Just getting to the NFC Championship isn't good enough. Winning the Super Bowl is what the expectations are.
If they're coming out full-steam, you come out harder. That's just how it is. It's the game of football.
When you're a defensive lineman, to get your hands on the ball, it's a dream. It's everybody's dream.
It's kind of crazy to say your home field is Lambeau Field.
Being under-recruited coming out of Highland, I've carried that with me. I keep pushing forward, keep working hard every day, keep my head on straight every step of the way. I tried to keep the reality hat on, knowing I might not get to the NFL, but I also knew it was a great possibility if I kept myself hungry.
You're a defensive lineman, you get knocked around from all different angles. I've been knocked around like a pinball quite a few times.
The Big Ten has great offensive lines and great offensive-line coaching. It prepared me pretty well for the NFL.
Some of those 10, nine-year vets, they know some things that your typical college senior wouldn't. I've come across some guards in the NFL that know how to use their hands better than D-linemen in college. I guess they've learned from their enemies.
I want my presence to be felt whenever I step on the field.
I was never motivated by a contract. I was motivated by being the best. So I just compete against myself every day and push to get better.
Stats are for losers, really. You've just got to go and play better, flat out.
Imagine being a running back or a receiver. You get tackled, and then when you get up, you're surrounded by a bunch of guys, and they're all screaming and yelling at you... Mentally, it wears on you, like, 'God, how long can I do this?' It's a mental thing.
Nothing was ever handed to me. I mean nothing.
If I ended up having a big name, I'm still going to keep that fire because that's what just drives the great ones.
