Poise

Last night I watched the Pro Bowl football game on Fox TV.


It's a showcase of pro football talent in Hawaii. The winners take home $40,000 and the 2nd place team receives $20,000. 


There were lots of antics and laughter and the players obviously enjoyed being together. It sorta reminded me of Pop Warner football for grown-ups.


Perhaps the funniest part of the game was the commentary by Terry Bradshaw and the sideline interviews by Tony Sirigusa and Jay Glazer

Here were the highlights...Jay Glazer as a TV commentator, after being turned down by one coach finally found another coach who allowed him to call an offensive play. Alex Mack, as an offensive center scored a touchdown in the final seconds. And finally, Terry Bradshaw told some hilarious stories as only he can.


Bradshaw interspersed his commentary with stories from his college days, stories from his early days as a pro and made a few predictions about what next week's Super Bowl will bring.


The man from Shreveport, Louisiana spun tales during the entire telecast. But perhaps the most profound thing he said was in response to a question from his broadcast partner in the booth. 


"What's the most important quality a quarterback can possess?"


There was a pause and Bradshaw answered, "Poise. Yeah, ya can have talent, ability and people tellin' ya that your great, but poise, that's the most important thing. Ya can't teach poise, either ya have it or ya don't."


Poise means being "calm under pressure." It means, "never let' em see ya sweat." It's being "cool when the heat is on." 

Poise is a trait in short supply in our culture. It seems like people say and do what they want. It seems like no one has the tenacity to be calm when life is pressure filled. 

I know a few people who are poised, and it's obvious when you are around them. I have never personally met Terry Bradshaw, but I watched him lead the Pittsburgh Steelers with poise and a powerful passing arm. He says, "Ya can't teach poise." 


I'm not so sure...if Terry Bradshaw can be poised, my guess is you can as well...

Do you know anybody who possesses poise? Who?