Interview with Dr. Jared Wood and Jeff Heath, Dallas Cowboys Safety and Special Teams Starter

This past off-season I had the opportunity to interview Jeff Heath, a safety and special teams starter for the Dallas Cowboys. I love getting to interview guys like Jeff because they weren't superstars coming out of high school or college, and yet they are able to make it in the NFL. To me, guys like Jeff are a great study in how to do things right mentally and how to make a big transformation - from a barely recruited player at the D-II level - to an NFL caliber player in just four years. Below I've transcribed my interview with Jeff, and I added some comments about how his answers illustrate important concepts about the mental side of football.

Jared Wood: When did you first dream of being in the NFL?

Jeff Heath: When I was really young I dreamed of soccer and the World Cup more. But as soon as I started playing football, I thought it would be awesome to play in the NFL. So, pretty young - .It was before  high school.

•     Having dreams early is a great thing for a young student athlete. It can help motivate them to put forth a great effort toward improvement.

JW: When was the NFL first a legitimate option in your mind?

JH: I always thought it would be cool. Not getting recruited big time was disappointing. I tried to take it year by year. I'd say my junior year in college I started to consider it a possibility. Scouts started contacting coach in between my junior and senior years. So I knew they were out there.

Feedback from others is an important source of self-confidence when it gives information about achievements. Scouts talking to Jeff's coaches about him let him know he was a very good player, a player good enough to play beyond the D-II level in which he was currently playing. This was important to Jeff's confidence and self-beliefs.

JW: There are plenty of safeties in the Big Ten, MAC, even SEC, who don't go on to play in the NFL. Is that a chip on your shoulder? Was it ever?

JH: Yes. I'd say it was. CMU (Central Michigan) talked to my high school coaches about me but said I was slow and ran too stiff. It pissed me off. Stuff like that. But in truth, coming out of high school I really wasn't ready. I couldn't have played at Central out of high school like I did at Saginaw. I actually didn't even get recruited by Saginaw. A teammate and I just tagged along with another kid's workout who got invited to SVSU's scouting day in the winter of our senior year. I was a tag along. Grand Valley State didn't offer a scholarship either. They said I could walk on.

•     I love this answer because Jeff didn't get bothered by a lack of early success. He was a kid FBS colleges didn't want, and he was barely a small college recruit either. He used that as a chip on his shoulder to work hard and prove he was worthy of playing at higher levels. 

JW: What were your accomplishments/credentials in D-II?

JH: I entered camp like fourth or fifth on the depth chart, but by the end of my freshman year I started 6 games. Kids in front of me just kept getting hurt. I started 40 out of 46 total. We made the playoffs two times, my freshman and junior years. We lost first round games both times.

•     I like this answer for a couple of reasons. First, Jeff began his career at Saginaw deep on the depth chart, yet he kept working hard and seizing every opportunity he got. Second, I asked for his accomplishments, meaning as an individual, and Jeff immediately only thought of team accomplishments. That's the type of thinking anyone would want in a teammate.

JW: Was coming from a D-II program an advantage in any way?

JH: I definitely think it was. It's the big fish in a small pond theory. Being at a small school helped me a lot. If I went to a bigger school, I might've gotten lost in the wash. As I said before, I wasn't ready coming out of high school. But in terms of making it to the NFL, nowadays it doesn't matter. If you can play, they (NFL) will find you.

•     Jeff took an initial rejection from big time schools and reframed it as a positive thing. He was determined to make the most of his opportunity, to play and improve at the D-II level. So in terms of reaching his dream to play in the NFL, while he felt somewhat slighted by big time programs coming out of high school, he viewed playing small college football as a tremendous opportunity. When we recognize opportunities, we are more likely to seize them and take advantage of them. He ultimately views coming from a small school as an advantage he had over guys who got lost at bigger schools. I think many athletes would be wise to consider this coming out of high school, depending on their academic, athletic, and other goals.

JW: You were an undrafted free agent picked up by the Dallas Cowboys. What was the hardest thing to overcome at training camp?

JH: Not getting reps. When you are undrafted, you're just a camp body. You are just there to give a look, play offense when told. You feel like you aren't getting evaluated. It's hard to prepare mentally. My safety coach, Joe Baker, was great. He assured me my time would come. Guys got hurt, vets got released, and he was right. By the second preseason game I was in at the twos and going against the starters.

I like that Jeff was frustrated with a lack of early opportunity. There is nothing wrong with some frustration as long as you channel it into action at every opportunity. I also like the wisdom and patience of Coach Joe Baker, who took a frustrated young kid and reassured him that his time would come. He wasn't suggesting, "Wait five years, kid.” He was just saying, "Hang in there a few weeks, you will get an opportunity." I also like that Jeff recognized a great opportunity to play against another team's starters as a young number two. Whereas it would have been easy as an undrafted free agent from Saginaw Valley State to become overwhelmed by all of sudden going against an NFL team's starters, Jeff thought of it as a great, exciting opportunity.

