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At some point, you're not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL. That's when you have to be able to throw the ball.
When you're coming into training camp, there's not a whole lot that is familiar. When you can grab something from it, it keeps you calm and helps you just play football.
I think there's a lot of people that still don't believe in me, and obviously, I love proving people wrong and helping the football team win games any possible way I can.
When we go out, we have our favorite places, and the great thing about Minnesota is that most Minnesotans are pretty respectful of your time when you're with your family.
It doesn't matter what play is called, you have to run that play and you have to be successful on it. It just comes down to execution, all 11 players doing the right thing.
I think when you're not in the NFL or when you're early in your career, you don't understand how hard guys work, especially the guys that play a long time and are successful.
I thought I was better at basketball, but obviously people didn't think so. But I loved them equally, whether it be baseball season, basketball, football, golf, I liked them equally.
I've always been a very observant person, a visual person. That's my way of learning. Things on paper, notes and things like that, don't help me the same way as watching things live.
I love when people doubt me. I love when people don't think that I'm good enough to play at a certain level, not good enough to be a starter, things like that. That's the stuff that drives me.
For me, after every game you look yourself in the mirror and ask 'what can i do better, what can i do to help this team?' Then you go back to the drawing board and you go back and you work hard.
We know how hard it is to get to the playoffs in general, and then to get to the NFC Championship Game. You just never know if you'll have the opportunity again, so you really want to make the most of it.
In high school I just loved to compete and play sports. I didn't have a sport that I was going to say, 'Hey, I'm going to play this at the next level.' Whatever my best opportunity was was what I was going to do.
I had no idea the Vikings were interested. I was actually expecting other teams because the Green Bay Packers and three or four other teams asked for film after the combine in Dallas, and the Vikings weren't one of them.
I'm always going to feel like the underdog. I feel like that's the kind of mind-set I want to have and if I do lose that mind-set, I want somebody to slap me in the face and say, 'Hey, pick it up and get back to the roots.'
I would not be in the NFL, 100 percent, if it wasn't for basketball. I probably wouldn't be where I am without golf and baseball. Golf, for the mental side of the game, being able to focus on the now and take one shot at a time.
For me there is so many factors in football, that's why it's the greatest team game. There are so many things that lead into having success, just like when you have a ton of success and when you have no success, it's not just you.
That's probably the biggest difference from a hamstring to different injuries. You can play through pain with other injuries. But as I found out quickly with a hamstring, if you're feeling any pain, eventually, it's not going to work.
In the NFL, there's never really that moment where you're like, Hey, I made the team. Or: Hey, you made the practice squad. You just kind of show up the next day and go to work. Nobody really says anything. You just kind of go to work.
Just because you're drafted, No. 1, doesn't mean you're going to make a team and, No. 2, it doesn't mean you're going to be around a long time. Especially at receiver, where there are only five and the last two have to play a lot of special teams or they're gone.
The whole goal was to get an opportunity to go somewhere for OTAs because OTAs in this league are extremely important, especially for undrafted guys and guys who are on the bubble. You don't get a lot of opportunities in preseason games and training camp, so OTAs are huge.
When I was early in my career, I really followed Twitter, seeing what people were saying about me. I definitely saw them talking about Mr. Mankato and all that. It was fun for me to have a little bit of extra support from outside people. I definitely helped me build confidence, that's for sure.
It's the same thing as a competitor with anything whether it be a play, an injury, a distraction. You just put it behind you, you take the situation for what it is and you control what you control and the people that do that the best are usually the more successful team, person, individual, what have you.