{"id":697696,"date":"2026-01-23T01:19:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T01:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/697696\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T01:19:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T01:19:17","slug":"the-lesson-in-josh-allens-emotional-news-conference-plus-5-leadership-rules-from-joe-maddon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/697696\/","title":{"rendered":"The lesson in Josh Allen\u2019s emotional news conference. Plus: 5 leadership rules from Joe Maddon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Peak newsletter \ud83e\udde0\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s weekly newsletter covering the mental side of sports. Sign up here<\/a> to receive the Peak newsletter directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Welcome back to the Peak newsletter. We\u2019re talking leadership today. Let\u2019s go:<\/p>\n

Pro Tips: A 28-second leadership lesson<\/p>\n

You probably saw Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and his team\u00a0lost in heartbreaking fashion<\/a>\u00a0to the Denver Broncos last weekend. Allen had four turnovers in the game, a couple of which were pretty brutal.<\/p>\n

What you might not have seen were\u00a0these two interview clips<\/a>\u00a0(totaling 28 seconds) after the loss, in which a teary Allen says he feels like he \u201clet his teammates down\u201d and Buffalo left tackle Dion Dawkins chokes up when he hears what Allen said.<\/p>\n

I was around NFL locker rooms for several years. You don\u2019t see that emotion all that often. I was particularly struck by Dawkins\u2019 response.<\/p>\n

Somewhere in that back-and-forth seemed to be a small leadership lesson, or at least a leadership idea to chew on.<\/p>\n

Around this time last year, before Peak officially existed, Elise Devlin, Rustin Dodd and I published a story about Allen\u2019s playing days at Wyoming. There\u2019s a\u00a0bunch of fun stories in it<\/a>\u00a0(I enjoy the one about Allen, the ax and the tree, which sounds like a children\u2019s book).<\/p>\n

But what I really remember is the way Allen\u2019s old teammates talked about him. I don\u2019t mean just what they said. I mean literally\u00a0the way\u00a0they talked about him.<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t sound like they were discussing the NFL MVP and Bills superstar quarterback. They sounded as if they were talking about a college buddy who used to chuck them beer cans.<\/p>\n

I know that might sound obvious, but in my experience, when someone gets as famous as Allen, the people around them tend to become guarded and cautious.<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s old teammates talked about him so \u2026\u00a0normally.\u00a0Just old friends telling old stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like I said, I thought about that over the weekend when I came across the clips of Allen and Dawkins. So I reached back out to Adam Pilapil, one of Allen\u2019s college teammates we talked to for the story, and sent him the clip.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what he said about Allen\u2019s leadership style:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that makes anybody a great leader is the way that you connect with people. When you connect with people, you\u2019re willing to do anything for that person and vice versa.\u00a0The way that Josh connects with people is on a very real\u00a0level.\u00a0We\u2019re not buddies because we play football together or (are) doing business together. I think that\u2019s special. To me, it\u2019s the least shocking clip I\u2019ve ever seen. It comes from a place of a real relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pilapil isn\u2019t just Allen\u2019s old college teammate and friend. He\u2019s also the linebackers coach at Wake Forest and, therefore, in a position of leadership himself. I wondered if he picked up anything from the 29-year-old Allen now that he\u2019s a coach.<\/p>\n

His answer:<\/p>\n

\u201cPlenty and in a lot of different ways, honestly. No. 1, how do you build relationships with people?\u00a0Josh does a really good job of connecting with people and being intentional. That\u2019s something I\u2019ve definitely taken from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was curious what that intentionality looked like in practice. For a leader, charisma, I believe, is an innate trait. You have it or you don\u2019t. But being intentional is a choice, something anyone can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would really get to know guys,\u201d Pilapil said. \u201cHe would be personable about the questions he asked. He\u2019d invite guys over to the house to shoot the s\u2014. He makes those connections and he means it and he follows up on it.\u00a0Anytime you have people follow up on what they say or follow up on questions or remember little things you may have talked about, I think that\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

I know there\u2019s a difference between being teammates in college and in the NFL, but the larger point stands: Intentionality as a leader goes a long way.<\/p>\n

On the topic of leaders, let\u2019s turn to the guy who once ended the longest championship drought in North American pro sports history.<\/p>\n

Joe Maddon\u2019s 5 leadership rules<\/p>\n

As manager of the Chicago Cubs, Joe Maddon delivered the franchise\u2019s 2016 World Series win, its first in 108 years. So I asked Maddon to share his five rules for leaders and explain each one:<\/p>\n

