Justin Jefferson: Rod Tidwell, WR, Jerry Maguire
Sports super agent Jerry Maguire had a problem.
He came to the realization, perhaps in a bit of a mid-life crisis, that his lot in life was almost meaningless. While he was a powerful agent who enjoyed the success that came with representing some of the best athletes in the world, he was failing at building personal relationships. In a middle-of-the-night panic, he writes a vision for the future of the sports representation business. His peers love it, until he is almost immediately shown the door.
In a panic, he tries to hold onto as many clients as he can to strike out on his own, adn the only one who stays with him? Rod Tidwell. A wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals viewed as a bit of a diva. But what the league does not take into consideration, but Tidwell and his family do, is the receiver’s willingness to play over the middle. To make the tough, contested catch in traffic. To put his body on the line for the throw.
Inspired by his sole client, Maguire puts the future of his new firm – and his own reputation – in Tidwell’s hands. Tidwell plays on the final year of his contract, continuing to put his body on the line to earn one more big deal. In a huge Monday night game, Tidwell catches a touchdown but seemingly gets knocked out in the process, before coming to his feet to celebrate.
Justin Jefferson from LSU has that same fearless mentality working over the middle. In LSU’s offense he was tasked with running a large number of crossing routes, finding space against zone coverages or running away from man defenders. He played with a care in the world when running these routes, sometimes taking a shot and getting up to celebrate as well after the play:
Jefferson’s ability to play over the middle and put himself on the line is one of his more impressive traits as a receiver. It is also a trait that helped Tidwell earn that last big deal, and retire as a Cardinal.