At the end of the day, all I really care about are the wins.
— Zach Ertz
You do have to be patient. Control what you can control.
I'm not going to be perfect on the field, I'm not going to be perfect in my postgame answers or any media session.
Oftentimes, the post safety will eye me up pre-snap a lot of times and know where I am.
Football should not be your source of identity. This one is important to me because I am much more than the player. My faith, my wife, my family, and the work I do off the field is paramount to feeling whole.
I was very fortunate to have several mentors in my life that believed in my ability on the football field. It was their support that made me believe that I could do it, too.
Everybody says, 'Oh, those East Coast people are so ruthless' and what not. But I love them. I mean, they're honest. What more can you ask from people?
I don't play this game to be an average tight end.
If there's an opportunity to go out there and show what I can do, I'm going to do it.
What I've learned, being in this league, is you can't take things personally.
On third down, anytime our team needs a play, I want to be the guy that gets the ball.
I think I can contribute to the team in a multitude of ways.
I think the ultimate compliment that someone can give you is that you're a technician.
In today's society, a lot of males think you have to be strong all the time, and you're not allowed to show weakness. That's just so false.
I pride myself on being able to create mismatches. That's what I've done my whole life.
Who doesn't like a nice Belgian waffle?
Nobody said, 'You have to step up and be a leader for the family.' I took it upon myself. I wanted to set the bar high for my brothers.
I'm a lot bigger than a lot of these DBs.
I've been ingrained since a young age to compete always and strive to be the best, and I think I'm working toward that.
If I could get better on the field, I could get better in my interviews. I took that approach: if there's something I'm deficient in, whether it be in relationships, whether it be talking to people, just that self-reflection to seek people out who can help me.
Bringing in a guy like Jordan Howard is going to help us immensely: a guy that you can give the ball to behind five really good offensive linemen and say, 'Go to work.'
Stay focused, believe that you can achieve at the highest level, surround yourself with others who believe in you, and do not stray from your goal.
I always knew Jesus, but I didn't have the relationship I do now.
I've never played the game for money.
My goal definitely isn't to be top five. It's to be the best in the league.
As an athlete, I feel like I have a little bit of control - or a lot of control - of the situation. When you're the in the stands, you have no control of the situation.
Tight ends, third down, and the red zone is where you kind of need to stand out to be a very good tight end in this league.
I'm focusing on being the best I can for my teammates - catching as many balls and putting in as many good blocks as I possibly can.
I want to make Pro Bowls, do all the great things.
When I was 16 years old, watching football for the first time, the Cowboys were always on TV - unfortunately, looking back at it now - but Jason Witten was the guy who carried himself, in my opinion as a 16-year-old kid, the right way. He was a phenomenal tight end.
I have to have that mentality that I can get open.
I rarely drop the ball, and hopefully that trend continues.
I went to play in the NFL.
Richard Sherman has kind of the peak of self-confidence. I'm a little below that. But I've learned a lot from him.
I just focus on taking a deep breath, staying calm, and not trying to make the situation bigger than it is.
I had a stutter when I was a young. I went to speech therapy.
If you're able to build something on a strong foundation, you're not going to be easily swayed.
Having success as a team is much more fun than having individual success. I have learned this lesson through the many wins I have experienced as a team.
Our No. 1 goal on this Earth is to make disciples. That's the only job we want to do.
I play this game to be the best tight end I can possibly be and win as many football games as I possibly can.
Every week's a job interview for us as players.
Obviously, I want to be on the field each and every play, but that's not what I can control.
You can't emulate a game until you're in a game.
If anyone asks me a fantasy football question or for help, I don't respond.
Just trying not to have a weakness in any part of my game - that's always been the approach in all aspects of my game: when the team needs me to run block, needs me to pass block, whether it comes naturally or not.
I love the game of football.
My opinion is I can get open against anybody.
I think I had a good rookie year, but at the end of the day, I want to be one of the best tight ends ever to play, and I'm going to set my standard for that and work toward that goal.
I went to Stanford.
