The San Francisco 49ers have high hopes heading into the 2019 season with the return of their franchise quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. He went down with a season-ending knee injury last year, but he's expected to be healthy and ready to go during training camp next month.
During limited starts and when healthy, Garoppolo has been impressive and is expected to have a bright future.
Last offseason the 49ers added former Seahawk, Richard Sherman. He’s talented and outspoken and always makes his presence known.
Being on the defensive side of the ball, Sherman revealed what he’s noticed about Garoppolo when lining up against him and it will be interesting to see if it's something the young quarterback has worked on.
Sherman noted that he has a throwing tic (or a subtle movement) that tells the defense what he wants to do.
Sherman described, “You just need to read him — hand off ball; he’s letting it go. You have to be decisive when you make those decisions. If he takes his hand off the ball and doesn’t throw it, I think he’ll throw guys off, but when he takes his hand off the ball, you’ve got to be ready to break.”
Jay Busbee from Yahoo Sports explained it this way: “In other words, when Garoppolo takes his non-throwing hand off the ball, he’s about to sling it. That kind of tell, in poker terms, is all someone like Sherman needs to make a break on the ball and go for an interception.”
As a franchise quarterback, you don’t want to give the defense an opportunity or advantage in trying to stop you, so Garoppolo will have to address this weakness and prevent it from being an ongoing issue.
In our own lives, we have weaknesses that make us more susceptible to some sins over others. We know the first little steps that lead us down a path of bad decisions.
If we aren’t careful and aware, we can give the enemy a “tell” or a “subtle movement” that lets him know what to do to stop us from remaining obedient to God.
Satan is on the alert to take us down and destroy us, so when we give him any chance at all to attack, he’ll “make a break on the ball and go for an interception.”
Every day, it’s important to faithfully and obediently remain focused on Jesus. When we sense temptation and begin to entertain sin, we must cling to Him for strength before giving any advantage to the enemy.
Ephesians 4:26-27 (AMP) addresses how anger, when not dealt with, gives the devil an opportunity:
“Be angry , yet do not sin; do not let your anger last until the sun goes down. And do not give the devil an opportunity .”
Just like a QB must realize a “tell” can provide an open door for the defense to come in, we must acknowledge how anger and other “tells” can let the enemy in and cause major harm. Let’s trust our loving and powerful God to equip and strengthen us to overcome.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I know in my weakness, You are strong. Help me not to give an opportunity to the devil, and to let go of any anger that is sinful and harmful. I need Your power to overcome every temptation. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Comments