JW: What's the easiest way to get noticed in camp?

JH: Both practice and games are important. I'd say special teams is the easiest way to get noticed. If you don't start and don't play special teams, they can't use you. You get your way to play time at your position through special teams. Also, don't make mental mistakes. Coaches understand that the NFL is so competitive guys are going to make plays against you, like Adrian Peterson running through a decent form tackle I attempted near the goal line last year. Those things happen. But if you make mental mistakes, they can't trust you to even be on the field.

•     I definitely love any answer that brings up the mental side of the game. I also like that Jeff again recognized opportunity where others might see a let down. Rather than seeing it as a problem that he wasn't getting reps at safety, Jeff chose to make special teams an opportunity. Ultimately, Jeff's coaches thought so highly of his specials teams play that they made him their starting personal punt protector for all 16 games in his first season.

JW: Speaking of mental reps, tell me about those. How do you take a good mental rep?

JH: I'm lucky that way. Some guys seem like they can only learn by doing. My best way to learn is in practice or walk through. I picture myself in the play and play out the play in my head. Once I do that 2-3 times, I've got it. I'll remember what to do. I used to follow my safety coach (Joe Baker) around at camp and just talk to him about the play, ask him what to do, play the play out in my head. That's the way I learn. Coach Baker was great not to get annoyed with me. First few weeks I'd just follow him around and ask him questions. I barely even had my helmet on and just took mental reps.

•     I don' think Jeff is "lucky that way," I think he's smart and disciplined. I've known Jeff for a long time, and I can remember him as a middle school student taking mental reps at our varsity games and practices. He was very intense about it. Essentially, Jeff gets in more practice than others by taking mental reps, seeing himself in the action, while others are day dreaming or otherwise unfocused. Part of what has made Jeff improve at a higher rate than others over the last six important years is that he has used mental practice time to practice more than others he's competing against. Too many players don't use the opportunity to take mental reps and learn from others while they are awaiting their turn to get in the drill or game. Again, I also like Coach Joe Baker's patience with a no-name undrafted kid from a small school. I think it's safe to say Coach Baker recognizes opportunity too.

JW: Mental reps are a form of imagery, what I call a fundamental skill. Do you use imagery at other times as well?

JH: During the week I try not to think about the game too much. I feel like it would wear me out. During the week I take one day and one practice at a time. I try to eliminate mistakes so that by Friday and Saturday I'm not making mistakes and know the game plan. The day before the game I try to put myself in certain scenarios and mentally picture myself making the play. I also picture myself making picks, strips, and those type of things.

•     Jeff clearly uses a lot of imagery, more than I think he realizes. Being able to mentally work through a play is so important to learning the play and the decisions that need to be made quickly and turned into physical action. The faster the mind decides what to do, the faster the body reacts. Mental confusion translates into physical hesitation and mistakes. It's also a good idea to imagine making big plays. Imagery is a source of confidence. If you can see it happening in your mind, you begin to believe it can happen in real life.

JW: You had some beautiful form tackles this year. Are those the result of Coach Blackstock's (Jeff’s high school assistant coach) tackling drills onto pole vault mats?

JH: Yeah, you develop those things at an early age. If you go through 11 years of tackling and don't learn how, you might never learn. If you look at our whole DB crew, we were all good tacklers. The drills definitely helped.

Coach John Blackstock was Jeff's high school defensive back coach. Coach Blackstock does a great job of having two clear process goals for his tackling drill that involves a full tackle onto a pole vault mat for a soft landing, so as not to injure players in practice. The process goals are: 1) grab hamstrings and 2) drive the feet. I saw Jeff take that tackling drill to the field several times during the NFL season. Those tackles were beautiful to watch. The important thing to note is that habits, especially physical habits, often carry forward, so developing good habits early is important.. I think Coach Blackstock teaches physical tackling so well because he has a great mental plan for teaching it. He has two clear process goals for the mind (grab hamstrings and drive feet), which translates into the body executing those goals. Lastly, he has a great way for players to get tons of practice reps safely executing those goals.

JW: Here's a statement my coaches were fond of, and one I use a lot these days. "You either get better or worse every day." Do you agree or disagree? And why?

JH: Yes. I definitely agree. It's just something you have to believe. Even with working out, when you have planned rest, you can rest, but even when you rest, you can get better. Get hydrated. Get good sleep. How you use your days off is huge. You can't go out and get three hours sleep and play at your best. You have to take care of yourself on off days to play at your best on game days and get better every day.

