Derek Wolfe with Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel grew up in a small town in Texas under the mentorship of his tough-as-nails cowboy uncles. “What motivated me to make it to the NFL was that I grew up in an impoverished situation,” he shares. The experiences of his family made him hungry and helped him grow a highly-motivated mindset to succeed.
He graduated from high school in 2005, and was redshirted at SMU for his first year. His grind mindset persisted as he consistently chose practice and working out over breaks and holidays. When he finally realized how much that work had paid off when he compared his skills to those of guys at other schools, he became even more motivated to continue working.
“The day you feel like you’ve arrived is the day that you’re done.”
Derek and Emmanuel talk about the commitment to the grind that’s necessary to move forward and move ahead in whatever game you choose.
Playing Hurt: “You got 7 days to get that injury right.”
Explaining the process for getting back on the field after injury, and the often rushed nature of the process, Emmanuel describes how he want back to practice after breaking his rib—and then playing just a few days later. “That competitive nature and that adrenaline, it does something to you,” says Emmanuel. Derek adds that there is always, always someone gunning for your job, and you can’t afford to take it easy for a second.
“I never met a hater who was doing better than me,” says Derek.
The Love of the Game
Emmanuel shares the self-talk that he would do to take himself past where other people would have stopped short. For both Derek and Emmanuel, their response to their Super Bowl win: Let’s get the next one.
After ten years in the league for Derek and 12 for Emmanuel, they both share how that journey to the NFL was 100% non-negotiable.
“Along this journey, there’s going to be people that tell you you’re not gonna be able to do it, or they’re gonna try and say you’re dreaming too big, kid. Don’t believe it.”
Retirement, Life Post-NFL, and the Super Bowl 50 Winners
While hunting has been a proven outlet for Derek’s energy and focus post-retirement, Emmanuel has no desire to join him in the field. He’ll go fishing, but definitely prefers to spend his time doing podcasts, network TV spots, and more…indoor activities.
What do they miss most? The locker room. The camaraderie. Laughing and hanging out with their brothers.
They go over the details of that Super Bowl 50 winning team and how they pushed one another beyond all limits, led by world-class Peyton Manning. They were inevitable.
Emmanuel wakes up every day with gratitude.
