In this episode of the Tax Rep Network Podcast, Eric Green shares a powerful lesson sparked by a conversation with former New York Giants legend Leonard Marshall. Reflecting on the iconic 1990 NFC Championship hit on Joe Montana, Eric breaks down the mindset that separates the ordinary from the elite: never quit.
At LSU, Leonard was taught that “the ground is hot” — if you’re down, you get up. Fast. That same mentality applies to building a tax representation practice. Success isn’t built on the easy days. It’s built on the dark, frustrating, stormy days when you want to quit — but don’t.
Eric connects this championship-level discipline to growing a million-dollar practice: keep producing content, keep speaking, keep marketing, keep grinding. It must work — if you don’t stop.
If you want next-level results, you need next-level persistence. Brick by brick. Play by play. No quitting.
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The Ground Is Hot
Why You Can’t Quit On Building Your Practice
The Ground Is Hot: A Championship Lesson In Never Quitting
Look, I am on the road. You can tell I am in a hotel room if you are watching the video. In New Jersey, I got together with my buddy Leonard Marshall, a former New York Giants star. We were talking last night, and the big play came up. I do not know if you remember this. You probably do if you are a football fan. The 1990 NFC championship, New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. Joe Montana tries to head out to his right and starts backpedaling.
Leonard Marshall just comes in, and Leonard just lays him out. Clean hit, hard hit. In the conversation last night, the thing I remembered at the time I was playing college football, and my coach was pointing to that. If you watch the play very carefully, Leonard is blocked. He is down on the ground, and he fights his way, gets back up, and starts pursuing.
Joe Montana ends up fading to his right and then backpedaling back into the center. Leonard just comes in and hits him. I remember my coaches pointing that out. The play is not over until it is over. Get up. Keep fighting until the whistle blows. It is live. I was talking to Leonard last night. I said, “Can you remember?” He said, “They taught him at LSU.” His coach said, “The ground is hot.”
The play isn't over until it's over. Get up and keep fighting until the whistle blows. Share on XWhat does that mean? If you are on the ground, get up. Pretend it is hot, you are getting burned, you get up, and you keep fighting. That is why he was Defensive Player of the Year twice, went to two Pro Bowls, and has Super Bowl rings. He is just a star. He put it, never quit, the play is over, you keep crawling and grinding, and you will win. The person who gives up loses. If you watch that, I am not picking on the 49ers player. Leonard is on the ground, and the San Francisco lineman lets up. You see Leonard stumble, and he gets back up, and he is pursuing.
I cannot see his face, but I can guarantee you that the 49ers lineman was like, “S***,” because Joe came backpedaling back and Leonard just lays him out. Huge play, turning point in the game. Leonard later went to the hospital to see Joe Montana. He felt bad. He is such a sweet guy. Listen, you play football, you play the game full speed, but he was not out to hurt Joe Montana.
The Million-Dollar Practice Is Built On Hard Days
He mentioned that the lesson continues on in all of his entrepreneurial stuff. You just do not quit. Things are going to get hard. You are going to be down. You do not quit, you keep fighting. Other people just quit, and they are very mediocre. They will never play at that level. Even some people who play at that level do not do that. That is what you just have to keep going.
In my million-dollar practice book, I talk about this. It is really about the discipline. You will build whatever it is you want your practice to be. You will build that, but you are going to build it on the dark, stormy, hard days when you want to quit. That is what makes the difference. If you are happy being ordinary, you do not have to do anything. Just breathe. You are ordinary. Congratulations.
Discipline, Content, And Brick-By-Brick Success
Maybe you do not, but if you want to get to the next level, there just has to be “I am going to keep grinding at this.” It is going to be hard. That is why it is next level. If everyone could do it easily, it would not be next level anymore. It would be average. To get your practice to where you want to be, that is what you have to do. When I started with one of my old law firms before Jeff, and I left on our own, they pointed to some people as examples of people that you should look at.
One was Chuck Rettig at his firm in LA, who later became IRS Commissioner. Bryan Skarlatos, who is the managing partner at Kostelanetz now in New York. I use guys who just built tremendous practices. Frank Agostino, Caroline Ciraolo. The list goes on, because I wanted to be like them.
It really is about that determination and drive to just not quit. Rome wasn't built in a day. Share on XGreat advice is just do what they do. I know they may seem like other-level intelligence, and they are very bright. I am not taking away from them, but it is not like astrophysics here. In watching them, they speak. At the time, we were writing articles and doing all of that stuff. I am blogging more, doing the podcast, all of that. Just do what they do. That is how I built my million-dollar practice.
If you want to do that, just do what we do. You have to become disciplined. You are not going to give up. Yes, stuff is going to go wrong. You are not going to get the client. Put the things in place. Keep going. Keep putting out content. Keep speaking out there. This cannot not work. It must work. I am not sure how long it will take. Maybe it will be faster. Maybe it will be slower. The point is you do not quit. You just keep going.
It struck me last night, listening to Leonard over dinner and then over cigars. I was like, “That is the lesson.” Not only that, but it is not just in sports. It is in the gut. My buddy Steve, who was a former Navy SEAL in BUD/S, quit. People get tired, people are overwhelmed. He said, “My goal is to get to the next meal. In six months, if I do that, I will graduate.” He did. You are just not going to quit.
It is going to be hard. You are just going to keep going. What is the alternative, quit? No need. I assure you that what you want to do, you can do. With those guys, I know it is a quick one, but it was a lesson that I knew, but it struck me very clearly last night in the conversation. I am going to try to get Leonard on. It really is about the determination and the drive to just not quit. Rome was not built in a day.
It’s like the old how do you build the pyramid? One brick at a time. You just keep piling, brick on top of brick, and you just keep going. Before you know it, you’ve got a pyramid. You just keep going, and eventually you will have the practice that you want. Thanks for tuning in, guys. I will see you next week on the show.
