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When you get to that level, it's not a matter of talent anymore - because all the players are so talented - it's about preparation, about playing smart and making good decisions.

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.

A coach once told me there are four factors that determine a players' performance: his tactical awareness, his physical condition, his technical ability and his mental strength.

I think there's nothing that's not important. Everything you do - from how you connect with the guys in the locker room, to how you learn, to how you play on the field - everything's important; everything goes with the position.

To go to the next level, you have to be special, and I look for those special qualities in those players, those qualities that I think will translate to the NFL.

I think that's part of building your team is trying to anticipate where your team is going and to a certain extent where, especially defensively because you have to react to what they put on the field. Defensively you have to be able to defend those things.

A lot of the lessons that are taught in football will promote success in anything you get into after football; for me, it just happens to be music. Being disciplined. Good character. Trying to do the right thing, and working hard.

For every guy, there is an opportunity to be a lot better than he thought he could be. We can't all be the star of the team, but we can be a star in our life. That's where you set your goal.

When I was a young player, I would look at players and think, he does this well, and try and pick up good points from them, or he conducts himself well, I'll pick up on that.

There's a lot of learning that goes on based on the mistakes that we may make in practice, and our guys do a great job of trying to digest that information and be ready to go when we use it during the course of the game.