•     Jeff's answer reflects his understanding of the idea that every day you either get better or worse. Even when resting there is plenty you can do to get better. Jeff didn't mention mental game work, such as imagery, but I would bet he's doing imagery on his day off as well. You can get better every day with conscious effort, especially if you have a plan.

JW: In high school, even though you started at receiver and DB, you were the starting kicker and kicked the 49-yard game winning field goal against Sterling Heights Stevenson as time ran off the clock to win the region final game 38-36. Tell me about that kick and being so versatile in your skills.

Heath: I played hoops my freshman through junior years, ran track my senior year, and played soccer from the time I was a kid until the time I left for college. So I could kick and I had some versatility in my skills, especially with the footwork required to play all those sports. It also helped keep me from getting burned out. I don't think I'd be playing in the NFL today if I hadn't played so many sports. I think it was a big advantage.

•     I do not support early sport specialization (I'm not really a fan of it until college), so I love to hear things like this from guys like Jeff. Sure, not specializing might have prevented him from going to a bigger school out of high school, but as he mentioned earlier, and as he mentions now, he doesn't think he'd have made so much progress and gotten to the NFL if he hadn't been able to grow his skills across a number of sports and improve gradually. He accomplished that was allowed at Saginaw Valley. Another important idea is that Jeff avoided burnout and was probably more efficient in the clutch than he would have been if he'd have specialized. Burnout and choking are two common problems often cited in studies on the effects of sport specialization.

JW: Do you consciously think about life after football and how what you are learning now can apply to the rest of life?

Heath: Absolutely. I'm not sure what I want to do after my playing days are over, but I feel like guys who play football are so much better employees because they know how to work on a team. We learn commitment, work ethic, and all the things you need to be successful. The longer you play football, the more you learn those skills, so even in the NFL I'm continuing to learn those things. I feel like I'll be prepared no matter what I do because of football.

•     If we are going to spend so much time devoted to coaching and playing a sport, we'd better learn more than just the skills of those sports. This is especially true with younger athletes who are learning so much about life in their formative years. Coaches need to make lessons very clear and help players understand how the lessons learned on the gridiron are lessons that apply in life too. Despite what some coaches think, players do not automatically learn helpful lessons from sports. Indeed, athletes often learn lessons of favoritism, bending the rules, and placing blame on others when coaches do not make a conscious effort to teach more beneficial lessons. Whether you are an athlete or coach, have a purpose that transcends (goes beyond) just the rules of the game. It's important to learn the rules of life through playing (and practicing) the game. 

                                    Taking More Mental Reps

One of the keys to Jeff's improvement over the years, and certainly a key to him making a roster in the NFL, is his ability to take mental reps. The champion mindset recognizes the opportunity to improve growth in all areas of practice and performance, and mental reps are a great way to improve. Here are some keys to taking more, and better, mental reps.

•     Have the mindset that champions arrive on time and on mind for everything they do.

•     Have clear, specific process goals for each drill.

•     Coaches, constantly remind players to focus on process goals. Make sure your feedback focuses them on the process goals for the drill.

•     Players, rate yourself on each process goal in each rep you take. Then, focus on rating your teammates on the same goals as they take their reps.

•     Coaches, make sure you give prompts and reminders for players to watch each other take reps. You might even have them practice giving each other feedback or a rating.

•     Players, listen to coaches feedback and form a mental picture of what they want you to do.

•     Coaches, create competitions in practice. While not taking reps themselves, players will focus on watching a competitive practice more closely than one in which they go through the motions without any competition.

•     Practice imagery skill. Players, get in the habit of using imagery in the morning, before practice, and before bed. Just a few minutes during each session is enough to gain an advantage on the competition.

•     Coaches, encourage your athletes to use imagery before beginning a drill. Have them imagine perfect form. Do it five times: Once in slow motion, once half speed, and three times at full speed. It will take less than a minute for them to perform those 5 perfect mental reps, and you will have primed their minds to tell their bodies how to execute perfect physical form.

•     When mistakes occur, take 10-15 seconds to correct the mistake by noting what should have happened and having players form imagery of the correct execution. Don't spend time emphasizing the mistake. Focus on correct execution in your mental reps and feedback.

About the Author: Dr. Jared Wood has been an educator for the past 19 years and a sport psychology coach for 14 years. He recently completed and published a sport psychology training

manual for players and coaches called, ‘It’s Only Cold On One Sideline.’ Visit his website, 1sideline.com or his email, jaredwood@mac.com. His phone is 248-535-5358 and you can follow him on Twitter: @lsideline & @woodjared.