Michael Strahan

NFL GIANTS DEFENSIVE END

Putting the perfect hit on an opponent gives you a warm, comfortable feeling, like waking up and smelling your mama's cooking.

I'm 34, and I sometimes feel like an old-timer. One rookie told me, "I was in fourth grade when you started playing." I said, "That's cool. Now shut up and get back to work."

The gap between my front teeth is a badge of honor. People say I must be confident to have one that big and not get it fixed.

Playing defensive end is like idling in the middle of a four-way stop with cars coming at you from every direction. In the collision, you get twisted. Later, you wonder how the human body could bend that way.

A lot of rookies show up wearing a Mr. T starter kit. They've got chains with the NFL logo and custom-designed emblems. Even the chains are diamonds. Talk about expensive watches! Guys walk around with a house on their wrists. You could buy Vermont with some of those watches.

Sportswriters think I'm mean because I won't discuss my recent divorce with them. But my private life is private, and no amount of prying is going to get me to talk about it. A reporter once called me a nice a------. I laughed and took it as a compliment.

My greatest strength is not taking things seriously and rolling with the punches.

The scariest thing in my fridge is a jar of mayonnaise. It's been in there so long it has evolved into another life form.

The Gap is missing out by not offering me an endorsement deal. I could look straight into the camera, say, "Get into the Gap" and then smile.