On Friday, the annual Legends Party was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, and instead of asking current and former NFL stars the same question they’ve already been asked a billion times this week (the Super Bowl is being held in Las Vegas) What do you think about Las Vegas? Are you having fun in Las Vegas? Would you choose the Chiefs or the Niners?, we decided to ask something a little more interesting.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your newer self?
The answers were varied and very interesting. There’s solid advice here for everyone.
LeSean McCoy: Save more money and take your game more seriously
Former Eagles and Bills running back LeSean McCoy said saving more money is at the top of his list.
“You always want to save more money, right? You can never save enough money. The second thing is to take your game more seriously. I could have been better if I perfected my technique a little more. Study a little better. Study a little more. Party less and focus more on your strategy. And in the off-season, Go out and dance a little in the club. There was too much Las Vegas when I was younger.”
Matt Ryan: Enjoy the ride while it lasts, because it’s going too fast.
Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who just completed his first season in the CBS booth, said he would tell rookie Matt Ryan to enjoy his playing career while it lasts.
“I feel like I was a new guy,” he said. “You know, I feel like I was just there. Enjoy the ride and take it all in because it’s so much fun.”
Lawrence Taylor: Stay out of trouble
I’m glad I asked the legendary New York Giant and Hall of Famer this question. It was mostly to hear him laugh mad at me trying to find answers.
Taylor is one of the best defensive players to ever take the field. However, he has faced many bad experiences during his playing days. So for Taylor, there was only one answer.
“Just stay out of trouble,” Taylor said with a laugh.
Malcolm Jenkins: Don’t try to be someone you’re not
Jenkins said he stayed focused early in his career on the safety he wanted to emulate…but he should have just been happy to be Malcolm Jenkins.
“I tell myself to stop trying to be like everyone else and embrace the skills that I have,” the former Eagles and Saints safety said. “I think I spent a lot of time trying to live up to the people I looked up to, the Ed Reeds and Brian Dawkins of the world. But halfway through my career, I realized I couldn’t be them, and I decided to be myself, for better or for worse, and it turned out to be for the better.”
Save more money, take your job seriously but still make time to have fun, live in the moment and enjoy it while it lasts, stay out of trouble, and don’t try to be someone you’re not. This is good advice for NFL players and the rest of us.
