A biography for Leighton Vander Eschhasn’t been written yet.
“I was a twig.”
“It's been fun growing my game.”
“I really don't keep track of the tackles I make and the tackles I miss. I'm just trying to be consistent.”
“We can go out and form relationships with people in the community and see the instant impact and smile that it puts on their face, especially the kids and the things that they're dealing with, the struggles in their lives.”
“Wherever they throw me, I'm going to get the job done.”
“I love the game of football so much, and my body won't cooperate any longer.”
“People can believe me if they want to believe me, but I know the majority probably won't because they probably overlook eight-man football. I know that taught me a lot, being able to make plays in space.”
“If somebody messes up, I'm going to get it right.”
“I'll always love Idaho and will always go back to where I grew up.”
“DQ's special. You've got to give him so much credit because the type of coach he is and the way he gets guys to play for him and the respect he has for you. It's so mutual.”
“You've got dudes that have been playing for a team for eight years, and they get traded. They've got family. They've got kids that have been there for that long. Think about that before you say something like, 'Oh, this guy deserves that,' or 'this guy deserves that.'”
“We could get traded tomorrow. We could get cut tomorrow. So people need to realize what they're saying on social media because I think it's ridiculous.”
“I take tremendous pride in going into one-on-one matchups against the back or the tight end. That doesn't scare me one bit.”
“I realize that I am no longer able to adhere to the unwavering standard of excellence that professional football demands.”
“There's so much football to be learned and I'm still learning every single day, trying to better your craft.”
“I want to be able to play for 10 or 12 years. Not four.”
“I'm always around the ball. I'm always going to put myself in position to be around the ball and be close to it.”
“Knowing that my first NFL game is going to be one I'm actually playing in, that's pretty neat.”
“It doesn't matter where I'm playing. I'm still going to be making calls on the defense and adjustments and everything I can because you've got knowledge of the whole defense.”
“I'm just looking forward to keep improving and keep working my hardest.”