Stay focused, believe that you can achieve at the highest level, surround yourself with others who believe in you, and do not stray from your goal.
Zach Ertz
I'm so thankful to everyone who has helped me along the way.
The city of Philadelphia is all about the underdog.
I take every rep personally. If somebody beats me, I'm going to take that personally.
I just like going against the Redskins, I guess.
I want to make Pro Bowls, do all the great things.
My wife Julie and I are driven to make positive and enduring change in our beloved city of Philadelphia, in California, in Haiti, and around the world.
I can't dwell on having a couple drops. It's going to happen - it's the NFL.
I think the ultimate compliment that someone can give you is that you're a technician.
Brent Celek is a heck of a blocker, James Casey is a heck of a blocker.
You have to have confidence in this league. Everybody's so good.
I feel no matter who I'm going against that I can get open in a number of ways.
Tight ends, third down, and the red zone is where you kind of need to stand out to be a very good tight end in this league.
I love sports, and I'm a hugely competitive person.
I went to Stanford.
At the end of the day, all I really care about are the wins.
I had a stutter when I was a young. I went to speech therapy.
I'm focusing on being the best I can for my teammates - catching as many balls and putting in as many good blocks as I possibly can.
My seventh-grade year, I played football. I was, like, 15 pounds overweight, so I had to lose a ton of weight. They put me at left tackle; they put me on the defensive line. I absolutely hated football. I didn't want to play again. Eighth grade year, I didn't play.
Who doesn't like a nice Belgian waffle?
If you're able to build something on a strong foundation, you're not going to be easily swayed.
When I was younger, I initially hated football because they put me on the offensive line because I was the biggest kid.
I just focus on taking a deep breath, staying calm, and not trying to make the situation bigger than it is.
Our No. 1 goal on this Earth is to make disciples. That's the only job we want to do.
I went to play in the NFL.
You do have to be patient. Control what you can control.
Just trying not to have a weakness in any part of my game - that's always been the approach in all aspects of my game: when the team needs me to run block, needs me to pass block, whether it comes naturally or not.
If you look at the great tight ends in this league, the first thing that stands out is touchdowns. Just like at fantasy football. That's where a lot of guys get the respect, with touchdowns... That's the 'fantasy points' that everyone points out.
Richard Sherman has kind of the peak of self-confidence. I'm a little below that. But I've learned a lot from him.
When you're blocking someone, or when you're running, it's all about putting force into the ground, and that's the epitome of the back squat.
I pride myself on being able to create mismatches. That's what I've done my whole life.
No one wants to be 13 and not able to eat their ice cream after dinner.
I love the game of football.
I'm not going to be perfect on the field, I'm not going to be perfect in my postgame answers or any media session.
I have to have that mentality that I can get open.
What I've learned, being in this league, is you can't take things personally.
As athletes, just looking at it from an outside perspective, it's really remarkable, the impact you could have on somebody that you have no idea.
Glute bridges make sure my hips are staying in line. Making sure that I'm not putting added stress on the hamstrings, hip flexors, or groin. Being able to stabilize the hips is pretty much the center of playing football, so you can stay healthy.
When I was 16 years old, watching football for the first time, the Cowboys were always on TV - unfortunately, looking back at it now - but Jason Witten was the guy who carried himself, in my opinion as a 16-year-old kid, the right way. He was a phenomenal tight end.
I've been ingrained since a young age to compete always and strive to be the best, and I think I'm working toward that.
Nobody said, 'You have to step up and be a leader for the family.' I took it upon myself. I wanted to set the bar high for my brothers.
I think I had a good rookie year, but at the end of the day, I want to be one of the best tight ends ever to play, and I'm going to set my standard for that and work toward that goal.
I rarely drop the ball, and hopefully that trend continues.
My opinion is I can get open against anybody.
In today's society, a lot of males think you have to be strong all the time, and you're not allowed to show weakness. That's just so false.
I think I can contribute to the team in a multitude of ways.
If anyone asks me a fantasy football question or for help, I don't respond.
On third down, anytime our team needs a play, I want to be the guy that gets the ball.
You can't emulate a game until you're in a game.
Obviously, I want to be on the field each and every play, but that's not what I can control.
