It's human nature, once you have success you kind of exhale and think you have it figured out.Collection: Success
There are things you can do as a player to make sure you keep yourself warm. Obviously, continue moving on the sidelines when you're not in the game, utilize modern technology with the heated benches.Collection: Moving
As a fan of sports, I guess sometimes the team that has a lot of success, you kind of want to see the underdog win, so to speak.
Whether it be a little more film, a little more in the training room, a little more rest at night. It all adds up, it all matters.
I don't have a snow blower, so I guess I'm a shoveler.
If you're trying to build up an organization and you want that organization to be successful, whether it's in pro sport, whether it's a business, I think consistency is something that you strive for.
When you're able to have foundational pieces in place it allows you the opportunity to build upon those foundational pieces.
You've got to make sure you're loose. As soon as you tighten up then obviously you're not going to be able to run as well as you normally would.
Your routine is so much different when you're at home than it is on the road.
The story of every season is a little bit different.
I know one thing about Super Bowls and these types of situations - the only thing that you remember at the end of this Super Bowl experience is the score of the game. That's the only thing you remember. You don't remember who didn't get a ticket to this, who's hotel room was messed up. That doesn't matter.
In my opinion, offensive linemen don't get enough credit.
I guess everybody has a little bit different code for what they call their plays and how they call their plays.
Whatever you have to do to put the team and the success of the team first is what I see as being 'the Patriot way.'
Us guys that have been lower round draft picks or free agents, we just come in and are willing to work and do whatever's asked of us and hopefully it works out for us.
It was an honor to be selected to the Pro Bowl, and it means a lot being selected by your peers and coaches and fans.
I think relationships, when it comes to a football team, are very important. I don't think it gets talked about enough, but when you're out on the football field, doing what we're asked to do each and every day, it takes a lot of trust.
I think every team in this league is on a quest to win and have success, and that quest is not an easy one.
You know, I do enjoy the game of football. I've been around it my entire life so I'll always be a fan and I always have an appreciation for the guys that are out there and what they're doing.
The reality is no player plays forever so at some point in time, you have to have pillars that you stand upon that are not going to fall regardless of who's in or out.
Players come and go.
Each day that we have to get up and wake up in our right minds, get out of our beds, interact with our families to express the love that we have for our families with them is a blessing.
I think if you go into the season with a defeatist mindset, then you can't expect to be successful.
What happens in the regular season usually has no bearing on what happens in the postseason.
I think it helps for guys that have played in the big games to know what to understand and expect as far as the speed of the game, the intensity of the game - it's nothing like a regular season game.
The preseason obviously is a different feel and you go to the regular season and it's a much different feel; the speed. I think the jump is just as drastic from the regular season to the postseason.
I think the sole reason that you play this game is to be the best and you want to be the best team. This is the ultimate team sport.
When guys are getting double teamed, there are going to be guys getting freed up and they have to make plays when they can.
You never fault a guy for playing hard and playing aggressive and penalties are part of the game.
I think sometimes it's better to learn from someone else's experience than making that mistake yourself.
Unfortunately, my first playoff game we didn't win, so not a lot of fun memories from that day.
We're human beings, we look at situations, we see people hurting. We see our people, Black people, hurting, and your heart breaks, certainly.
I will always consider myself a New England Patriot. So, if I can serve in the role of a coach, administrator on the staff, that's something that I would welcome with open arms. We'll see.
I remember running around the locker room as a kid, just following my dad around. It was definitely a unique experience not a lot of children get to have. But those are memories I'll always cherish.
You can't be afraid of contact or be afraid of getting your hands dirty and throwing your body around.
The more heady you are and understanding of teams and techniques, you put yourself in a better position to make plays.
Regardless of position, football IQ helps put you in those spots to make plays.
I think what we have to do, I firmly believe as a man of faith that we're meant to live life in community.
My hope has always been that the NFL in particular would start to see players is more than just helmets and pads and a number.
I was fortunate to be brought up in a Christian home with two parents that feared the Lord, and they raised me to fear the Lord as well.
To me, my faith is everything.
Well, consistency is big in whatever you're doing.
There's a premium put on winning wherever you are.
I've always felt that's why I've been here. Masquerading around as a football player so I can tell people about the Lord, hopefully point them to Christ, build relationships, connect with people and football will always, in my mind, be second to that.
When I'm out there on the football field, all I'm thinking about is playing football at a high level. But everyone is different, and I can't speak to how other guys are mentally as they approach the game, situationally. So, I can just speak for myself.
My family and I are passionate about the ways that we give back. We're passionate about building relationships in the community, helping others around us, and doing it the right way. So I think with the responsibility of playing in this league for 15 years, you incur other responsibilities off the field.
We understand that anything that's been done in the past has no bearing on what we do moving forward.
Everyone wants to win and have success, and everybody's going to be judged off of whether or not they're winning.
My dad and I are both men of faith and we realize that we're not self-made men. We've had a lot of things happen over the course of our lives that have allowed us to be in the position that we're in - people pouring into our lives, coaches, friends, our wives, and etcetera.
Time goes by very quickly, so you've got to try to cherish it and make the most of it.