Prior to my arrival at the Crowne Plaza in Indianapolis, my agent and I decided that it would be best not to participate in any drills at the combine. We wanted to wait until my pro day at Virginia, where I could limit the distractions and just focus on being my best.
I feel like sleep is the most important thing. I notice in my body, when I don't get enough sleep on a consistent basis, how I am dreary, or my mood changes, or I'm not as focused.
It's just a blessing from above. I can't stress that enough, because I don't feel like it's anything that I've done. For me to say, 'Well, it's because of this, this and that is why I've been able to play,' it's just a lie. I couldn't tell you why.
Sometimes you have success and not so much success versus certain people.
Acting is a talent, but I like to see the whole picture.
You're always facing the top defenders in this league. To go out there and do your best, that's all you can ask for.
If I don't explain or tell some of my experiences, I feel like I'm doing guys a disservice because I know as a younger player, there's things I could benefit from the experience of an older guy.
We constantly had family conversations. A lot of conversations about life. We've always been a family to where we did everything together, whether it was karate or Bible study... I just really had a chance to look and learn.
There will be some things I do well and things I do wrong. But I keep coming. Playing with heart. That's going to help me continue to grow.
Obviously it's more fun having my teammates there and having all that camaraderie, but individual workouts are not a loss.
I've had to work by myself at combines before and forced myself to work out alone all the way back to high school. You have to be self-motivated.
Rex Ryan is definitely a very confident individual and, when you have someone who believes firmly in what he's speaking, you naturally absorb it.
You begin to take on the mentality of your coach. If he feels so confident, then I feel confident.
You have to have a plan. This isn't wishing. Instead of always being in a hopeful situation - like, 'I hope one day ...' - let's claim it now.
In football, you are going to have highs and lows, and you have to recognize when you have new opportunities and walk in those.
I try to work on all aspects of my game, whether it be run, pass. I think you can never stop growing, and I definitely take that mindset. You've just got to keep on grinding.
As an offensive lineman, having spatial awareness is key: understanding where the quarterback is going to be and understanding what the defensive end might do depending on the play we're running.
It takes a little bit more mentally to figure out what I need to do to be most effective. The game is ever evolving. So you have to constantly pay attention to the change because you don't want to be left behind.
Understanding the intentions of a play is so key because you can block a guy into the running back if you don't know how the play is supposed to work or where the back is going to come out.
Being an offensive lineman, you always have the mindset of being an unsung hero - a lot of the people who look at the game follow the ball.
