Quarterback Battles

Every year, throughout NFL training camps and preseason games, there are positional battles. Guys are competing for starting spots, and others are just fighting to make the team.

Although the sport is a team game, individuals often find themselves competing against their teammates, trying to be better than them.

We know the most important position on the football field is the quarterback, so when a team has a quarterback battle, it carries extra emphasis. Ideally, a team has a clear-cut starter in place, but for some teams this year, that isn’t the case.

So far, we’ve seen a couple of teams name their starter after two players were going against each other in camp. In Minnesota, the Vikings brought in veteran QB Kyler Murarry even though they still had a first-round draft pick, J.J. McCarthy, on the roster. Murray impressed the coaches enough to win the job.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns announced today that Deshaun Watson will be the starter to begin the season, instead of Shedeur Sanders. Watson and the Browns have had a tumultuous time together, and it’s surprising to many that he edged out Sanders for the job.

In Las Vegas, the Raiders brought in Kirk Cousins to be the starter while they waited for their first overall draft pick QB Fernando Mendoza to be fully ready. Now it appears he may be on the field sooner rather than later.

A similar situation is unfolding in Arizona with veteran Jacoby Brissett, who signed with the team as the starter, but rookie Carson Beck is now pushing for an opportunity.

Lastly, the QB competition in Atlanta is fascinating. Michael Penix Jr. was taken in the first round of the 2024 draft by the Falcons, and he has shown glimpses of talent as a starter, but has dealt with injuries. In the offseason, they signed former Dolphins starting QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has struggled with his health and shown inconsistent play. 

At this point, they are both healthy, and the starting job is up in the air with the first game of the season quickly approaching.

In each QB battle, coaches compare two players and stack them up against each other. They are trying to determine who will give them the best chance to win and who is the right man for the starting job.

As you can imagine, the two QBs fighting for the top spot are also watching each other each day in practice, and it would make sense that they are comparing themselves to one another. 

However, I appreciate what Penix said earlier in the offseason via the team's website: “I’m running my own race. I can’t look into another lane. But at the same time, we are working together. That’s what it's all about. Working together and working with each other to finish the race.” 

The truth is, they are teammates and should absolutely work together, but each player is still on their own journey and responsible for their own game.

They can’t worry so much about the other guy that it distracts them from doing what they need to do, discourages them when their teammate is playing better, or diminishes what they're accomplishing. 

Yes, only one player will be named the starter, but regardless of the outcome, each has to “run their own race” and not “look into another lane.”

You and I can relate to this because we know how caught up we can get when comparing ourselves to others in our own lives. We often watch what other people around us are doing and see how we stack up against them.

If we aren’t careful, we start worrying too much about how well someone else is doing, which distracts us from what we need to do, discourages us when they seem to be doing better than we are, and diminishes our sense of accomplishment. 

The reality is that, as followers of Jesus, we are each “running our own race” and are teammates with other believers, not competitors. We don’t need to look into “another lane,” but instead, each of us must focus on our “own lane.”

That means we focus on our own calling, gifts, and the resources we're responsible for stewarding. Not in a selfish way where we don't care about others, but not in a way that is all about comparison. Yes, we can also help each other run the race “working together.”

Ultimately, we are held accountable for our own decisions and actions, and we must stick to the plan God has laid out for our lives rather than worrying about how we compare to someone else.

Galatians 6:4-5 (AMP) tells us, “But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another. For every person will have to bear [with patience] his own burden [of faults and shortcomings for which he alone is responsible].”

The Bible tells us in Romans 14:10-12 (ESV), "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.' So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

The truth is, we are all on an individual journey God has uniquely designed for us, and we are each at a different point in that journey.

Depending on how we're wired, the season we're in, and the circumstances surrounding us, our “lane” will look different from someone else's.

But that’s okay because we should remain focused on God’s will for us without getting caught up in comparison. After all, as followers of Jesus, we've been created and called for His purposes, and we're united in serving one another with our different spiritual gifts. 

Romans 12:4-8 (ESV) explains, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Today, let’s stick to our own unique “lane” and be thankful for whatever we've been given. Sure, there will be times when we don’t win the starting job, but regardless of the outcome, let's trust God to lead us as He provides the wisdom, strength, and contentment we need to keep our eyes from drifting into comparison with someone else’s “lane.”

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I’m thankful for the wonderful life You allow me to live. Please help me stay focused on my own lane and journey with humility and contentment. Help me to be a good teammate and be happy for others when things are going well for them. I pray I won’t dwell on comparing myself to others, but rather take responsibility for my own actions and what I can control. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.