It’s not something to complain about, but just the major difference between college and the pros is that in college you’re guaranteed four to five years so long as you don’t do anything criminally and in the pros you’re guaranteed one day because you can be cut the next.
The day I think about throwing the ball away at the beginning of a play, I should stop playing.
Sometimes people think it’s what you say when you’re in a huge group that makes you a leader. But sometimes it’s the one-on-one conversations you have with guys individually, just getting to know them. I think I’ve done that a lot. Not intentionally – it just happens.
There’s just a misconception that comes with being a dual-threat quarterback. You run first, throw second. I’ve proven I throw first and then run if I have to.
Warren Moon and Doug Williams really didn’t run that much. That’s the negative stereotype when it comes to African-American quarterbacks, that most of us just run. Those guys threw it around. I like to think I can throw it around a little bit.
When you have fans who are hassling you the entire game and you ignore them, they respect you because their job is to try and distract you. And if they don’t distract you, that means you’re focused on doing your job. And who knows, by the end, sometimes you even win them over.
It’s not about talent once you get to the NFL because everyone’s got it. It’s about being willing to go that extra mile to be the best and that’s something that I’ve always done.
I hate to talk about myself like that, but if I had to straight up tell a head coach or an owner why they should take me, it’s because I’m the best in everything I’ve done.
Respect talent. Get respect where respect is due, but don’t be caught up in yourself where you do things obliviously and not pay attention to what is going on.
I try to keep my confidence on the charts, but I’m a confident guy as well. You’ve got to be that way. If you don’t think that you’re the best, then you won’t perform that way.
You can say whatever you want; it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t faze me. I’ll still go out and do what I have to do, whether that’s making A’s in the classroom or doing well on the field.
Whenever you can relate to the population of the team that you play for, I think it makes it that much more special.
Whatever team you go to, you want to have guys who help you be successful there.
There’s a couple things you don’t talk about in life, and that’s race, religion and politics. I try to make sure I don’t talk about politics at all.
People have called me Superman my whole life. In various sports, that seems to be the common theme. My favorite superhero is actually the Incredible Hulk. He’s the only superhero that can’t die.
For me, you don’t ever want to be defined by the color of your skin. You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person that you are, your character, your personality. That’s what I’ve tried to go out and do.
I don’t do too much outside of football during football season, because this is my job and I take it seriously. I don’t do too much, don’t really go out at all that much, don’t eat out or anything, try to stay focused and stay to myself.
There’s something about football that’s exciting. The defense is trying to shut you down and you’re trying to blow people up.
I am an African-American in America. That will never change. But I don’t have to be defined by that.
You can be a catalyst for change but change never really entirely happens just because of one guy.