I have tunnel vision. I go out and try to get better each and every day.
Matt Cassel
One of our big duties as a player is not to dwell on the past and stay in the now because that's the only way you're going to continue to move forward and be successful.
Even if you're in a backup role, you've always got to prepare yourself.
From one week to the next, everything changes from who you're playing to the defense's scheme. You just try to build on the things that you did well and correct the things that you did poorly in the game; then, move forward from there and hopefully continue to get better and better and better as you move forward.
My father grew up in West Texas, in Lubbock, and I've got family here, and I grew up a Dallas Cowboy fan all my life.
It's been a childhood dream of mine to be a Cowboy, honestly.
I have big hopes and big dreams and aspirations to do great things in the NFL.
Everybody is allowed to have their own opinion.
Honestly, I have no ill will toward Kansas City or anything that happened here.
Anytime we can get the running game going it is a plus for me and it makes my job a lot easier.
I'm not trying to be Tom Brady. I'm just trying to be Matt Cassel.
I was in New England in 2007 for Spygate.
I think that's the genius part of what the Patriots do: They go above and beyond in identifying the issue and doing whatever they can to make sure it doesn't wreck the offensive plan.
I think the toughest job in football is always to be the starter, because everybody looks to you for guidance.
Personally, I always loved the 1 p.m. Sunday games.
You've probably heard from 100 different people that the Patriots are a game plan offense. Here's what that means: We're going to watch the defense specifically to identify their tendencies, what they do situationally and what their philosophy is.
I've said this time and time again: Dante Scarnecchia is the best offensive line coach in the NFL.
Without a lot of college film, a lot of people had written me off already. When the Patriots called, I was pretty happy.
Goal line is goal line. You go down there and it's the grit and grind of the game.
You can't play tentative.
There are definitely times when taking a sack is a better play than doing something else and trying to make a play when something is not there.
Your leader on the offensive line is your center, because the communication really takes place between him and quarterback.
You can't play scared.
I think as the quarterback of any NFL team, you put a tremendous amount of pressure on yourself to win ball games because that's what you're here to do and ultimately, that's what you want to do.
I work really hard and I take great pride in what I do.
There are guys throughout the NFL that get the chance one way or the other.
As a competitor, as a guy that wants to play, of course, it would be great to go out and play.
Nobody knows the future.
I love the Patriots. I love this organization.
You never know from week to week how one team is going to attack you versus another team.
There are a lot of things that you learn as a rookie and you grow the most, I would say as a rookie from your first year to your second year.
My rookie year in New England was mind-blowing.
I have a thing for brunettes.
So for me, it's just continue to go out and work hard and do what I've been coached and let the other guys take advantage of what they do successfully and then just let the chips fall where they may.
I am just saying people can be successful even though they might not be well known.
You just have to always go out and continue to work hard, watch the film, see what you did wrong from an offensive unit and individually. Then, you just have to go out and do better the next time out. That is what sports is all about.
I've been through a lot in my career. I've been through the ups, I've been through the downs. I've been through the highs and the lows.
It always comes down to being accountable to your teammates and so many times you get caught up in everything else going on. And I remember as a young guy, you always worry about, 'Well, who's getting the reps,' and this, that and the other, and it takes you and distracts you away from just doing your job.
We knew what was going on with Spygate. We were in football mode, and it didn't impact our day-to-day. There's so much noise on the outside - 'You're cheaters, you're this, you're that' - but the easiest way to settle that is to go 18-0 and go to the Super Bowl.
In 2005, our starting center, Dan Koppen, went down with a season-ending injury. Russ Hochstein was always our interior 'swing guy' - he played guard and center - and I remember Russ stepping in and playing beautifully.
I've been on a number of NFL teams, and a lot of them address situational football. But I've never been around a team that does it as meticulously as the New England Patriots.
I've always pushed myself and taken great pride in what I do.
At first when I first went to the Chiefs, there was a huge transition from what we had done in New England to a team that was rebuilding.
When I was a kid, we used to play 'Madden' and 'NCAA Football' all the time. I have two brothers, so we grew up on these games.
The first thing that came to mind when I met Tom Brady was intimidation. I'm showing up in 2005 with a guy who just came off his third Super Bowl win. So, it's a little intimidating walking in the room with Tom Brady for the first time.
The thing about the 2008 season which sticks out for so many people was we were coming off the 18-1 year where we went to the Super Bowl and lost in dramatic fashion with the catch and everything else that happened.
Unfortunately, I've been around a lot of organizations over my 14-year career that have dealt with off-field issues.
I was in Minnesota in 2014 when Adrian Peterson was suspended. In that situation, we were about to play the Patriots when his suspension came out the Friday before the game.
The Thursday night game is by far the most difficult game to prepare for. You can't get into as much depth as you normally would in your game plan because you just don't have the time. You've got to jump right into the next opponent.
Any time you can come down and score on your first drive, that's what you're trying to accomplish.
