This week, Touchdown Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to former Indianapolis Colts tight end Ben Utecht.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Utecht discussed his collaboration with his alma mater, the University of Minnesota, on developing the Shower Sockᵀᴹ and his experience playing with pro football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
“We assembled a team of student engineers (University of Minnesota) to start the prototyping process,” Utecht said of the development of the Shower Sockᵀᴹ. “We also built out some teaching opportunities, where I had a chance to come in and provide some teaching and coaching around organizational culture. This is my passion outside this business, as I work with companies and help them build championship cultures using the Tony Dungy model.
“They wanted to bring that into their ecosystem. So, I had a chance to pour into the students and faculty as well. In return, they partnered with me to help me build this prototype to launch in the marketplace. So I hope that partnership will remain as we begin a hard launch and build a larger product line over time.”
Utecht played four seasons for the Colts after going undrafted in 2004 out of Minnesota. He credits the culture during his tenure with the franchise, especially with Manning as quarterback, pushing him to be a better player.
“Peyton Manning’s skill level actually removed or balanced the pressure,” Utecht explained. “When you have somebody like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Drew Brees, you have an example of a true professional who stewards every moment. The day is different than the rest, elevating every player’s performance on the field, naturally and subconsciously. It just everybody’s confidence goes up. Everybody’s attention to detail goes up. Everybody’s energy, you know, and what they’re giving on every play increases, and you don’t even really realize it’s happening.”
Utecht started in the Colts Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears. He finished with one catch for eight yards.
“So when you have a quarterback, that is a master of the football chess game. You trust that he will put you in the best position to win every time,” said Utecht. “So when the ball is coming to you, it’s because of what he’s seen, and you’re the person that’s open. If he places the ball on your back hip, it’s because he’s telling you that the corner is coming from the outside, so you need to adjust and come back inside, or else you’ll get hit. I mean, that’s how specific Peyton was on his ability to put the ball in the right place to give you the best chance to win. And that actually removes pressure because, because of the ability, the amount of trust you have in that player has increased dramatically.”
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