Beat the Coverage: My New Brand and Keynote Have Launched

In April, I met with Steve Carlis, the CEO of 2 Market Media, and his team via Zoom. In the middle of our conversation, Steve looked at me and asked:

“JJ, what was your job as a wide receiver?”

I answered without hesitation as I was sharing with him how I prepared to play against players like Deion Sanders or Rod Woodson: “On every play, my job was to identify the coverage, see if it was man or zone. Then find the hole and maximize it.”

Steve smiled and said, “Oh, so your job was to beat the coverage.”

That was the spark for my new keynote.

In the NFL, every play started with coverage. A defender lined up across from me with one mission: stop me. If I hadn’t identified the coverage, found the opening, and maximized it, I wouldn’t have been able to get open. And if I didn’t get open, the ball never came my way. At that point, they will replace you and find someone who can get open.

But coverage doesn’t just exist in football. Business professionals face it every day. It can be anything that stands between you and your objective.

Like: competition trying to take market share, economic pressures making resources tight, customer behaviors shifting overnight, personal setbacks, self-doubt creeping in, when the pressure’s high, or constant change that forces you to adapt. (I wrote a post showing what else would count as COVERAGE)

 The challenges may look different, but the mission is the same: you must identify the coverage, find the hole, and maximize it.

In my new keynote, I take audiences through six steps built from my NFL career that apply directly to business and life:

1.    Know the Field

2.    Find the Holes

3.    Play to Your Strengths / Cover Your Weak Spots

4.    Draw Up the Game Plan

5.    Put in the Reps

6.    Execute and Adjust

Every step connects back to that moment Steve reminded me of: identify the coverage, find the hole, maximize it.

During my 175 keynotes, my first 10 years in the business, my message wasn’t as tight as it is today. I shared NFL stories, but I wasn’t always translating them into maximum value for the audience. Now, with Beat the Coverage, I’ve found the connection. The field may be different, but the principles are the same.

This keynote is designed for Business professionals, leaders, and entrepreneurs who face daily pressure, obstacles, and competition, yet want to stay focused, adaptable, and resilient in the face of it. They feel that pressure, and ask: How do I break through?

The answer: Beat the Coverage!

Because coverage will always be there, the question is whether you will recognize it, find the opening, and maximize it?

Every day in the NFL, my job was to beat the coverage. And every day in business and in life, that’s your job too.

Beat the Coverage isn't just a sports metaphor; it's a system for staying one step ahead, under pressure, and creating wins in any environment.

BRING JJ BIRDEN IN TO SPEAK TO YOUR TEAM!