You always want that as a player, to have that guy on the other side of you that's equally as talented and can make plays. It fuels you a little bit.
— Nnamdi Asomugha
There are a handful of guys that are really good at what they're doing from the receiver position, which is the easiest position in the NFL. There are a handful of guys that are good at it. There's not one particular guy that would concern me when I'm going into a game, but there are guys that you have to take notice of in the league.
I've never gone into a season thinking I didn't have something to prove.
You know in acting you have those moments in a movie where a character yells or breaks down crying and you're like, wow, that's acting?
For all of the achievements and awards, to be able to retire as a Raider ranks highest among all of those.
Anybody can be beaten by one pass once. Are you getting beat by that same pass multiple times in the same game? That answer is no.
I've had a chip on my shoulder every year that I've played.
I became stiff as a safety, and so I had to learn to move like a corner and think like a corner.
I give my all for the sport, and I just don't like it when, if things don't work out, people say, 'Oh, he doesn't care enough about football.' That was the thing that hurt me the most.
I was really close with Rob Ryan, so I know that Rex, being his twin, would be very similar to him.
I get friends that ask that all the time, and I remember my mother asking me a couple of times, because there was no action during a game, 'did you play?' It's so weird. Everybody's like, 'Great game, great game.' And because I demand so much of myself, I'm like, 'Well, I didn't do that great, because I didn't have any stats.'
When a team wants you, you can feel it.
I'm a class clown.
The leadership qualities that you have to have to be a producer on a film is something I learned being a captain on the team.
It's really refreshing to get these types of moments when people can say, 'Yeah, you're one of the best.'
I'm grateful for all the teams that I've played for, the fans, the organizations, the front offices, the list goes on and on.
After 11 seasons, I retired from football. Four months later I was in Ghana shooting 'Beasts of No Nation' as an executive producer.
There's a way to speak your mind. You don't just go off and say whatever you feel is right. You have to say what you feel is right and say it if it's something that works for the team.
I'm highly critical of myself. There's not something someone else might say that makes me feel I need to be motivated in a different way. I'm a self-motivated guy.
I come from a performing family. My parents are Nigerian, and their parents and their parents - and it's all about performance in their culture, you know. The music. The dancing... you're told to stand out at family gatherings and perform in some sort of way. You're just kind of born into it.
Doing interviews after a game, you can't give your true emotions. You can't tap into them. So when you do that for so long, you go into acting and it can be difficult to suddenly just be open and vulnerable.
I'm very grateful for my time in Philadelphia and I want to thank the Eagles organization for the opportunity to play here.
I get a different pronunciation at least every week. I think the worst one, or the funniest one I got, somebody called me, 'Oh-gooz-man.'
My mind-set is to come in and compete and be the best I can possibly be.
I know that a lot of times when a guy is making a lot of money and he's not playing up to that caliber, it's like he's just getting his paycheck. That's never been me. That's never, ever been me.
I've always worked my butt off physically and mentally.
I know so many people who've been through situations where they've gone from one career to another and have had such a tough time because they didn't have any support doing it.
I don't talk smack because I feel like it's a waste of energy.
From what I came from, all the negative criticism - that keeps me from embracing that title of being the best. Because I always feel like there is another level I have to get to.
My freshman year, I started working with a group called Touchdown for Kids.
I tell people all the time that football taught me about life in every single aspect.
In great Al Davis fashion, he took a reach that he believed in and instilled confidence in me like nobody else could. I was able to become all that he expected of me.
I've been blessed. I've had a fortunate, successful career in the NFL. It's been longer than I initially expected when I came into the NFL.
Something clicked, and I was like, 'I gotta be prepared. This could end at any time.' That was my second year in the league. From that point on I started doing broadcasting and things like that in an attempt to find my passion - something I could do after football.
When I speak, the things that I'll say will mean something. And if it's not going to mean anything, I won't say it.
When guys get to a certain age or certain level in their career maybe they don't do as much or work as hard so they start to lose some of that stuff. It's inevitable that at some point your going to lose most of what you've had.
If we're in a scene together, I want to give you something that allows your performance to be truthful. In football, if you're opposite me, I want to destroy you, take your head off. I'm still reading body language, still reacting, still trusting my instincts - same as football - but it's different now.
You're seen a certain way in the acting world. To them, you're still a football player and not taken as seriously. They think you're just doing it to be a celebrity, to keep your name out there. They don't think you'll prepare.
I'll be relentless in my efforts to be great, but I'm realistic. I know I can't be perfect because I've seen it. But at the same time, nobody wants to fail, nobody wants to fail.
Ultimately, the Niners just felt at the end of the day like the right place to be. I was really impressed with the way they run their organization, impressed with the winning, impressed with coaches and players. Everything felt like it was in line.
I think everybody has talents that haven't been tapped into. They can go unnoticed your entire life.
When it's football time, that's where I am - the studying, the working, the practicing, everything.
It's a difficult thing in this league to match up, to line up and play one-on-one football.
You walk into a room and there's already judgment. You know, like football players can't act or you're going to come in and be stiff.
Obviously, teams are passing a lot more, and there are rules that... allow the offense to be more explosive, so you want to have as many defensive players and defensive playmakers and defensive backs that you can.
I've always felt that I'm successful for a reason - so I can help, whether that's one individual or a group of people. That's why I keep going with football. I love the game and I'll keep playing as long as I can, but ultimately there's a different purpose.
Even when we were little, we were always helping, going to feed the homeless, community drives, that type of stuff.
I always grade myself hard.
Just to have the opportunity to play in the NFL, I think it's the biggest dream come true for me.
As a player, you're not really in control of your destiny and the way you make a living.
