Bennie Fowler - Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success

Super Bowl 50.

The third most - watched program in American television history.

Over 110 million people were tuned in when my team, the Denver Broncos, squared off against the Carolina Panthers in Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The sidelines were thick with former NFL stars on hand to mark the fiftieth anniversary of this championship game, and the stands were packed with more than seventy thousand fans.

Can you say pressure ?

Carolina was a tough team. Theyd gone 151 and their quarterback, Cam Newton, was the leagues MVP. Newton, in the eyes of some, looked invincible.

My team, on the other hand, was led by the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl thirty - nine - year - old Peyton Manning. Peyton missed several games during the regular season with a foot injury. He led the league in interceptions and was having his worst season since his rookie year in 1998. Peyton, for the first time in his illustrious career, had been benched earlier in the year but had worked his way back into the lineup toward the end of the regular season.

Still, thanks in large part to our defense, we were leading 1610 when Carolina got the ball near their own twenty - yard line with four minutes left. Anyone whos watched an NFL game knows that this did not make us feel overconfident. Newton had plenty of time and talent to mount a drive that would allow Carolina to take the lead.

Then, on third and nine, Newton dropped back to pass, and our great linebacker, Von Miller, swept in and stripped the ball as Newton was beginning his throw. The ball bobbled around before our safety, T.J. Ward, fell on it a few yards from the Carolina end zone. A few plays later, running back C.J. Anderson plunged in from two yards out for the touchdown, and we were up 2210.

While most of us celebrated, our coaches were urgently talking into their headsets. Kick the extra point? Or go for the two - point conversion?

If we kicked the extra point, wed be up by thirteen points. But there was still time left for Carolina to storm back. If the Panthers could get a quick score and get the ball back on an onside kick or a turnover, they could still win the game 2423 with a second touchdown.

Head Coach Gary Kubiak elected to go for the two - point conversion, which would put us ahead 2410 and keep us in the game even if Carolina came back in the final minutes.

Here comes Bennie Fowler.

As I trotted out onto the field with Peyton and the rest of the offensive unit amid the stadium roar, I felt one dominant sensation:

Joy.

I knew the play because Id practiced it over and over. I knew where the ball would arrive because Id visualized this moment over and over. I could picture the spinning laces as Peytons spiral cut through the air. I could see it sailing into my hands, and I could feel it slamming into my gut as I came out of my break. My mind was quiet and focused because I had learned to fill it with positive thoughts and flush out any feelings of self - doubt or fear.

People think of NFL players and other professional athletes as great physical specimensand they are. Look at my former teammate Demaryius Thomashes tall, muscled, runs like a deer, and has fluid moves that leave most defenders flailing.

But what people often dont realize is how much mental work goes into being a professional athlete. The best onesthe Peyton Mannings, the Kobe Bryants, the Von Millers, the Draymond Greens (well, there really is only one Draymond Green)are towers of mental strength too. They have the powers of perseverance, patience, and discipline, and they have trained their minds as finely as they have honed their physical skills.

They train their minds by following simple principles and practices. They close out negative thoughts while cultivating rich, prosperous ideas. They focus on the things they can control, and as they gain mastery over those factors, any sense of anxiety fades away. Their heart rate goes down, their breathing is relaxed, their muscles are loose, and their thoughts are clear and precise.

These are skills Ive learned in my five years in the NFL, but they are skills anyone can master. When you focus on what my mentor and friend Dr. Rick Perea calls the process, your performance improves. Who among us wouldnt benefit from becoming healthier, calmer, more confident, and successful?

Focusing on the process allowed me to smile to myself as I prepared to receive the biggest pass of my career from a future Hall of Famer throwing the last pass of his career.