A great deal of it is mental, the ability to learn within the game, to perform at a high level - often with injury - and to weather the ups and downs of an emotional game through a 16-game season. Also, there is the willingness to prepare in the offseason, the film room, to learn the scheme and execute without a lot of repetition - that's football character.

A great deal of it is mental, the ability to learn within the game, to perform at a high level - often with injury - and to weather the ups and downs of an emotional game through a 16-game season. Also, there is the willingness to prepare in the offseason, the film room, to learn the scheme and execute without a lot of repetition - that's football character.

Jobs are hard to come by, so players are extremely motivated to do whatever it takes to keep their job.

Veterans get priority in the training room and better parking, but there is not a whole lot of difference in terms of how they're treated in the competition for playing time. To me it doesn't matter if a guy is a 10-year veteran or a rookie. If the rookie is better, he finds his way onto the field.

I didn't play in the NFL, and I didn't play defensive line. But football, at the fundamental level, is football. It's about motivating people and getting the best out of them.

There is a great amount of precision within each individual's technique and role in the play. When you put 22 of them out there, it can look chaotic but when you break down individual performance, it looks less so.

I learned through apprenticeship. I was an assistant to a defensive coach, and I'm still learning.