Last night was the opening night of the NFL when the Green Bay Packers hosted the New Orleans Saints. You really couldn’t have orchestrated a more perfect combination than having the two previous Superbowl champions square off in Title Town. Even though this was one of the most high-energy, nail-biting games I’ve ever seen; Rookie wide receiver Randall Cobb reminded me of some simple lessons everyone can apply to his life.

Randall Cobb is a native of Tennessee and played college football for the University of Kentucky. This dynamic wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers made his opening day debut just 17 days after his 21st birthday. He made his first “mistake” of the game by accidentally running the wrong route on a play in the first quarter that resulted in his first career NFL touchdown.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, he managed to screw up again during a kickoff return that tied the all-time NFL record for a kickoff return. This 108-yard return paved the way for the Packers’ victory. The Packers’ policy is to take a knee (thereby moving the ball to the 20-yard line) if the ball goes too far into the end zone after a kickoff. Our rookie of the day, Randall, evidently got too excited and ignored politics, scoring a touchdown. The Saints did everything they could to stop him, even nearly taking Cobb down, forcing him to roll like a barrel that knocked him over but didn’t stop him from his mission.

Here are some things that Randall Cobb taught us during this game:

1. Mistakes are okay. While the rules are there for a reason, and should be kept in mind; don’t panic if you go out of the norm and make a mistake…you might score.

2. Listen to your instincts, not just politics. Randall Cobb wouldn’t be on sports pages everywhere if he had followed the kickoff return policy. While he said, “I think he could be criticized for that,” referring to his touchdown play; His instincts told him to put everything in gear and head for the goal line. Take a few chances in his world and stick your neck out. You maybe just Succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

3. You can’t be too young to succeed. So he’s a rookie, so what? So he’s 21, so what? When you’re trying to grow your business, succeed at a goal, or achieve a positive result, remember that great ideas don’t care where they come from. If the dot-com era taught us anything, it was that the Internet is a great equalizer when it comes to demographics, age, and education. You could have a life-changing idea from someone you least expect it from. Keep your eyes open and embrace great ideas.

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, you can surely gain some powerful lessons from looking for clues to success wherever you go.