Denver Catholic

11 DENVER CATHOLIC | APR-MAY 2024 RUNNING BACK Sacramental Life of the church OFFENSIVE LINE THE ACADEMY As a caveat to this section, I have not found the Church to be a prolific offensive team in recent history. We resemble my beloved Chicago Bears far more than the Kansas City Chiefs (I could take this much further, but I'll spare you). Our offense has been conservative in its play calling, and I have a hunch a few of us are playing out of position. None- theless, let's get into it! The quarterback position in the Catholic Church is her pastors. This means the pastors of the local parish and the bishops. They are the leaders of the offense and the play callers. You might push back and say that they are actually the coaches. I'll push back and say the Holy Spirit is the coach and he calls the plays. The pastor needs to listen to the play call from the Holy Spirit and communicate it to the offense. The quarter- back/pastor is also in charge of ensuring everyone is in the correct position within the formation and that they will run the play as it is (divinely) designed. While it is widely acknowledged that quarterback is the most important position in all of sports, it is very rare that they are the only ones advancing the football in any given play. Their primary job is to distribute the football to the other players. Pastors have a unique authority and responsibility to give the football to the other players within the offense. A quarterback who tucks and runs all the time is generally not a winner and eventually gets hurt. We see this often with our pastors who do not trust their teammates and/or feel like they need to do every- thing themselves. A quarterback is always better with better players around him, and at the same time, a great quarterback elevates the play of the rest of the offense. Everyone knows that the run game is the heart of an offense. Strong rushing attacks help teams make deep runs in the playoffs and they make the rest of the offense func- tion for a few key reasons. First, running the football takes a physical toll on defenses. It wears them down and puts constant pressure on them. Second, it keeps defenders from assuming it's a pass. If they know the offense is pass- ing, pass rushers put more pressure on the quarterback and linebackers, and corners drop back into position to cover receivers. The sacraments are the running game of the Catholic Church. Our pastors need to consistently feed the run- ning game. It doesn't need to be flashy, but we do need to commit to it. Running backs come in all different shapes and sizes, and I liken that to different approaches to the liturgy. The key to the running game is consistency and a good offensive line. The role of the offensive line is two-fold: Protect the quarterback in the passing game and open holes in the running game. The academy provides this function in the Catholic Church. By academy, I mean the state of Catholic scholarship, particularly as it informs and impacts the challenging issues the Church deals with today. With this position, we can see how offensive sys- tems and styles fit into our analogy. For example, if our offensive strategy is ground and pound, we need strong offensive linemen who can "dispense justice," as Bron- cos legend Mark Schlereth would say, and overpower the defensive line. This would mean our theologians would need to stay rooted in the fundamentals of the faith and provide consistent clarity on the moral teachings of the Church. If that were the case, the Church could rely on a steady ground game (sacraments) to control the clock, steadily move the football down- field, and score regularly. If the academy is inconsistent, not rooted in the funda- mentals, and frankly, not overpowering the defense, our sacramental running game will not gain as many yards, and our pas- tors will be running for their lives. ⊲ QUARTERBACK PASTOR OFFENSE DENVER CATHOLIC | APR-MAY 2024 11

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