1. Do simple better.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis started when I was a young scout in the 1980s. Another scout, Tim Kelly, always talked about simplification. I\u2019d write reports, and he\u2019d always ask me to simplify my reports. Simplify the way I taught young hitters. Simplify my daily schedules.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we made things less complicated, in a hot moment, we had a better chance of performing.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Never permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trap is to think you have to change or do things differently. I didn\u2019t change anything. During the playoffs, we still had breakfast on the field during batting practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cKris Bryant, our third baseman with the Cubs, used to love this. That phrase really resonated with him. Whenever I thought he was down a little bit, I would repeat it to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t tell someone to relax without teaching them how to relax in the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI coached J.T. Snow and Todd Greene, and when they went up to the plate to hit, I wanted them to squeeze the bat as hard as they possibly could. They\u2019d get up there, look at the label on the bat, tap home plate, squeeze and take a deep breath to release all the tension.<\/p>\n

\u201cFocal points are big, too. When Evan Longoria and I were together with the Tampa Bay Rays, his focal point was the top of the left-field foul pole. You look at that spot and train yourself to know that when you look at that, that\u2019s the deep-breath moment. The settle-in moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. The process is fearless.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are process-oriented, fear never enters your mind. You just keep working on\u00a0this moment, this moment, this moment, because anxiety lives in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. If I tell you the truth, you may not like me for a week. If I lie to you, you\u2019ll hate me forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cA great line is: \u2018Honesty without compassion equals cruelty.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when we sit down and it\u2019s a tough moment, I\u2019m not going to tell you, \u2018We\u2019re going in a different direction,\u2019 and all that crap. No. Suck up the tough moment, be honest and eventually the scar will heal and you\u2019ll be on the same page again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one I remember most vividly was with the Rays and Ben Zobrist. He was good, but he wasn\u2019t quite there yet. He came into the office and I said: \u2018Your defense at shortstop isn\u2019t where it needs to be. Offensively, you\u2019re more of a line-drive hitter and we\u2019d like to see more power.\u2019 Zo looked at me and said: \u2018Thanks guys, I really appreciate that. I\u2019m going to go back and work on this, I promise.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing absolutely honest with him, he took it the right way and he transformed it into a wonderful career.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Embrace the target.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever run away from pressure and expectations as a leader. It\u2019s really important to understand that these are good things, not bad things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Eat: Is a (healthy) NFL meal plan right for me?Peak Nuggets<\/p>\n

Bite-sized ideas from around sports:<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfd3 From Rustin: The scientific case for\u00a0why everyone should play more ping pong<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcaa This one was fun: Check out our list of the\u00a040 most-admired leaders in sports in 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc8 Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza just won the national championship.\u00a0Here are three things anyone can learn from him<\/a>\u00a0(and he also\u00a0explained\u00a0<\/a>three things of his own<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa5 Walk and talk:\u00a0This week\u2019s topic from Elise?\u00a0Surprising advice\u00a0for how to handle big moments.\u00a0Click the GIF below to hear it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You Asked: And LGPA Tour pro Auston Kim answered<\/p>\n

Favored O., an up-and-coming golfer, wanted to ask: \u201cHow do you keep your mind focused in competition regardless of the prior shot or event?\u201d<\/p>\n

So we reached out to Kim, a 25-year-old who finished second at the Women\u2019s PGA Championship last season.\u00a0Here\u2019s what she said:<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac\u00a0\u201cIt starts with assessing the shot in front of you. Ask yourself, \u2018What do I want to do here?\u2019\u00a0Be specific by feeling the shot or visualizing the ball flight\u00a0(like Toptracer on TV). Trust your skills and abilities to hit the shot you want in that situation. And once you hit the shot, walk to the next one and do the exact same thing again. And again until the last putt drops.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaying present will help relax your mental state, which leads to better golf. But remember,\u00a0bad shots are a part of the game. Keep doing your best and try to make the next shot better than the one before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f Got a question about the mental side of sports that you want answered by a player, coach or expert?\u00a0Email me at peak@theathletic.com. Every week, I\u2019ll pick one question and try to get an answer.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for today!\u00a0Love Peak?\u00a0Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0other\u00a0newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Peak newsletter \ud83e\udde0\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s weekly newsletter covering the mental side of sports. Sign up here…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":697697,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,2086,7,6,4864],"class_list":{"0":"post-697696","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-buffalo","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalobills","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-peak"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115941787541240017","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=697696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/697697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=697696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=697696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=697696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}