It’s no secret that football is a physical game played at a high speed. The game also requires a great deal of preparation and intelligence. But most importantly, it’s a game that has to be played without fear. One can’t step onto the field thinking that he or she could make a mistake or get hurt, because if you have that mentality, it’s going to affect your game.

Since the time that my son has been playing tackle football, we’ve seen kids on the field playing with absolutely no fear in the world and others with the opposite mindset. The first season he played, I was an assistant coach and was trying to keep the line straight and organized for a tackling drill when a young boy said to me, “Hey coach, look over there. It’s a doggie! I love doggies. Can we go over and play with the doggie?”

I told him we were practicing but he continued to stare over at the dog without any interest in football.

When it comes to playing football and any other sport, you have to play without fear. You have to have the mentality of giving it 100 percent when you step on the field. My son has demonstrated that from the moment he started playing. He always wants to be on the field. Playing center, he has gone up against some pretty big dudes over the years and doesn’t back down from any challenge. That’s exactly what you want in an athlete.

However, he does have the one fear that all football players have and probably should: the fear of not playing.

When you’re a football player, you want to play. The hardest thing my wife Sheryl and I have had to endure in the ten years that my son has played football were the two seasons with limited playing time. It was hard to watch him get so frustrated by not getting on the field, and we saw that same frustration in other parents who were going through the same thing. When you put the uniform on, the natural thing for any athlete is to want to play.

There was also the time when my son hurt his wrist as a result of a non-football activity and had to miss a couple of weeks. I’ll always remember the look on his face when the doctor told him that he couldn’t play – it was the fear of not being able to play – it wasn’t pretty. He couldn’t play the game he loves because he did something without thinking. It cost him.

But that’s the only fear that any athlete should have. What you do have to do is put in the hard work preparing in practice and games, because, in reality, the overwhelming fear is putting that uniform on and then standing on the sidelines watching other athletes play.

That’s what drives my son and it should drive each and every youth football player to be the best he or she can be. 

Peter is a sports anchor for the CBS Sports Radio Network, FOX News Headlines 24/7 and WCBS 880 Radio in New York.  His son Bradley plays middle school football on Long Island and is a participant in the U.S. National Team program while his younger son Jared plays flag football.   Peter, his wife Sheryl and the boys are busy cheering on the New York Jets when they’re not at a youth football field.