One of the surest ways to deflate your ego is to assume that anyone has ever heard of you.
I mean, let's face it. There are more than 7 billion people on the planet and nearly 100 percent of them will never care who you are.
If you don't believe that, take it from Chris Thompson, who made the mistake of assuming that Adrian Peterson had ever heard of him:
Funny story. When AP was on his visit here I introduced myself to him and assumed he knew who I was based off how well I had played the previous season. As we were talking he said, "you play cornerback?" My heart dropped. ------
— Chris Thompson (@ChrisThompson_4) January 16, 2019Ouch. I'm dying to know how they both saved face in this conversation.
In defense of Thompson's ego, he was coming off of his breakout 2017 season, in which he led the team in rushing and receiving yards at the time he suffered a season-ending injury. Maybe that said as much about the 2017 Redskins as it did Thompson, but it was still an impressive season.
In defense of Peterson's misstep, he was busy while Thompson was piling up all-purpose yards, trying to find his footing in both New Orleans and Arizona. Peterson is one of the greatest of all time in part because he focuses on what's important. The Redskins were not important to him in 2017. Thompson was not important to him until he walked into Redskins Park.
The good news is that the duo had a successful season together, sharing the load and moving the ball for nearly 1,700 all-purpose yards, combined.
Just remember: if Thompson--a freak athlete and accomplished NFL player--can be overlooked, then you should never assume that anyone knows who you are.
It hurts less that way.
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