All good things come to an end eventually, so I was just thankful that I was even able to get drafted.Collection: Thankful
I'm thankful for the opportunity to be somewhere where I just feel I can be myself and play ball and not have to worry about all the other stuff that comes along with it.Collection: Thankful
All the sacrifices, extra time I spent off the field in the classroom, I just want to see that pay off.
Just being the best quarterback, best teammate, best leader that I can be. I just worked on doing that every day and getting better, and hopefully that leads to some accolades and success down the road.
The most learning I do is in meetings and board work and the film room. That's what happens. When you work hard there, you play well on the field. So that's what I do.
Whatever it takes to win, we will do that.
I just don't like defenses, so I want to able to be the most prepared to rip them apart.
I love Pittsburgh. I will do what I can to leave my mark here.
My dad always tells me, 'What you think is good isn't good enough for a coach or the expectations for a team.' It made me work harder.
My first dream, of course, was to play quarterback at Ohio State. That was surreal for me, to the point where it went by so fast, I didn't get to enjoy it.
Coach Rivera and I are very close and I don't want to ever just get comfortable thinking I'm his guy or he believes in me. That doesn't matter if you're not producing on the field.
When you let outside noise into your head, you start thinking or believing whatever the hell you read or see.
You can't worry about what someone is thinking about you.
It has been a dream of mine to play for Ohio State. This prestigious university best represents my family values, and playing under Urban Meyer's strong leadership abilities and a person that I can have a relationship with after football was important.
I want to be like Tom Brady and Drew Brees and that's something that doesn't happen overnight. Tom didn't play at first; Aaron Rodgers didn't play at first.
I know I can play well and play at a high level.
I want to be a great quarterback, one of those guys you talk about for years to come. That's not going to happen overnight.
I know I'm a franchise quarterback.
Coach Tomlin has been a great guy as far as getting to know me, as far as what I need to do as a quarterback, what I need to do off the field. He's been very hands-on with me. It's great to work with a Hall of Fame coach, to take the time and start helping me out. He's a great motivator.
I love protections, I love plays. If you don't like that being a quarterback, you're not going to last long.
I'm extremely confident.
Everyone can throw a football, but if you can't ID fronts, if you can't see pressure, you're not going to last long.
You have to learn how to love to watch film, be able to learn how to love protections at the end of the day, because that's what will make you last. I could write a book on protections, honestly.
If you play football and you're comfortable with losing, you shouldn't be playing football.
I've been a Giants fan for a long time.
I just want to go to a place where the guys are going to develop me, have great people around me and be at a great organization.
I feel like I've done a great job showing that I'm coachable, showing that I'm wanting to learn and trying to get better.
Growing up, I used to play in a lot of U.S.A. Camps and as a kid I used to play in Canton a lot, so I'm kind of familiar with the environment.
Every time I put my helmet on it's a challenge.
Every game is a challenge.
Every day is a challenge.
That's what is fun about football. It's the 'want to,' to play your best in every situation.
Being the face of the franchise, everyone is watching you. You have to be able to lead other men. It's a lot of responsibility.
I'm going to do what I need to do in meetings and out on the field to showcase my talent that I'm a franchise quarterback and I can be a really great quarterback in the NFL.
As a quarterback, I feel you have to be a distributor.
I find ways to get the ball to everyone. Me in the pocket is more fun for me than to try to run for a touchdown or a first down. I like to see guys make plays.
Of course it's great to be able to extend plays and know where to go when plays break down. But plays are schemed up for dropbacks and timing and things of that nature. So I feel I do that at a very high level.
Whatever you do in this business, there's going to be someone that critiques you, so you just deal with the criticism and keep grinding because that person isn't putting the work in that you're putting in.
Having people from colleges hitting me on Twitter saying how good they think I'm going to be, putting expectations on me, it's very humbling.
When I was younger, I used to watch Ohio State and Rutgers a lot. Definitely watching Ohio State and Jim Tressel and Troy Smith and Ted Ginn, definitely watched Rutgers with Ray Rice and Tiquan Underwood, all of those guys.
I get hyped every day I get to put a helmet on.
If you don't think you have a fighting chance, there's no way you're going to win.
Everyone has a different path and journey.
Own up to your responsibilities and your mistakes and be a better person moving forward.
Just do your best to be accountable for what you have to do and be ready to go.
I always loved the two-minute drill since I was a little kid. The pressure's on you to make a play, so whenever I get in there, I want to make sure that I start the drive off with a completion and then start getting balls down the field.
I can maneuver if I need to but I'm deadly in the pocket.
Just coming here to Pittsburgh, I just wanted to prove to the coaching staff and my teammates how much I love football.
Just grateful for the opportunity Washington gave me, but it wasn't completely surprising, but it was also definitely unfortunate to be able to be released the way that I was.
I feel that my game works really well in the NFL, because I'm able to distribute the ball deep, intermediate, short and great accuracy outside the numbers. And I feel like I make guys better around me, so that way I'll be able to win games.