This week, Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Super Bowl champion and Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Ertz, speaking on behalf of global health leader Abbott and Real Madrid’s “Abbott Dream Team” campaign, discussed his partnership, the Super Bowl LII game-winning moment, and, like his fellow 2013 NFL Draft tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, his motivation for another season.
“Abbott is one of the world’s global health leaders, and they’re doing amazing. I’m from a nutrition and health performance with this camp. I’m going to my 13th year in the NFL,” said Ertz, “So nutrition takes care of your body. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that. So just to be able to partner with a company that is prioritizing the nutrition side, the health side, is paramount to me and important to me, and so just to be able to be out here with these kids, with the opportunity to go to Real Madrid for a week, was an honor, and really a no brainer to partner with Abbott.”
Abbott health experts provide athletes with the latest advancements in sports health and nutrition to help them better understand their bodies and achieve peak performance.
The three-time Pro Bowl tight end recalled his Super Bowl LII late-game go-ahead catch against the New England Patriots to help secure the Philadelphia Eagles‘ first title.
“Honestly, you don’t really think about it during the game. I think there were two minutes left, maybe just past the two-minute warning or right above the two-minute warning. So the mentality was getting ready to score again, the way the (New England) Patriots have been moving the ball up and down the field. And when you had that guy at quarterback, number 12 (Tom Brady) over there, it was, you better get ready to score again because the inevitable was probably going to happen,” said Ertz, “Luckily or not, BG, Brandon Graham, made a phenomenal pass rush. He ended the game essentially with his strip sack and kicked a field goal to go up eight, but they didn’t hit the Hail Mary at the end. And so, for me, it doesn’t really hit you until talking about it years later that you had the game-winning touchdown in their first Super Bowl in the Eagles’ first Super Bowl. It’s something that obviously I didn’t do myself. Many coaches and playerswent into that so I could make the play when my number was called.”
Like his 2013 NFL Draft classmate Kelce, Ertz is an accomplished veteran entering his 13th NFL season. He remains as motivated as ever, regardless of his accomplishments.
“For me, it is a constant quest to get better. You know, the best thing about sports is there’s literally not a perfect player that’s ever played, regardless of how good you are. And so there’s always this quest for improvement,” said Ertz, “I love that about football. I feel like there are still things I improved on last year and can improve on this year, so I love that aspect of the process. I don’t want to look back and regret anything when I’m done playing. I want to look back at my career and say, whatever happens, whatever people want to say about my career, whether you view it as a great career or a poor career, that I gave everything I had, everything I could, to be my best for however many years I play. That way, when I’m done, I can move on to the next chapter of my life, the next season, with no regrets. I mean, if only I worked a little harder, didn’t go out as much, or took a little better care of my body. So for me, that fear of regret, not being at my best, and not giving it my all is probably the driving factor of my entire career.”
