NFL Media's Oklahoma Drill series presents exclusive, quick-hitting one-on-one interviews with players and coaches from around the league. No nonsense -- just football experiences directly from the source.
Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Born: Nov. 4, 1988
Experience: 6 NFL seasons
Interview by Ali Bhanpuri | Jan. 25, 2016
I feel good right now. I feel good. I'm in the process of healing. I'm resting. I'm doing rehab. So I'm doing good.
Dealing with things that we really couldn't control.Like Injury. Lot of guys got banged up. There's nothing you can do about it. The positive that I do take from it is how we never gave up. That's a sign of strength.
My right foot is my strength foot. That's my plant foot. I jump off that foot, you know, I build my speed with that foot. That took a lot away from me. I'm not here to make any excuses, just answering the question. It was messing with me mentally. I went out there because I was doing it for my teammates and for the Cowboys' fans -- and also for the opportunity to potentially get into the playoffs.
I understand our fans. They're extremely loyal, extremely passionate. And I know that's what I love about them. I strive off their energy. ... But, you know, some people, they don't look at everything, they just look at the scoreboard, or they'll look at the stat sheet at the end of the game and not really look into the real reasons for some actions. I just felt in my heart that I owed that much to our fans and also for the ones who probably didn't understand what a lot of guys deal with in the NFL. ... I just tried to give a little bit of understanding of what I deal with.
I actually don't think anything is hard about the NFL. I love my job. I actually don't think it's a complicated game. Nothing is complicated if you love it.
Dealing with what I had to deal with, with a broken foot, it can hurt. It gets to you mentally. It makes you think. I was thinking more than ever on the field, and that's not like me -- I react.
Repetition. Confidence. [The back-shoulder pass is] just something we have to have down. When you have two guys with the same attitude, the same approach, you're going to have a hard time stopping it. It's just something that we do, something that we practice ... and it's become a huge success for us.
First thing that came to mind was, Damn, I can't believe this. I can't believe this is happening to us. I have extremely high respect for Romo for coming back. ... That's just the fight, the animal in him. When you see players do things like that, it makes you want to follow behind. It was just real unfortunate for us. Losing our guy like that. The hope kinda decreased a little bit.
I think it's the National Football League -- everybody is a professional. And when a situation occurs like that, you just have to learn how to adjust to it the best way you possibly can. Chemistry does play a factor, and we did the best that we could. And within a short period of time. I give Matt [Cassel] credit. I give Kellen [Moore] credit. That's hard to do. You know, like I said, it's the National Football League; it's just something you have to try your best to adjust to.
As of right now, I don't really read too much into what's going to end up happening in the draft. My only thing I'm really focusing on is my current teammates and getting myself prepared for the upcoming year.
I honestly do believe it helps. I used to have dehydration issues, and I started using BODYARMOR [sports drink] and it has helped me tremendously. I think as soon as a lot of other athletes get their hands around it, I think they're going to fall in love, as well.
Well, when 100 percent healthy, I know I'm coming down with [a jump ball]. I tell you that. The majority of the time I'm 100 percent healthy, but dealing with the injuries last year, like I said, too much thinking, too much thinking ... at the beginning of the route, within the route and at the end of the route. It just kind of plays with your mind a little bit when you're dealing with an injury.
I think I'm still in the process of trying to work on my craft, you know, be a better player and continue to try to be the best I can possibly be. And, hopefully, if that goes as planned ... then it'll show other athletes how to go about your business and go about something that you love.
I really loved the game of football. I gave it my all. And hopefully I can leave a positive feeling with up-and-coming athletes.
