Everyone's struggle is different. Just because I wasn't struggling on the streets, it doesn't mean I don't know what it's like to struggle.
As a college student, you're depending on your scholarship money, money your parents send you. So I guess when people start talking about big figures, it doesn't hit me.
I received a call from Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Eric Mangini. They asked me if I was ready to become a New York Jet. I quickly answered 'yes' and began to hug everyone at the table.
You rewind. You think of your preparation. You think of everything you did throughout the week, your life, the practices, the intensity. Everything flashes, and you come right back to that point. And it's like, game on.
Players have an in-season playing weight, and we have to be careful not to stray too far from it when we're not under the watchful eye of the nutritionist. This can be a problem when the food isn't being prepared and regulated by our cooking staff.
You should never say 'D'Brickashaw' and 'bust' in the same sentence. You should never even think that. It should be D'Brickashaw, Pro Bowl, D'Brickashaw, Jets, Super Bowl.
Just because you used one set on one guy and had success doesn't mean you can use that exact set, that exact timing, the next time.
You don't have to worry about what happened last year; you can start fresh.
We have a culture in Freeport, especially in our football department. We feel that we're the best team on Long Island, in New York, hands down.
When the season ends, I like to take a little time off from the diet I follow when I'm playing.
At the Jets training facility in Florham Park, N.J., we have strength and conditioning staff but also a nutritionist, Glen Tobias, who helps to whip everyone into shape. There is a heavy emphasis on grass-fed meat and on foods that aren't genetically modified.
When a 300-pound person like me is playing, I'm supposed to drink at least a gallon of water a day.
I don't see myself as the perfect person at all.
I think, growing up, I was seen as the perfect power forward. For a long time, I thought maybe I was supposed to be a basketball player.
I just try to keep it simple, not let too many outside things influence me.
There's a number of years that went by going from a white belt to a black belt. And I think, in a similar respect, years go by with your maturation process, and it's just as important to be disciplined with that as it was in karate.
I've been cutting my hair ever since college. I try to do that whenever it gets rough. I'm not too cheap to go the barber shop, but I mostly try to do that by myself. I try to keep my skills sharp.
I wouldn't mind being like X-Men and having the claws. I mean, I don't think they'd let me play football, but it would look cool.
I sat in the green room at Radio City Music Hall for the 2006 NFL Draft. At my table, I was encircled by my parents, brother, agent, former coaches and close friends.
The actual game is only part of the Senior Bowl experience - the practices are equally important.
