1. After three Pro Bowls in four years, what's it take to get to an MVP level?
"I don't know. Honestly, I felt like every year I've done a good job to put myself in that category. Maybe a few more interceptions and a couple more sacks. You can always do better in some area. But at the end of the day, if I never receive a defensive MVP award, as long as I win a Super Bowl with my team, I'll be satisfied with that."
2. What's the best play of your career?
"I would say the one against the Redskins, but I fumbled right before I got into the end zone. That was a pretty tough interception to get up and get that one. I guess I'd go with the pick-six last year against Miami. We rarely get to the end zone, so you have to make sure everybody knows you can score touchdowns."
3. Why is this year's defense better than last year, and how are you taking more of a leadership role?
"Everybody is back, so the chemistry didn't drop off. And every year we add new guys, whether it's in free agency, trade or young Ravens coming in. We feel like there's not a big drop-off going from the 1s to the 2s. As far as being a leader, I think it's naturally the older you get, the younger the room gets. I'm just talking more, helping the younger guys out with the defense. Being in it for going into five years now, I understand things that I didn't understand as a younger player and I can communicate it to my teammates."**
4. What do you think the chances are that you sign a contract extension with the Ravens?
"In a perfect world, I'd tell you 100 percent. We'll have to see. I'm pretty sure they want to get it worked out and I know I want to get it worked out. I grew up in my family where, if you do the right by people and do the right things, they'll return the favor. So I'm pretty confident."
5. What were your thoughts on the big Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack contracts, and what did you think when Mack was traded?
"I love it. I'm just waiting for my call. I was definitely surprised that they traded him. You saw what he did [in Week 1], he scored a touchdown, sack fumbled. He put on a show. More power to him; I love to see peers doing great things as long as it's not against us."
6. You grew up idolizing Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher. If you're being honest and had to pick one, who was your favorite?
"Definitely Ray Lewis. I was a Bears fan first because my parents are from Chicago, so I used to go there all the time. I used to spend my whole summer there, so I liked the Bears. The older I got and the more I played, I became a Ray Lewis fan. I was a Miami and LSU fan, too. I was a big defense fan."
7. You watched Lewis get enshrined in Canton. When will the Hall of Fame get added to the list of goals?
"That's way, way down the road. Every now and then I probably think about it. That would be a great thing to have on my name, but right now I'm just worried about getting my other goals down first."
8. Being a proud Alabama guy, could Alabama ever beat an NFL team?
"No. I probably thought that in college, but being in the NFL, that won't happen. It's a bunch of grown men in the NFL. At the end of the day, whether if Alabama has a bunch of five stars and whether there's a bunch of guys on an NFL team that should be on a practice squad, it's still a different mentality. I always felt like the special teams, it's definitely a different level in the NFL. There's 30-year-old men trying to make the team on special teams, and you've got 17, 18, 19-year-olds just playing special teams in college because they have to."
9. Your nickname of "Half Man, Half Amazing," is a Spiderman reference, but are you a Spiderman fan?
"I like Iron Man. There's action in all of them, but I like the funnier ones. Iron Man and Thor, the new one, that's pretty funny too. Even Guardian of the Galaxies, I like that. I just like watching movies."
10. I hear you play in a Baltimore kickball league. Are you any good?
"Sometimes I can knock them out of the park, sometimes I have line-drive outs. I have my moments. I was playing earlier this offseason when we were in camp. Our team didn't make it to the championship though."
