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The QB Connections Red Zone
20 Essential Strengths and Skills for Success As a QB and Beyond
What is required to be successful as a QB? How does playing QB help shape us? And why do we even play QB in the first place?
The answers to these questions are essentially the same. There are a set of essential strengths and skills required to be successful as a QB, and that we in turn develop as we play QB. And these essential strengths and skills are highly transferable, and desirable (to admissions departments, employers, and others) as we enter life beyond being a QB.
The same strengths and skills that help you succeed on the field, and which you develop along the way, are the exact strengths and skills that drive success (personal and professional) in the “real world” afterward: business, leadership, family, community, and whatever your next chapter becomes. That is arguably the best answer for WHY we play QB - for what it can do for us in the future.
And while we are actually playing, where are these essential strengths and skills the most important? In the Red Zone. Those 20 yards that make all the difference.
So, in honor of the importance of those 20 yards in the Red Zone, we present
The QB Connections Red Zone:
20 Essential Strengths and Skills for Success As a QB and Beyond
Let’s move the chains and start with the first 10 Yards. Below are the 10 Essential Strengths for Success As a QB and Beyond. For each one, we’ve explained how it applies to life “As a QB” and “Beyond.”
We’ve also been talking about these 10 Essential Strengths all along, so we have linked to the QB Connections posts we’ve already published that bring these strengths to life.
Much more to come on these 10 Essential Strengths, including further insights from QB stories … both on and off the field.
1) ACCOUNTABILITY
As a QB: Accountability means you take responsibility for the huddle, the preparation, the mistakes, and the response. You don’t hide behind excuses or “intervening circumstances”—you own your part, the result, and move the group forward. When you own it, everyone else can stop arguing about the past and start solving for the next play.
Beyond: Accountability is what separates people who “do tasks” from people who drive outcomes. It’s reliability, follow-through, and the willingness to take “the hit” so the team can move forward. In work and life, people trust the person who owns the result—even when they don’t have total control, and even when the result isn’t perfect.
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2) CONVICTION
As a QB: Conviction is belief, committing to your craft, to your team, and to the play call. It’s decisiveness when the environment is noisy and uncertain. Your conviction becomes contagious—teammates feel it, and your belief transfers to the entire unit.
Beyond: Conviction leads to clear priorities and confident action—especially in moments where there isn’t a perfect answer. It’s standing for something, making the decision, communicating it, and living with it. Conviction, especially belief in others, is how leaders earn trust and find success.
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3) FOCUS
As a QB: Focus is harnessing your attention—on this play, this drive, this week. It’s blocking out the scoreboard, the noise, the commentary, and even the last mistake so you can execute what’s in front of you.
Beyond: Focus is the ability to prioritize what matters most and stay on it long enough to produce results. It’s deep work, disciplined attention, and the ability to avoid living reactively. In the real world, the most successful people aren’t always the smartest—they’re often the most focused.
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4) RESILIENCE
As a QB: Resilience is having a short memory and a strong heart. You don’t spiral after a bad series—you reset, learn, and come back aggressive and composed. Resilience is staying in the fight without letting the fight take you out emotionally.
Beyond: Resilience is your ability to recover from setbacks—rejections, losses, public mistakes, failed ventures, health challenges—without losing your identity or momentum. It’s learning quickly and re-entering the arena with your confidence intact.
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5) PERSEVERANCE
As a QB: Perseverance is showing up when progress isn’t obvious—when the reps are hard, the criticism is loud, or the depth chart isn’t kind. It’s staying committed to the work and trusting the process long enough for it to compound.
Beyond: Perseverance is how you build anything meaningful: credibility, a career change, a business, a family culture, a body of work you’re proud of, or a mission worth pursuing. It’s playing the long-game—steady effort, week after week, even (especially) when nobody is watching.
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6) SERENITY
As a QB: Serenity is finding calm in chaos. It’s slowing the game down mentally, regulating emotions, and staying present when the moment could speed you up or take you off track.
Beyond: Serenity is composure under stress: responding instead of reacting, making clear decisions when stakes are high, and maintaining a grounded presence that stabilizes the people around you. In leadership roles, serenity is power.
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7) JOY
As a QB: Joy is your fuel. It’s the positive energy that keeps the locker room strong, keeps the grind sustainable, and reminds you that football can still be fun—even when it’s hard. Joy is often what keeps you going over a long season, and keeps you coming back next season.
After: Joy feeds your energy, optimism, and is the reward itself. It’s building a life you actually enjoy—because that enjoyment shows up in your health, your relationships, and your ability to keep going when things are challengin.
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8) EMPATHY
As a QB: Empathy is understanding people—how your teammates think, what motivates them, what they’re worried about, what they need from you. It’s how you lead different personalities while meeting them where they are at the moment.
After: Empathy drives your ability to build trust, navigate conflict, and lead people effectively. It’s reading incentives and emotions, listening for what’s unsaid, and responding in a way that makes others feel understood.
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9) HUMILITY
As a QB: Humility is being teachable and actively seeking help and guidance. It’s being willing to hear hard truth, admit what you don’t know, and keep learning—even when you’re the starter. Humility is what keeps you improving and gaining supporters.
After: Humility drives the respect of others, and lifelong learning: seeking feedback, adapting quickly, and letting results (not pride) drive your growth. It’s also what makes you a better leader—because people follow leaders who are confident enough to be honest.
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10) GRATITUDE
As a QB: Gratitude keeps you grounded. It’s appreciating the opportunity, the people in your huddle, and the journey—including the parts that aren’t glamorous. Gratitude protects you from entitlement and keeps your leadership human.
After: Gratitude builds relationships and perspective. It strengthens connection—and it drives other positive emotions and health. Gratitude also often evolves into service: using what you’ve gained to support others.
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So what’s the “so what?” with regard to these 10 Essential Strengths?
If you are playing, raising, or coaching a QB, develop them.
If you are transitioning from being a QB or facing a new challenge, call upon them.
If you are telling your story or applying for something, emphasize them.
If you are reading or hearing stories from other QBs, look and listen for them.
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