D'Brickashaw Ferguson

Rex Ryan is definitely a very confident individual and, when you have someone who believes firmly in what he's speaking, you naturally absorb it.

Sometimes you have success and not so much success versus certain people.

Acting is a talent, but I like to see the whole picture.

You're always facing the top defenders in this league. To go out there and do your best, that's all you can ask for.

You should never say 'D'Brickashaw' and 'bust' in the same sentence. You should never even think that. It should be D'Brickashaw, Pro Bowl, D'Brickashaw, Jets, Super Bowl.

You rewind. You think of your preparation. You think of everything you did throughout the week, your life, the practices, the intensity. Everything flashes, and you come right back to that point. And it's like, game on.

As a college student, you're depending on your scholarship money, money your parents send you. So I guess when people start talking about big figures, it doesn't hit me.

We constantly had family conversations. A lot of conversations about life. We've always been a family to where we did everything together, whether it was karate or Bible study... I just really had a chance to look and learn.

There will be some things I do well and things I do wrong. But I keep coming. Playing with heart. That's going to help me continue to grow.

Obviously it's more fun having my teammates there and having all that camaraderie, but individual workouts are not a loss.

I've had to work by myself at combines before and forced myself to work out alone all the way back to high school. You have to be self-motivated.

I received a call from Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Eric Mangini. They asked me if I was ready to become a New York Jet. I quickly answered 'yes' and began to hug everyone at the table.

You have to have a plan. This isn't wishing. Instead of always being in a hopeful situation - like, 'I hope one day ...' - let's claim it now.

In football, you are going to have highs and lows, and you have to recognize when you have new opportunities and walk in those.

I try to work on all aspects of my game, whether it be run, pass. I think you can never stop growing, and I definitely take that mindset. You've just got to keep on grinding.

You don't have to worry about what happened last year; you can start fresh.

As an offensive lineman, having spatial awareness is key: understanding where the quarterback is going to be and understanding what the defensive end might do depending on the play we're running.

It takes a little bit more mentally to figure out what I need to do to be most effective. The game is ever evolving. So you have to constantly pay attention to the change because you don't want to be left behind.

Understanding the intentions of a play is so key because you can block a guy into the running back if you don't know how the play is supposed to work or where the back is going to come out.

Being an offensive lineman, you always have the mindset of being an unsung hero - a lot of the people who look at the game follow the ball.

Whenever there's negotiations, there's things that you absolutely love, and there's things that you accept.

I feel like sleep is the most important thing. I notice in my body, when I don't get enough sleep on a consistent basis, how I am dreary, or my mood changes, or I'm not as focused.

I just try to keep it simple, not let too many outside things influence me.

If I don't explain or tell some of my experiences, I feel like I'm doing guys a disservice because I know as a younger player, there's things I could benefit from the experience of an older guy.

At the Jets training facility in Florham Park, N.J., we have strength and conditioning staff but also a nutritionist, Glen Tobias, who helps to whip everyone into shape. There is a heavy emphasis on grass-fed meat and on foods that aren't genetically modified.