A chance to rise: Derrick Johnson on how great teams respond to losses
“Learning from your losses is a skill that really good teams perfect. They are aware that the small changes will create big shifts. In order for a team to get better after a loss, they need to have a lot of confidence. Most teams or players’ confidence goes down when things happen that don’t favor them. But mentally, if they have a strong desire and a short-term memory, good things happen afterwards.” – Derrick Johnson
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The great DJ would know a thing or two about that. He played on a Rose Bowl-winning Texas squad in 2004, which went on a tear of victories after losing a heartbreaker to Oklahoma in October. If the four- or 12-team College Football Playoff had been around then, it could have easily been another national championship for the Longhorns.
The legendary linebacker also helped pave the road and change the culture in Kansas City to usher in the Patrick Mahomes era. But before that, Johnson helped the Chiefs get over the playoff drought that had plagued them for more than a decade. It’s obvious he recognizes what Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns have been building over the last four seasons in Austin. After each defeat the Longhorns have suffered since 2022, it’s as if the floor has simply been raised higher—another brick laid on top of the foundation.
Saturday against Clemson is the chance to implement small changes: cleaner special teams, better routes, crisper throws, assignment-sound blocking. If done well, huge changes will occur, and the Longhorns on display will be more reminiscent of the team fans saw early in the year.
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I’m reminded of a Tennyson quote I read in The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt that described the future president’s first political defeat: “Men may rise on stepping-stones of their dead selves to higher things.” Coming off a heartbreaking SEC Championship loss to Georgia isn’t the time to lick wounds or feel sorry for themselves. A veteran Texas team led by Jahdae Barron, Michael Taaffe, and Quinn Ewers will get to prove again how short their memories are when it comes to defeat.
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The Longhorns are in the playoffs, and the losses don’t matter now, regardless of how bad they might have hurt at the time. It’s time to rise to higher things.
