1. NEXT
MAN UPFor the Portland State University
football program, “The Next Man
Up” philosophy has become
something of a rite of passage.

2. Next man up
means
“No Excuses…
No
Explanations.”
Mike Tomlin
For the Portland State University
football program,
The “Next Man Up” philosophy has
become something of a rite of
passage.

3. We at Portland State University, use the Next Man Up philosophy
as a way to persuade every man on the team that his role is
important. Whether you came as a walk-on, first year player, 3rd
safety, or your role was to be the gunner on special team, you are
doing something the team needs to Win…Our philosophy is to
emphasize that No person is irreplaceable. We will coach everyone
the same way.
If our All-America player goes out, his replacement goes in and the
flywheel keeps on churning. We believe in never panicking.
When someone gets hurt or is held out, we will still function and
OUR expectations do not change. It’s not doom-and-gloom about
the season being over, rather it’s an opportunity for someone else
to shine, and contribute to the team’s success.“Being ready isn't
enough; you have to
be prepared for a
promotion or any other
significant change”
Pat Riley

4. It’s our expectation that when a player is called upon; he will not be
overwhelmed by being thrust into the spotlight. Understand; it’s not a
given, just because you are the next man in line…You still have to
compete and earn the job. At PSU, you are being coached to be aware
of your opportunity, no matter the situation, on or off the field. We as a
program understand that our strength is in our numbers, and at any
given time our program has the ability to adapt to any given
situation…Physically and Mentally.
“When things look
the worst is when
you may have your
best opportunity”
Sun Tzu – Art of War

5. The Next Man Up Philosophy as
it relates to the National Football
League. The following are two
examples of hard work,
preparation and perseverance.

6. The New England Patriots coached by Bill
Belichick live up to the mantra Next Man Up.
Over the course of the 2004 season New
England repeatedly overcame the loss of
key players, during their super bowl run. In
every situation, the player tabbed to
shoulder the load handled the
responsibilities with hardly any drop-off in

7. Troy Brown, the New England Patriots’
franchise record-holder for career
receptions, and newest member of the
franchises hall of fame, was one of
those men. “The best example of what
this organization stands for, that's Troy
Brown." - Bob Kraft.
Belichick, would later deem Brown a
true team player and the Patriots’
version of Next Man Up. Troy Brown,
no different than many of you in this
room, he had to deal with some of the
same uphill struggles in order to
achieve his goals.
Bill Belichick says of Troy Brown,
"You can never really replace a guy
like that. He's just special."

8. At every stop on his road to the NFL, Brown dealt with adversity and confronted the
perception he was too short and too slow to play in the NFL.
At Lees-McRae junior College, Brown didn’t travel with the team for road games
during the first few weeks of the season. He eventually broke into the lineup and
played well enough to convince Marshall University to offer him one of its two
remaining scholarships.
In 1991, while at Marshall, Brown was
the Division I-AA leader in kickoff and
punt return average. His career kickoff
return average of 29.7 yards and his
four kickoff returns for touchdowns still
stand as NCAA records.
In spite of Brown’s success at
Marshall, he was not selected until the
eighth and final round of the NFL draft.
The Patriots only drafted him because
his coach, Jim Donnan, convinced his
former colleague, Bill Parcells that
Brown was worth the risk. By applying
his core values of hard work,
perseverance, and trust (in his
coaches) as well as the Next Man Up

9. “I was always been motivated by the
doubters,” Brown said. “If you want me to
get a job done, tell me I can’t do it.”
During his 15-year career with the
Patriots, Brown played wide
receiver, defensive back, and on
special teams, Brown was on
three Super Bowl champion
teams. Belichick, has stated that
the 2006 season, might have
been seen as one of Brown’s
finest years. Not only was he 3rd
on the team in receptions/yards,
he lead the team in special team
yardage, was 2nd on the team in
interceptions and surprising was
asked to take snaps at QB during
the playoff run.
"You hear people talk all the time
about what it means to be a
Patriot. He's a walking Patriot.
Every example of what this

10. Frank Reich is known for his
incredible comebacks. Not once but
twice in his football career, he led
his team to victory against
insurmountable odds. Reich was
prepared through hard work
perseverance to achieve many of
his lifelong goals as the Next Man
Up. Today, his exciting
determination endures after a long
journey of "the highest of highs and
the lowest of lows."
While playing for the University of
Maryland, Frank was injured in the
fourth game of his senior season
and the chance to play professional
football seemed lost. But in a game
against the Miami Hurricanes,

11. He could not have known that history
would repeat itself eight years later.
Drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1985,
Frank, a long time backup quarterback
to eventual hall of famer Jim Kelly,
started in the playoff game against the
Houston Oilers in a bid to go to the
Super Bowl. As the Oilers charged to a
35-3 lead, Frank Reich looked to stop
their stampede one play at a time.
Although no team had ever won after
being down by 32 points, Frank
recalled on his college comeback.
Buffalo captured the lead in the final
minutes of the game and eventually
won in overtime 41 to 38 – an NFL
comeback record that still stands today.
During the second quarter of Super
Bowl XXVII, Bill’s starter Jim Kelly had
to leave the game due to injury and
Frank Reich entered the game.
Unfortunately, the Buffalo Bills lost 52
to 17, one of the most lopsided Super
Bowls of all time. Frank had gone from

12. “Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common
occasions and make them Great. Weak men wait for
opportunity; strong men make them.”
Orison Swift Marden

13. “It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have
one then have an opportunity and not be prepared.”
Whitney M. Young