Get to know: Packers cornerback Sam Shields

In a hurry to pick up his mother at the airport, cornerback Sam Shields took a few minutes to talk to the Journal Sentinel's Tyler Dunne about his mother's influence, "The U" and winning the starting cornerback job.

What do you like to do during your free time in Green Bay? Just relax. I really like to go to the movies. Later, I'm going to see Taken 2. I love watching movies. I'm going with my mom.

What's your relationship like with your mom? It's a big bond. I talk to her every day. Any time I have questions or anything, I talk to her. It's a great relationship. Every day, we talk. We talk a lot. Sometimes, we'll be on the phone for two hours.

What do you talk about? Just what's going on around, how my kids are doing, how my high school is doing. She still goes to the high school games.

How many kids do you have? Three.

What's it like being a father for three kids? It's tough but they know their dad and love their dad so it's all good.

How old are they? Three, three and five.

What are they up to? School. Just being kids.

Is it difficult when you're in Green Bay and they're in Sarasota, Florida? It is. But they know their dad is at work.

Are you close with your father, too? Yeah, we talk a lot but it's not like my mom. My parents have been together for 27 years.

Mom come out to Green Bay a lot? Yeah. She'll come in on the holidays and sometimes throughout the holidays.

What's the No. 1 thing you learned from your parents? Just being respectful. Respect people and learn how to talk to people. When things go wrong, don't cuss somebody out. Just learn how to walk away and things like that.

Is that why you never seemed to upset last season when things weren't going well? You can't. You get down on yourself, hey, you go in a hole. You go in a deep hole. You just try to let it go and keep working.

How much has that helped you bounce back from last year when your job was in jeopardy during the summer? It's part of football. Everybody goes through that. It's just how you handle it. I try to handle it the best way I can and just keep working. Things like that are going to happen - fighting for a position. I'll be fighting for a position next year. That happens. You just can't get down. You have to keep working.

How did you win the cornerback spot? Not giving up. Like I said, keep working. When there were guys in front of me, just keep competing. I love competing. All of my life, I've been competing. So it's nothing new.

Do you miss "The U?" Yeah, I do.

Best college memories? Just the big family of "The U." The partying part. I'm not going to lie, I miss that. I don't really party like that anymore. It gets old.

Is it a big party down there? Yeah, in Miami you never sleep. It goes on until 6 o'clock in the morning. And then you're back at it again.

So what's it like to change? It's your job. I'm always in the house here, working in the house. And when I get back home, I'm still the same way. Sometimes, I'll be in the house for two days and say, "Man, I need to get out and do something."

What do you do around the house? I just watch TV, watch TV on the computer. I'll talk with my family and friends. Time goes by so fast it's like, "Dang, we have to get ready for practice in the morning."

Favorite shows on TV? "The First 48." And I love the Animal Planet, too. How tigers and cheetahs live, it's kind of crazy. I like watching how they really live. They kind of live like us, but they're animals, you know?


(jsonline.com)