
He catches it perfectly in stride and is off to the races.
The crowd is erupting! And he only has one man to beat…
Me.
Pick 6 on the road at Lincoln Financial Field against the Philadelphia Eagles.
My second and final career NFL start… and my first official NFL touchdown.
Not ideal.
But the beautiful thing about this?
I’m alright.
All these years later, that play doesn’t own me. It doesn’t hold me hostage. In fact, I joke about it now.
One of the biggest fears people have in performance — and probably life too — is what Dr. Michael Gervais calls FOPO: Fear of Other People’s Opinions.
Worrying about how you look. Getting embarrassed. Failing publicly. Looking stupid.
And for so many people, it becomes performance handcuffs. It creates hesitation. Underlying anxiety. Tightness.
And in this case, the exact thing so many people fear happened to me.
On one of the biggest stages possible, I threw a pick-six in an NFL game in front of hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of people.
Then I got cut a week later (and that was public too). And guess what?
Life went on. I’m still here. The people who have always been there for me still care about me.
I Am more than alright!
So maybe the lesson is this:
Swing your sword.
Stop living so scared of what might happen if you “falk up” and the worst outcome happens.
Oh well.
That’s performance. That’s life. That’s part of being the person in the arena.
And no matter what happens… you’ll still find your way.
Easy Easy,
-Luke Falk
Pick 6 on the road at Lincoln Financial Field against the Philadelphia Eagles.
My second and final career NFL start… and my first official NFL touchdown.
Not ideal.
