I'm not going to waste time or energy spent on something I can't control.
— Eric Weddle
A lot of guys thought I'd bow down to them, but I wasn't like that. I was just trying to play football and do my thing.
I don't really worry or waste my energy on where I rank and this and that. I know where I'm at.
I've always been able to overcome things, and to this day, it still bugs me that I couldn't overcome a ball to the face. But I think things worked out for the best.
Going through everything in my mind, I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking Baltimore, thinking this is my fit, this is where I want to be, and they want me.
They welcomed me like I have been a Raven my whole life. It meant a lot to me. I knew what I could bring to the team, on and off the field.
I'm not Ed Reed. I'm Eric Weddle, and you're going to get a great Eric Weddle that does a lot of amazing things on the football field. And there's no pressure; pressure is self-inflicted.
I brush it, brush it after every practice and stuff, just because it gets tangled. It's just all natural, let it grow, let it be, let it be real.
There's so much uncertainty within certain players and the organization.
I'm a pro. I'm a professional and strive to be the best and try to have fun.
When you think of Baltimore, you think of football. You don't think of anything else. This is what I want. I've always wanted it.
If I am running 100 yards, I should be cut. Because then I am getting beat. I do not need to be doing that. I need to be running 20, 30, 40 yards as fast as I can over and over and over at optimal energy and efficiency and speed.
Our kids are super outgoing and energetic, and they definitely don't stay in the house at all.
When your heart tells you something, you have to go with it.
I want to be appreciated, to be loved, to feel wanted.
Understanding why we are here, what we are supposed to be doing, relationships, and striving to do more other than play football - when you get understanding like that and apply it, it works wonders.
Football is important, but my family and faith are also important, and no matter how good a football player I am, I knew I still needed to be a good member of the church. Having that spiritual connection helped me throughout the season. It brought balance. I felt better about myself and saw improvements in all aspects of my life.
Everybody drops balls every once in awhile. I just can't let it happen.
People didn't like me because I didn't take any garbage.
I think I have respect from players, coaches, and certain media who watch the games. I'm not a youngster anymore.
I went from being one of the best players, batting .550, to not being able to do it mentally, hitting .200. I thought I was mentally tough. But I couldn't hit the ball.
It's not a selfish desire, growing a beard, but maybe I need to not have the beard, and it'll bring us more wins.
I want to help my team win, and this is a winning organization, so there's no added pressure.
Ed Reed is a legend. Ed Reed will always be the standard that, as players, we look up to and strive to be like.
Baltimore, it's been an amazing place and experience. It's opened my eyes a little bit just of other organizations. I'm proud to be a part of this team, proud to be part of this group of men that really challenged each other, never pointed the fingers, never turned our backs on each other.
I want to continue to show what I'm all about.
Obviously, there is a high standard here of getting into the playoffs and having a chance at the ultimate goal, and that is the Super Bowl.
The things I felt Baltimore would give me is a team that gives everything for each other and a team that wants to win and has a goal to win a Super Bowl every year.
I can guarantee you this: We will be the strongest, most in-shape Ravens team that this team has ever had.
We came from a neighborhood that was kind of older, so we didn't have that many kids that would go out and play. We moved into a neighborhood that has, like, 50 kids in it. There are 12 houses where we kind of all share a big backyard, and we're all circled in there. If one kid goes out there, they all go out and play.
I love the game. But I love my wife and kids more. I can't tell you how many sacrifices I make throughout the season. I leave the house at 4:15 A.M. and get home at 7 P.M. and see my kids an hour every night. It's been sacrificing for nine years. It's not just about what's best for me. It's about what's best for me and my family.
I try to keep a Sabbath perspective.
I can sit back in 10, 15, 20 years, when I'm sitting with my kids, I'll be able to say that I'm sitting in Ravens Stadium during a game, and I'm watching one of the best swimmers ever win a Gold for the U.S. You know, as you get older, you cherish those kinds of moments.
When I didn't go to church during my first two years in the NFL, I didn't know how it would impact me as a person. It was hard to go six or seven months without church.
I wanted to be the best, and I was going to outplay anyone out there. I've always been that way.
I think I'm one of the best. If you don't think that, then that's your opinion.
I've been the underdog my whole life.
I've played in San Diego for nine years and gone against my new team a bunch of times, and I've always envied their success. I've always envied the way they play, the way they go about business.
I just wanted to work, build a relationship with my teammates, and earn their trust.
I want to be great. I want to be the best.
If I don't trim the upper lip, my wife wouldn't kiss me. You have to take into account her needs as well.
San Diego is the best city in the world.
I just want to go out on a high note, go out on top, and lead my team.
I live and breathe football.
For me, personally, I'm a simple guy.
I want everyone to do well and to be as successful as you can. Because at the end of the day, this game is about relationships and what you make of them.
There's a love of San Diego that I will always cherish, but this is the East. It's football - these people love rooting for the Ravens, and this gives you extra motivation in life to go get what you want.
If teams are doubting me and offering me such a small amount of money, it might not be worth moving my family.
I love working with the youth. I am just as new to the gospel as lot of the kids, so I get just as much out of it as they do. Just being around them makes it one of the best callings.
Great night. Phelps got a gold. How sick is that.
