To achieve any kind of success in life takes a certain measure of courage and boldness. This is especially true for the athlete who must believe in his or her talents and abilities enough to chase after a lofty set of goals.

Jon Kitna is certainly no exception to that rule. As the Detroit Lions’ starting quarterback, he has come a long way, thanks mostly to an uncanny confidence in his ability—even when most others failed to recognize what the scrappy athlete had to offer. And it’s that same confidence—a confidence that he developed growing up on the unsavory east side of Tacoma, Washington—that Kitna believes has allowed him the opportunity to be a unifying force in every locker room he’s ever occupied.

Every team sets goals before the season. They work, strive, and stretch to reach those goals, but the reality is only one team wins it all in the end. Does that mean all the other teams were failures in their seasons? Not by any means. Most teams reach their goals each season. The key is to be focused on the established team goals as players pursue each game and contest. In this way each team is bound to end their season in glory.

The unruly brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons made so many headlines. You know the story, so I'll spare you the details Yet, in response to the uproar, commissioner David Stern commented, "We have to make the point that there are boundaries in our games. One of our boundaries that has always been immutable is the boundary that separates the fans from the court. Players cannot lose control and move into the stands."