My rookie year was huge for me as far as the learning curve, especially those last three games.

You read glowing things and it doesn't feel deserved. You read things that are critical and it cuts you to the bone.

For some reason in today's society, people look up to football players and you have a voice. And it's because of that voice you have the opportunity to impact people's lives.

I'll practice as good as I can, but I know that I play even better, with the qualities I have - leadership, my ability to make something happen in games, winning.

I consider myself spiritual and I'm married to a man who is both an atheist and a humanist, and my kids have been raised with the traditions of different religions, but they do not go to church or temple. My feeling is that everyone should be able to believe what they want or need to believe.

God help anyone who disobeys my recycling system. I have all the separated bins. I'm very adamant about it because I try to be a good citizen of the world, I really do. I even use eco-friendly cleaning products, but sometimes you just have to break open the disinfectant. Some jobs require it.

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.

Klopstock was questioned regarding the meaning of a passage in his poem. He replied, 'God and I both knew what it meant once; now God alone knows.'