When Eric told me he was writing a book about how to move on from big moments of transition, I knew he was the right man for the job.

I first met him in 2017 after joining the Bills, and his reputation preceded him. The strength coach at the Carolina Panthers was a big fan of Eric and had worked with him at Louisville. He told me an impressive story about Eric lunging toward the finish line just so he could finish first in an off‐season conditioning drill. He was just known as the guy who was always giving an all‐out effort.

And that's exactly what I saw when we began working together in Buffalo. Here was this outstanding and talented player who backed it up with preparation and work. Because of his approach to the game, I felt we were somewhat equally aligned early on in our time together. We had a similar approach and I knew that this was a player who would help get us off the ground and help get us there to where we are today.

The word process gets thrown out a lot in football, but that's because it's still the foundation of excellent performance. If you study peak performers in any industry, in particular sports, once they have a great process down, the day‐by‐day routine, which basically in our business is Monday through Saturday, or the entire off‐season, it sure makes things a lot easier come September through February. Those who stick to their process consistently give themselves the best chance to be peak performers in their line of work.

Eric takes that process with a standard, that daily set of consistent actions, and applies it to every facet of his life.

Off the field, he is a dedicated family man, a man of deep faith, and someone who committed a significant portion of his life and energy to charity and serving others.

In 2017, Eric was on the team that helped break our 17‐year drought. Unfortunately, his momentum was cut short because he was forced to retire early from football because of a physical issue. Yet he took that same approach of process and preparation to get him through the next big thing off the field.

Retiring early can be rough on many players, yet he's done a remarkable job taking the next steps and applying that faithful day‐to‐day process to the other parts of his life. I'm extremely proud of him and admire him for that. It's not easy to do.

I always thought Eric had a way of drawing people to him, no matter what he was doing. He's a connector of people off the field and on the field. One weekend he's at the Kentucky Derby, and the next, he's announcing a game. He does college football games in the fall, and then he gives back to Louisville, where he's an important part of the community. And then, before you know it, he's announcing a Bills game up on a Sunday. Did I mention he has a wife and kids, too? Put all those jobs together—how does he have time for that? Amazing!

He has a lot on his shoulders, but it always seems like he balances it extremely well, which speaks to his days as a player. He's able to balance things and all these disparate interests in life, which allows him to be a great leader.

I know there are many people who struggle with major transitions in life. Take a page from Eric's playbook—take a close look at your process and what you're doing every day.

I know you'll be inspired by Eric's journey and adopt those basic principles that will lead to great success on your own path.