Q. Just a thought on when you got here, what did you know about Drake, and how has your relationship grown to where you're at here at the Super Bowl?
SD: I really didn't know too much about him other than we played him earlier in the year when I was in Houston. It was crazy. He had got like a mini standing ovation when he went out. It was one of his first games going in. He showed a lot of promise.
He made some throws. He was running around. I clearly remember a ball he threw Kayshon Boutte in the back corner to the right, a touchdown. I was, like, he can spin it a little bit.
It was early, of course. He didn't play the whole game but I think he finished it off. I didn't really think too much about it then because I was in Houston just rocking and rolling. And up to now it's been a long journey. Definitely been a long journey.
His maturation process is second to none. One of the best I've ever seen from a quarterback position. He's still super young, which is crazy. He's had a lot of success.
But as I have grown closer to him, I'm a huge fan of him. He's like a mini inspiration. To be that young and be that mature and be able to play at a high level is something that I always wanted when I was a young player.
And I'm just happy to be a part of this thing. He's a good teammate as well. We joke and laugh a lot in that building, in that room. The more time we spend, I see that relationship growing.
He's cool with all his teammates. He's like that quarterback -- I don't know how to describe it. If you play football you'd know, but he has that quarterback mindset, that quarterback energy. Yeah, he's cool.
Q. Throughout the season, you guys have done the "Zombieland" touchdown celebration.
SD: What's that?
Q. The --
SD: Yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm old. I don't know too much about --
Q. A lot of your teammates have credited you for being the guy that really brought a different aura to the celebration and got it to really catch on. Where did you get the inspiration for it? Are you surprised it's gotten as viral as it has?
SD: I'll be on the Internet a little bit. It's crazy you said it. I don't even know the name of it. I've been on the Internet a little bit. I thought it was fitting. I think it started at Buffalo, kind of carried on.
I don't give it too much thought. I'm out there to have fun and bring a lot of energy and swag. I take a little bit of credit. I'm a small piece of the puzzle. But when other guys make plays and carry it on -- even the defense, it was crazy, when it first happened the defense was, like, we need a celebration bad; y'all got a celebration?
It brings the team together a little bit when you have a team celebration and stuff like that. I credit that to like my past years being at other places and seeing what kind of brings guys together. And you've got to make plays first before you can celebrate. So I think it goes hand in hand. I don't take too much credit.
Q. I don't know if you saw this story, Lindsey Vonn the American skier at the Olympics she blew out her ACL last week and is going to ski with it. And I just wanted your opinion of that. Could you imagine skiing given what you've been through and what the recovery is like?
SD: I could imagine. Prayers to her, number one. I hope her surgery, when she does get it, goes successful. It's crazy that anybody who has torn their ACL, they know like a week or a couple days maybe sometimes, people can run. People can do like whatever they need to do once they get the swelling out.
So it's kind of like a weird injury. As long as you're not cutting and deceling, I think she should be fine. If she's at the Olympics she's obviously an amazing athlete. Shout out to her, her mental toughness and whatever she's going through.
Hopefully she can go out there, give it her best. As long as she doesn't have to stop and decel, I think she'll be all right. Fingers crossed, prayers to her and hope it goes well.
Q. You mentioned a couple days back, you almost signed with Denver in free agency. I'm curious, what did you like about their system? And what ultimately kind of just in your evaluation process made it New England that maybe you liked a little bit more?
SD: Mainly, when I was signing, you know, you kind of -- it's kind of a figure-it-out kind of process, and I kind of leaned towards my experience. I played against Sean Payton a lot. I've seen what his offense can do. So that was the one thing.
And then a couple people on the staff that I knew. Davis Webb, I was familiar with. He helped me out a lot in Buffalo as far as learning the plays.
Buffalo was a different place. Their offensive scheme with Daboll, he ran a lot of stuff. Davis Webb, knew a lot of that. He taught me a lot about the offense. E's a good friend of mine. I think he's going to be a hell of a coach one day.
