When you think about the game of football, there are many images and words that come to mind, but one of the most distinct elements of the sport has always been the “huddle.”
Before every play, teams circle up to discuss the next play and secretly make adjustments, while also challenging and encouraging each other to win the game.
Even as a kid playing backyard football with my brothers and friends, I always enjoyed huddling up and getting ready to try and score a touchdown.
Putting our arms on each others’ shoulders created a sense of teamwork, as we strategized on how to make a big play. Then saying “ready break” in unison made it even more exciting.
As important as the huddle has been for so many years (beginning in the 1890s), there is a trend that shows teams are going away from huddling up before each play.
The New York Times wrote an article about the disappearing huddle and explained it like this: “In the pursuit of more scoring, teams now employ some form of a hurry-up operating system aptly called the no-huddle offense. It is as it sounds, players darting from one play to the next.”
We see quarterbacks making signals for the play call as they rush their guys to the line of scrimmage to quickly hike the ball. This makes sense for scoring more points and running more plays throughout the game, but something else may be getting lost.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Roger Staubach, gave this perspective in the article: “As players in the huddle, you’re all alone in the middle of the field but together at the same time. You see who is hurt, who’s tired, or who’s spitting mad. You can take that all in, which can be powerful.”
I’m in agreement with Staubach’s take on the huddle and concerned that the fast-paced nature of football has also infiltrated our own lives. Instead of “huddling up” as we should, we are like “players darting from one play to the next” and not slowing down to put our arms around each other.
When we take the time to circle up with our friends, however, we can actually “see who is hurt” or “who’s tired” or “who’s spitting mad.”
As followers of Jesus, it’s crucial that we pause to encourage and challenge one another to keep going…discuss the “next play”…and work together to keep winning.
We are missing out on a lot in our lives when we run the “no-huddle” by not fellowshipping or gathering or circling up with each other.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (AMP) puts it this way: “Let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.”
Today as we think about Staubach’s powerful description of a football huddle, let’s embrace finding our own huddles…and closely follow Jesus together.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me slow down long enough to put my arm around others and offer them encouragement. I pray I’d find ways to huddle up with people so that I can be challenged by them and be by their side when they are hurt, tired, or angry. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
