The old thought process is that you have to respect the game - right? - and act like you've been there before. But I think you can also show how much you respect the game, how much you appreciate the opportunity to play the game and how excited you are to help your team by having fun.

It's not normal when you finish playing collegiate ball to be able to jump right into the NFL and work for Jon Gruden. That doesn't happen if you don't have your grandfather that has the connections and has earned the respect around this league. And for that, I feel very fortunate.

We're dealing with men here. What we're trying to do is help them become the best players they can be, and we're all collectively trying to win games. So what I always tell people is that the way you earn these players' respect is, do you make them a better football player?

Respect Quotes