Coach was talking to me about just playing good defense and rebounding. He told me I'm a better player than (I had played) and I have a lot more to give to this team. He said don't work on offense, that'll come. ... He just wanted me to go out there and play hard, not worrying about doing anything wrong. |
Coach was talking to me about just playing good defense and rebounding. He told me I'm a better player than [I had played] and I have a lot more to give to this team. He said don't work on offense, that'll come. ... He just wanted me to go out there and play hard, not worrying about doing anything wrong. |
I basically had to change my whole lifestyle, ... I had to change what I ate and when I ate. I had to change a lot in many of aspects in my life. |
I got to 285-290 (pounds) my junior year, ... That is when I hit my ideal weight. I was quicker, stronger and faster. But it was more of a mental confidence boost than anything. |
I may have overdone it a bit, ... We all thought I was a little too light at 279. If you lose weight, you lose strength. I lost a little too much and had to work on putting on more muscle mass. It was not hard. For me, it is easier to put weight on than to lose it. I knew I could do it, but the key was to do it the right way. |
I think the end of last season helped me, but here (at Ohio State) you have to compete with a lot of good defensive linemen, ... I could have started since my freshman year and still not have solidified my starting spot this year. I think I am more of an overachiever than opposed to a great football player. That's why I am more of a hustler, a player that runs to the ball. |
I turned into a fanatic, ... I worked out with the team and then did my own workout. I doubled up on everything. I probably worked out too much. I worked out on weekends. It was a seven-day-a-week thing. |
It looked like an ocean. |
It's worked out for me. I kind of feel bad for them, but for my own interest I have to get paid. |
There's a lot of pride, lot of tradition; doesn't matter what the records are. |
We hear about it all season. People always ask me, 'Who do you have next week?' I'll tell them, 'San Diego State' and they'll say, 'You play good in that game ? and make sure you beat Michigan this year.' And, man, we'll still have five games left! |
You could tell the quarterback was getting frustrated. We just really wanted to erase the bitter taste in our mouths. |