It's the one fundamental in football that can never be preached or practised enough to override the instincts of the professional gridiron player.
No matter the magnitude of the game, as was evidenced this weekend in the Green Bay Packers/New York Giants NFC Championship showdown, when it comes to recovering fumbles in the most critical of moments, the pros almost never react any differently than the Joes.
The temptation to pick up the ball and try to run with it, versus covering it and securing possession first and foremost, always has been and always will be the most remedial habit in the game, no matter how big the moment or how pivotal the play.
To take you to the field when this was best exemplified, fast-forward to the fourth quarter of the New York/Green Bay game with just over two minutes left to play, the game tied, and the Packers punting to New York. The Giants fumbled the ball on the subsequent punt return and two Packers had chances to gain possession of the football. Had they covered up the ball instead of stooping to try and snatch it off the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, it is quite possible the Packers may have avoided overtime and the impending loss, and advanced to the Super Bowl. I even heard colour analyst Troy Aikman reaffirm my thoughts as he exclaimed in fragmented bewilderment that, "well, two Packers had a shot at it but..." -- but they tried to scoop it and score -- Troy knows it just as you and I do.
Instead, Domenik Hixon of New York recovered the fumble given up by R.W. McQuarters and after a few more field-goal attempts and a Brett Favre interception, the Giants closed out the game.
The reason this play is so baffling to me is that it is something you can witness in Pop Warner trials all the way to the pinnacle of the game, and that even with years of repetition and coaching, football players will never be able to completely take to it and override their initial instincts.
That late in the game, possession of the football is a lot more important than simply attempting to score because it takes time off the clock while still giving your team an opportunity on offence in the final stanza. With time winding down in the fourth quarter you don't see NBA players trying to hurry up and score with the game tied after they steal the basketball. They want to hang onto the ball and take their time to set up the final shot with no time remaining. Heck, more often than not, even if the turnover occurs in the opposition's half, they will wait for their teammates to come back down the floor and set things up while precious seconds tick off the clock.
In this instance, when the winner goes to the Super Bowl and the ball is on the ground, no matter how badly you want to be the hero and run 60 yards the other way for the go-ahead score, you need to secure the ball first.
In fact, unless the ball is lying there with absolutely no chance of interference from anyone around you, the high-percentage play is always to get down on it. As was played out before us, never, ever try and pick up the football and advance it in the middle of a chaotic scene of legs and arms flailing all over the place. You saw it happen this weekend in the NFC championship game, you've seen it in several Bomber games this year, and you will see it at your son's pee wee game next season.
But that's just it -- in football you seemingly can't unlearn trying to be the hero. Particularly for players on defence who get to advance the ball as much as their coaches do, resisting the opportunity to glorify yourself when the opportunity is presented is temptation too great for most.
Defensive players literally get all jittery and bent out of shape when they see a football sitting there all by itself. Admonishing this behaviour from behind a laptop is easier said than done, especially when 30,000 or 80,000 fans are screaming and imploring you and you feel the adrenaline surging.
This game possibly doesn't even make it to overtime if the Packers recover that fumble on one of either two opportunities they had to secure possession, but football always has been and always will be a game where instinct overrides logic and the allure of being the hero is too great for most.
Doug Brown, always a hard-hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard-hitting columnist, appears Tuesdays in the Free Press.
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