Which player or coach has had the biggest impact on your career?
I would say Gunther Cunningham, the defensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was the first coach I've had who saw my talent and truly believed in me. He helped me believe in myself and let me know I could do it.

Could you see yourself ever getting into coaching?
Never. Never.

Which current player would you pay money to see play, and which offensive player gives you the biggest challenge when you line up against them on Sundays?
I'd pay money to see LaDainian Tomlinson. Who gives me trouble? Offensive linemen can be tough. But I'd say Tony Gonzalez. I played with him for six years in Kansas City, and he's such a great tight end. We used to have a lot of good battles in practice.

Talk to me about gameday. Are your superstitious? Do you have a set routine - you know, a certain meal or music to get you in the right frame of mind?
I always wear my sleeves - you'll never see me play in a game without them. It's just a feeling now. If I went out there without my sleeves on I would feel naked.

What do you do to unwind? What kind of hobbies do you have?
I'm a part of a living history reenactment group. We meet about six times a year, and we bring veterans to our events. We'll have about 400 people and we have an armored division and infantry.

You've been very involved with the military in the past, and you've been vocal in your support for the troops. So what goes through your mind when you hear comments like those made by John Kerry when he said, "You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq?"
It was a slap in the face to the military - past, present and future. Some of the smartest and brightest people we have are in the military. A lot of my family members were in the military. It gave them a great opportunity to make a career for themselves, to get a great jumpstart on life, to guide them in the right direction and to see the world.

Where are some of the places you've visited troops? Is there anywhere else you'd like to go in the future to visit our service members?
I went out to Korea to visit the troops at the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). I didn't really know what to expect - it's half a world away. It's been a hot zone for more than 50 years and when you go there it is still intense. Every 500 yards there's a guard tower and military personnel with real guns.

But no matter where you are in the world, there are always football fans. Those service members are all football fans and they all know who you are. I'm looking forward to going out to the Middle East in April with the USO to visit the troops. I was supposed to go a couple years ago to open the Pat Tillman Center in Afghanistan, but the dates just didn't work out.

From what we hear, you have a pretty extensive military memorabilia collection. Is it funny to you that these troops collect NFL stuff, while you're collecting military stuff?
Yeah, we could make a great trade. I could trade them my game-worn jersey for a flak jacket. As long as they're not in the Middle East - they need them right now.

Could you tell us a little bit about your Jump for Life program and specifically "Dad's Day with Donnie?" What is it and why did you start the program?
Jump for Life is an after-school program I started here in San Diego about four years ago. It helps grade school and middle school kids learn three aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Number one is nutrition, namely learning about what you're putting in your mouth and making sure you're getting the proper nutrition. Number two is being active in physical fitness and the third part, which is my favorite, is setting goals and having a plan. If you have a plan, then you know where you're headed. It's a great program and I hope to take it statewide in the future and maybe even nationwide down the road.

"Dad's Day with Donnie" is something I started seven years ago. I grew up without a father, so Father's Day was always kind of a sad day for me. With the help of some other players, we get together with kids who don't have fathers and we're their dad's for the day. We go to places like Sea World and its amazing because these kids start off so protective of themselves and shut off to the world and a couple hours into the day they begin to loosen up. By the end of the day they're jumping on your shoulders, holding your hand and smiling. It's a good time.

If they were to make a movie based on your life who would play you and what would the name of the movie be?
"A Boy's Dream." Either that or "Have a Plan." And the actor - Brad Pitt, of course. (Laughs).

Tell us something most people don't know about you.
I'm a kid at heart and I like to have a good time. I love Disneyland and Disney World. I'm very active and I don't sleep very much. I might get five hours a night. I kind of feel like if you sleep a lot, you're sleeping your life away. There's so much I want to learn in my lifetime that I try to stay up all the time.

We've got one last thing for you here. We are going to do a word association. We'll just throw out a name and tell us the first thing that comes to your mind.

The Chargers.
Super Bowl.

Linebacker.
Donnie Edwards.

Jump for Life.
Great for kids.

Donnie Edwards.
A leader.

The future.
Kids.

Interview by Brian Murphy, November 2006.