Leighton Vander Esch

“I was long and lanky like a giraffe.”

“The NFL journey doesn't last long and so it's not forever.”

“I mean, wherever you can play guys and they can be successful it's going to be good for the team.”

“I'm just controlling what I can control and the rest will take care of itself.”

“We got to focus on doing our individual job ourselves first, before we start worrying about everybody else's stuff.”

“Accountability is first and foremost. I think you need to establish that on every team.”

“All the RPOs and the options that teams are running. They're always trying to match up their fastest guys up on the linebackers.”

“I was always comfortable in man coverage.”

“I was a raft guide on the Salmon River back home in Riggins, Idaho. It's a good river. We've got class four rapids. It was fun. I got to meet people from all over the country who were coming into raft. I did it for about five years.”

“I'm confident in my abilities and my athleticism, in my preparation. It's going to put me in position to make plays on the field on game day.”

“They're going to scheme against you and do everything they can to beat you, but you've got to find ways to make plays.”

“Just be yourself and work, gain the respect of others and show them that you care and you're going to give it your all.”

“You got to be on your toes and you got to be in attack mode all the time. That's the approach I take with things. I can't sit back. I have got to go, go, go all the time.”

“Back home, I hunt wolves quite a bit.”

“You have to have full confidence in yourself.”

“I've got no control over the logistics of who pays who what.”

“When you are trying to make a tackle, you have to think as if you were the ball-carrier. Trying to hunt, you think what the animal would do in this situation. What would be their next move? It's the same as football.”

“I mean, everybody wants to play against Tom Brady.”

“You've got to get your mental reps. Your mental reps are as important as your physical reps.”

“Injuries are a part of the game of football. Some happen to more people than others.”