That's kind of how it ended up happening. And in weighing my options on what's going to be the best, I also like Coach Vrabes. I had a little bit of interaction with him at Pro Bowl and stuff like that.
And they had a young quarterback. They both had young quarterbacks. When you weigh all the pros and cons, I felt the Patriots was probably going to be the best fit. And it wasn't too far from home.
Q. Are you a man of faith? If you are a man of faith, how does that help you through the ups and downs of the season?
SD: 100 percent man of faith. I get happy when I get to talk about it a little bit because my relationship with the higher power, whatever you believe in, my God is a good god, and I feel like I learn through experience the things that he's taught me, and my shortcomings and overcoming and the obstacles I went through, even this past offseason.
I kind of talked about it a little bit as far as leaving Buffalo was a different experience for me and I wanted to go to Houston. I ended up going to Houston. I wanted to chase a ring. I was around great players, a good team.
And then I end up tearing my ACL, boom. And then fast-forward, I end up at the Patriots. Not a lot of people believed in the Patriots or thought they would do anything. They said they were going to win like six, seven games. That's what I was reading up to that point. But didn't pay it no mind.
Fast-forward now, I'm in the Super Bowl. There's a lot of things that happened in that timeline. But leaning on my faith and leaning on the things that got me here. I feel like He was going to help me overcome anything that I go through or went through and look at how it all played out. Who would have thought? I wouldn't have. But I'm going to continue to lean on Him through everything I go through. Here I am at the Super Bowl, trying to win a game.
Q. 11 years in the league, by kind of default kind of the elder statesman of the receiver room but obviously you're still a young guy, full of energy. What's it been like kind of serving in that role for this group and interacting and getting to know this group, what's bonded you all together despite your years in the league?
SD: I'm the oldest in the room. They make fun me of all the time. I'm like, look, Mike Wallace told me a long time ago when I was young, I used to make fun of him for being old. I think I met him, like, year seven or eight. I was, like, damn you're old. And he'd say, you're going to be old one day too.
I will never forget that statement. At this point, Pop, Kyle Williams and even Kayshon, they make fun of me all the time. And I'm like, look, you'll all be old one day, too, and we'll revisit and have this conversation again.
I just look forward to coming to work every day, bringing that positive energy, bringing that good mindset, that work mindset. And being around guys like Mack Hollins and stuff like that, they make it easy. Everybody wants to work and play at a high level.
So for me, I just bring a little bit of a different, one small puzzle piece to the leadership. Mack Hollins does his thing. I do my thing. Those young players are shining. Those young players are future stars in my eyes. I feel like they're going to play well and do a lot of great things in this league. Just gotta continue to lead from the front and the back.
Q. Considering this is your first Super Bowl, how are you preparing mentally?
SD: The same way I prepare each and every week. I had a conversation with somebody who said, are you excited. I said, I'm not excited at all. I feel like excitement is a little bit of a different emotion. Excitement is what I get when I maybe buy a car or buy something new or buy a watch or something.
Right now I just want to work. I look forward to this week. We've got three to four days. Three days of practice, four days for preparation. I just feel like take it one day at a time.
I'm not going to make it more than it is or less than what it is. But I have the same mindset I've been having. I don't want to switch up to macaroni and cheese get to doing stuff I don't typically do. I can't wait to get back to practice today and get after it. I ain't doing nothing different.
Q. You mentioned Mack Hollins doing his thing. How would you describe "his thing"? Have you tried any Mack Hacks? And you've had a thousand teammates. How unique is he exactly?
SD: He's probably the number one on the unique list. But he's actually taught me a lot, like alternative medicines, things that he does, things that he eats, how he moves on a daily.
He's definitely one of my different teammates, a guy that do things differently. I don't look at everybody the same. No one person is the same. Their personalities are different. I accept them all, especially considering he's my teammate. I love him. He's like a brother to me. He works extremely hard. Team first.
