"St. Louis is more humid. But after a while, the heat started taking a toll on us, so we started rotating a little more up front trying to stay fresh out here"
About this Quote
The line works because of its matter-of-fact acceptance of limits. Athletes are expected to perform like machines, yet Little centers the unglamorous truth that bodies have thresholds. "Taking a toll" is doing quiet heavy lifting here. Its not dramatic, but it admits cost: every snap, every sprint, every collision accumulates, and the environment accelerates the bill. That honesty is also protective. It spreads responsibility across conditions and collective adjustment rather than pinning performance on individual willpower.
Then comes the most telling phrase: "rotating a little more up front". Thats trench language, and it signals a team culture where endurance is engineered, not demanded. Rotation becomes a tactical response to climate, like changing personnel packages against a formation. The subtext is leadership without theatrics: keep the group functional, prevent mistakes born of exhaustion, and treat "staying fresh" as a competitive edge.
In context, this is the NFL's modern pragmatism: margins are thin, and the smartest teams talk about stamina the way others talk about scheme. The quote turns weather into strategy and vulnerability into preparation.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teamwork |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Little, Leonard. (2026, January 16). St. Louis is more humid. But after a while, the heat started taking a toll on us, so we started rotating a little more up front trying to stay fresh out here. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/st-louis-is-more-humid-but-after-a-while-the-heat-120422/
Chicago Style
Little, Leonard. "St. Louis is more humid. But after a while, the heat started taking a toll on us, so we started rotating a little more up front trying to stay fresh out here." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/st-louis-is-more-humid-but-after-a-while-the-heat-120422/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"St. Louis is more humid. But after a while, the heat started taking a toll on us, so we started rotating a little more up front trying to stay fresh out here." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/st-louis-is-more-humid-but-after-a-while-the-heat-120422/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.







