Whether he gets the ball or not, McLaurin controls what he can control
There’s a lot to like about Terry McLaurin, whether it’s his route running or contested catch rate, but all of that hinges on his approach to the game, and it might be the best thing about the young captain.
“To me, he is the ultimate pro,” Rivera said. “He’s one of those few guys that handled themselves the right way.”
Much of McLaurin’s production relies on things out of his control. He can’t throw himself the ball, nor can he block to give Taylor Heinicke enough time to throw the ball. It can be frustrating to depend on so many things to go right for him to get catches.
McLaurin doesn’t dwell on those factors, though. Instead, he’s more focused on making sure he’s taking care of business on his end, and it’s the reason why he’s the Washington Football Team’s most reliable target.
“The way you prepare, the way you run your route, try to get open and be available for the quarterback are the things you can control along with your effort,” McLaurin said.
It’s a unique attitude for McLaurin to have in his position, and it did take some time for him to adopt it. Like all players, he wanted to have a good game every week and be the one to make the big plays.
But as reached the end of his college career and started playing for Washington, he started to switch his mindset to only focusing on the things he can control. And there was a key reason why: when you start worrying about other things, he said, the things that are in your control start to slip.
“You may not prepare as tough because [you think], ‘Oh man, I may not be getting the ball as much,'” McLaurin said. “Or, ‘I’m not gonna run this route as hard because I don’t think I’m going to be in the progression. I may not get it.’ And then it comes up and it’s a big play in the game and you miss the opportunity.”
McLaurin added that those missed opportunities may have a snowball effect. Because you’re dwelling on past mistakes, it can result in more missed opportunities. If that happens, then it’s on you. Being ready for a change to make a play at any moment eliminates that possibility.
