I kind of picked up the game at an early age. The way that other kids would learn what a fork or a spoon is.

I'm not fast. But there are a lot of guys that are a hell of a lot slower than I am. Somebody wants to do a pay-per-view race between me and [Tom] Brady, sign me up.

I played eight years without really being hurt seriously and hadn't had to deal with that part of the game. So, to get hurt and to have to miss games, that part of it was very hard. And so when I came back and somebody else had my job and I couldn't get it back. You know that was hard.

When you look at facing retirement in your mid-30s, and all of a sudden the outlet for that passion and work ethic goes away, you can't just sit back in a rocking chair and be retired at 35. I'm not a good enough golfer to play golf every day.

You know, it's a different deal - throwing a football as opposed to throwing a baseball.

It's a really interesting and diverse business. You're a farmer first, then a winemaker, then you're onto marketing and distribution. So it's multi-faceted and really engaging. I've learned more in the last couple years than in the ten prior to that, so it's been pretty interesting.

I feel pretty good when I get out of bed in the morning. I don't feel all beat up, which is nice.

That's the only reason I'm here. I don't need to play the game for any other reason than to win a championship.

It is the best feeling in the world to have a close game come down to just a couple of plays and you are able to do it.

The amount of work and the amount of both physical and emotional investment it takes to get to the top.

The positives of retiring outweighed the positives of returning and my desire to still play.

Getting hurt and watching Tom Brady take over and beginning what's been just a spectacular run of his, and to come back and play in the AFC Championship Game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and help us win that game, is a memory that stands out very clearly.

I feel so fortunate, so honored, to have played this game that I love for so long, with so many great players, and in front of so many wonderful fans. I fulfilled a childhood dream the first time I stepped on an NFL field, and the league did not let me down one time.