Week 2 of the NFL came to a close last night with a comeback win by the Colts, but most exciting, for me, is that the Bears won! I admit I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was pretty sure their defense was going to show up. The offense had me worried though because I had no idea what they were capable of, especially against the very tough Pittsburgh Steelers, but they won the game with a late field goal, and are now 1-1.  This was a tough defensive game which is what you would expect from these 2 teams, and there is nothing like a tough defense. If you saw the New York Jets defense steam roll the New England Patriots then you will know what I am talking about. The Jets held Tom Brady, and the offense to 3 field goals. That means NO touchdowns. A relentless pass rush proved to be too much for the Pats. Although I am not sure if New England has all its offensive wheels yet. They obviously missed Wes Welker, and it will be interesting to watch how well the offense gels as the season rolls on. Looks like the Jets finally have the right attitude though.

Of course this time of year all the teams are fresh, and who knows how everything will end up in January but one thing I do believe is that defense wins championships. Everyone, for instance, remembers the Super Bowl 2 years ago when the Giants upset the Patriots. Everyone remembers that against the odds catch from Eli Manning to David Tyree near the end of the game, which of course led to the game winning touchdown, but let’s face it. The Giants defense won that game. They kept the high powered New England offense on its heels with a punishing pass rush.

The Bears made it to the Super Bowl 3 years ago because of it’s defense. It certainly wasn’t because of Rex Grossman, and the offense. In fact Tony Dungy who was then the head coach of the Colts (the team that beat the Bears in that Super Bowl) said last week that at the time he felt Rex Grossman wouldn’t be able to beat them, so they keyed ont stopping the Bears running game and he was right. Grossman had no shot. The Bears ended up losing. Funny thing too…….the Colts had a mediocre defense that season, but once the playoffs began they suddenly flipped a switch and wham! Their became a very stingy defense. They were shutting teams down, and they ended up beating the Patriots in a great AFC championship game as Peyton Manning practically willed the Colts down the field for what turned out to be the game winning touchdown.

The year before that the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl in the same sort of way. Once the playoffs began their defense was tremendous, and they went on to beat the Seattle Seahawks. Last years Super Bowl had my favorite defensive moment though. The Steeler’s defense shut down a high powered Cardinals offense for the majority of the game keeping it close enough for Ben Rothlisberger, and the offense to drive down field for a VERY exciting game winning touchdown, BUT possibly the most electrifying play of the game was that defensive touchdown at the very end of the first half. The Cardinals were poised to score, and go into the locker room with the lead when Kurt Warner of the Cardinals threw an interception to the Steelers James Harrison in the Cardinals end zone. Harrison, who is not the fastest guy, lumbered 100 yards for a touchdown as time expired! It was pretty electrifying as I kept thinking, someones going to catch him. Not even Larry Fitzgerald, who is a very fast wide receiver could get him. Once again….defense. I will definitely be watching to see who turns it on at the the end of this year to win.

Here is where I get clever, and tie it in to exercise. Ready? Exercise is a very tough defense. It you turn it on the right way. That means activating the Fusion. Smooth, coordinated movement, strength, flexibility, stamina, cardio fitness, balance, fuel intake…it all makes for a defense that is VERY tough to break. The right stuff helps to bulletproof you against turning you into a soft blob having to deal with back, knee, shoulder pain, degenerative disease, and even sitting out your life as you age.

The tough questions here are how do you do all that? What do you use to do it? I have decided to post a series of blogs to help set you in the right direction to get there. You need a game plan. Something to keep you going so you don’t become sidetracked by all the conflicting information out there. These questions need to be answered to get your defense to a championship  level.

How do I picture myself with that championship defense in me?

Who can help me do that?

What is it I need? (your needs may be very different than someone else’s for instance).

How do I do what I need to do?

Just keep your mind on these questions AND in that order. Don’t jump to the last one first. You got to know what it is you want first. THEN the person that can help you will be there, because you better know what you are looking for. On the next post I will address this question a bit more, and hopefully AND try to point you in the direction of where you might need to go to get the help you need. Until then….GO BEARS!!!!

Best,

Robert