Green Bay

I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan, and this year has been a complete turnaround from last year. Going into this weekend against Kansas City, we are 6-1 and undefeated on the road. Never since I have been a Packers fan have I seen Green Bay remain undefeated on the road this far into the season.

For a team to be 6-1, you have to have at least three of the four characteristics in order to be successful: a poised and polished quarterback, a strong running game, a stout defense and solid special teams play. When I have watched Green Bay play, however, it seems as if they have only two of those. They have a stout defense and a mature quarterback in Brett Favre. Their running game ranks in the bottom four of the league and their special teams is just average.

So how has a team won this many games without having the qualities it takes to be a dominating team? To put it simply, they find ways to win games. This comes from a team with chemistry, good personalities and a commitment to winning. Every game I have seen them watch this year has been a nail-biter. In the end, they make one play that changes the game completely. It may be a deep pass for a touchdown, an interception to turn the momentum, or a fumble recovery that seals the game.

A team is defined by its character, and Green Bay has shown the whole year that is enough character to make a run in the playoffs. By winning close games throughout the whole year, Green Bay has shown that even though they are the youngest team in the National Football League, they can play with the elite. Hopefully, they can continue this trend and make this season one for the history books.

Interview

This week, Ms. Rogers and I had a mock interview to analyze my confidence, people skills, my ability to answer difficult questions, and my capability of persuading the interviewer that I am the right person for the job. In this case, I applied for a conductor job for Norfolk Southern Corporation.

I thought the interview started off well. We made great eye contact, we had a firm handshake, and we seemed to get to know each other a little better before the actual interview began. I feel like this is an important step in the interview because it helps both of relate to the other person before questions are asked, which in turn helps relieve some of the tension and anxiousness between us. Once we got to learn a little more about each other, Ms. Rogers asked questions as to why I was interested and what qualities I can bring to the table. I thought I provided a good response by saying I want to work in a successful, long lasting corporation where great people work. I told her I have a friend who works in the railroad, and he has nothing but great comments to say about the company and the people that are employed. I followed this response by saying that I bring a great personality, excellent people skills, great organization, and reliability to the job. Being a conductor involves long and difficult shifts, but any one of my previous employers will say I am reliable for being on time and prepared. Furthermore, I am the person to call if extra help is needed, even if it during a difficult shift.

Next, Ms. Rogers asked why I would be a good fit for the job. I was pretty happy with my response by saying I have a great personality and the required work ethic it takes to be a conductor. I did say, however, that I do make occasional mistakes, but I do my best to make sure they do not happen again. I realized that unless she asks about a time I did made a mistake, do not answer a question about how mistake prone I am. A question like the one she asks involves positive qualities, not negative qualities.

For her next question, Ms. Rogers asked what kind of mistakes about which would you be less lenient? I was very happy with my response to this question by saying mistakes that involve safety. Safety is the number one priority in the workplace, especially on the railroad. In the first sentence of Norfolk Southern’s mission statement, it states that it wants to be the safest railroad. My answer clearly states that I want to be a part of this mission.

Finally, she asked if I had any questions for her. I asked her what she liked most about her job and one thing that she would change about it. These questions let her know that I am interested in why she works there and how she is looking to improve on making the company more efficient and effective.

Clemson football

Boy, the game against Virginia Tech was truly embarrassing. Not only was it embarrassing for the players, but our fans were not into the game at all. For a game that meant so much for our hopes at possibly reaching the ACC Championship game, we did everything we could to give the game away.

Penalties, turnovers, poor special teams play and a lackluster running game is no way to win a football game, especially versus Virginia Tech. We were out-hustled, out-played, out-manned and out-coached. Frank Beamer is a specialist at using his defense and special teams to his teams' advantage, and the game Saturday was a prime example of this.

Our fans provided no inspiration to our team as well. For night games, we are always loud and obnoxious, and we give the reputation for Memorial Stadium as being "Death Valley." This was not the case for this game, however. We rarely provided enough noise to help our struggling team throughout the game. I was sitting in the upper deck with my family and a Virginia Tech friend who came down for the game, and it seemed like the 10,000 or so Virginia Tech fans were louder than the 70,000 Clemson fans. For a must-win game, we cannot let the visitor's fans own the stadium with a "Let's go Hokies!" chant.

Hopefully with a little luck, Clemson can come back and contend for the ACC Championship. With performances like the one I saw on Saturday night, this will be a very difficult task to accomplish.