And he does a lot of the dirty work that people don't see, as far as the blocking and stuff like that. He can make plays at a high level. I've got a lot of respect for Mack. And he's taught me a lot at this point.
I've not used any Mack Hacks. Certain things with the cars and stuff like that, I leave that to somebody else. But I pride myself in being a good teammate and being a good friend. He does a great job. I'm a huge Mack fan. Shout-out to Mack Hollins.
Q. Cardi is very involved in music stuff. I may think you too. What do you think about the halftime show for Bad Bunny? And what kind of player are you in the locker room? How do you share this wisdom of a lot of years during the NFL? And how do you connect with the younger players?
SD: Number one question, how do I feel about the halftime show? I'm super excited -- Benito, I think, super excited, I think it's a experience we all should share coming together at halftime.
I wish I could be out there having a good time but I'll have some other things I have to focus on and stay ready for. But I'll probably catch it after the game.
And the next question, I think it was, how do I do what again?
Q. Share your wisdom with the younger players.
SD: I only give knowledge to those who want to learn. I feel like the guys in my room and anybody I have a conversation with, when you start getting to know people on a personal level and it's more about life experience and not just football.
You can learn a lot about a man by the things he's been through and things he's willing to share. I meet everybody where they are and try to give them little bits and pieces of not only just football but my life, and let them know that I'm there for them as well if anybody is going through anything.
So for me, I just do what I can. I really don't make it what it is. At this age, a lot of people want to do things how they want to do them. I don't force anything on anybody. I just meet people where they are.
Q. Yesterday, Pop told us that he probably gets about 75 percent of Mike Vrabel's humor. 25 gets a little lost in the gray area. Are you in the same corner there? Do you feel like Mike is a funny guy and you relate to that? Or is it a little dry?
SD: I get 100 percent of the humor. He has some -- I mean, you guys talk to him on a consistent basis. He's a good coach. He has that perfect balance between workmanship and we can mess around a little bit, but more so, once you get the work done, once you've done everything you're supposed to, he's a regular guy. He's like, I don't want to call him one of the boys, you know what I'm saying? He has that perfect dynamic or that balance between coach and used-to-be player, friend mindset or father mindset, because he meets you where you're at the same way I like to approach things.
He has little jokes. Calls people, like, little buddy. He walks around, we all got handshakes. That's when I say he's like one of -- like part of the team. He's the coach but still has that player in him too as well. So I think it makes for a great relationship.
Q. Curious, this team has a good mix of younger players and veterans, but there hasn't been as much Super Bowl experience. Is there anyone this week that the team has specifically been relying on or that's kind of stepped up as a leader to help navigate this week?
SD: No, I think it's been the same, consistent, just because they're not trying to switch the macaroni and cheese. And the guys that have that experience, I don't think they've approached it any other way than they approach each and every other week, which is great thing because there's consistency there. You can rely on guys, guys who have been in the Super Bowl who have experience like Milton Williams, superstar Carlton Davis, guys who made those plays, I think they've approached this week the same way they approached any week.
There's a lot of extra stuff and fluff, this type of stuff, media stuff, but the football stuff has been consistent and something that we all want to be a part of. And I look forward to this game.
Q. For you, 11 years in the league. Your first Super Bowl. One of the best receivers in the league over that period of time. What does that mean to you?
SD: It means everything to me. I kind of talked about notoriety and legacy the other day. I just feel like these are one of those things that kind of help your journey, I guess. It's been a long journey. It's been a long time just even to get here. A lot of games played, a lot of practices. That's why I can't get swayed or can't get distracted, I gotta keep the main thing the main thing. Get back to work. Don't think too much of it. Don't think less of it than what it is either.
Appreciate it for everything that I've been through, every practice, every day. Life. I just take it for what it is. I'm just thankful to be where I am at right now. I want to appreciate it, and the best way I can do that is nurture the blessing that God's given me, get back to work, get on the grind, and trying to find a way to earn a win. So thank you all so much.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports