Cam Newton

In college, you had to worry about that math class or this exam that's coming up on Tuesday, but not in the professionals. You eat, sleep, and do everything related to your craft - and your craft is football. You can be at it from sunup to sundown.

There's not a Sunday that goes past that I'm not excited to play this game. I feel as if I'm a lucky individual to have the opportunity to play this game, and when I do have the opportunity to finally play, you can bet your last dollar I will be excited to play.

I don't want to be the center of attention, which is ironic. I hate having all eyes on me - unless it's for my job, and my job is playing football. I'm not that attention-hungry.

I have unbelievable trust in my offensive line that they will get the job done. Not only them, but the running backs and as a quarterback, I have to do my job in getting the ball in the right people's hands and doing what I do best.

I don't ever want to seem like I'm trying to command attention through the way I dress - but I have certainly been known to wear everything from a flamboyant suit to something very mellow and classic. I aim to just look and feel confident.

Winning excuses everything.

My place of refuge is definitely watching movies and playing video games. I know that's kind of hard to fathom.

There are three or four places in the country where people think of fashion: One is L.A., obviously. Another is New York. And I think Atlanta has to be in the top five cities where fashion is very big.

What happens when you take a lion out of the safari and try to take him to your place of residence and make him a house pet? It ain't going to happen. That's the type of person that I am. I'm that lion.

I think for me, or for anyone who plays the quarterback position, it's almost an unspoken word when you think about leadership. Some guys can be a leader and be a running back or a lineman, or wide receiver, strong safety, or linebacker. But when you speak of quarterbacks, it's automatically a default that you're supposed to be a leader.

Because when I go places and I talk to kids and I talk to parents and I talk to athletes all over, and they look at my story and they see a person, African-American or not, they see something that they can relate to.

I know when it's getting close to game time, I create a different playlist for each and every game. Before the game, to game time, to warm-ups, going to the stadium, I have a different playlist that puts me in a different mode.