---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the defensive end, I have to do my job."
description: "\"On the defensive end, I have to do my job.\" — Joel Embiid"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/joel-embiid-6639_defensive_on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job_494145.jpg"
---

#  On the defensive end, I have to do my job.

![“On the defensive end, I have to do my job.” quote by Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/joel-embiid-6639_defensive_on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job_494145.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/joel-embiid-6639_defensive_on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job_494145.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/joel-embiid-6639_defensive_on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job_494145.jpg)

> “On the defensive end, I have to do my job.”

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A defensive player must fulfill responsibilities regardless of circumstances.

**In simple terms:** Do your defensive duties.

Key Takeaway

Focus on role execution.

Themes

responsibility teamwork discipline

Mood

determined focused

Type

motivational practical

When to use this quote

- Basketball game
- team practice
- coaching session

Key Concepts

Defensive strategy role clarity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “do my job” mean to you?
- How do you stay present?

A Different Perspective

Pressure can cause over‑analysis of simple tasks.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Defensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defensive/) [Defensive End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defensive-end/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/)

## Related quotes

> [When you've got guys touching the ball on the offensive end, they're really into the defensive end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-j-mayo/when-you-ve-got-guys-touching-the-ball-on-the-offensive-end-they-re/)

[O. J. Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-j-mayo/)

> [I think college prepared me at a really high level. High school, you can take some plays off on the defensive end. Not on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-burke/i-think-college-prepared-me-at-a-really-high-level-high-school-you/)

[Trey Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-burke/)

> [I was a guy that had a lot of tools and could do a lot of other things, but my main thing was controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scottie-pippen/i-was-a-guy-that-had-a-lot-of-tools-and-could-do-a-lot-of-other/)

[Scottie Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scottie-pippen/)

> [On the defensive end, I just have to be better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-herro/on-the-defensive-end-i-just-have-to-be-better/)

[Tyler Herro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-herro/)

> [I think Von Miller's got great style. For a defensive end, I think he has receiver-type style, swag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-brown/i-think-von-miller-s-got-great-style-for-a-defensive-end-i-think-he/)

[Antonio Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-brown/)

> [That's a major part of my game. I pride myself on the defensive end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-nance-jr/that-s-a-major-part-of-my-game-i-pride-myself-on-the-defensive-end/)

[Larry Nance, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-nance-jr/)

> [Linebacker is a lot more detail oriented and you have to know a lot more than a defensive end necessarily would on any given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cole/linebacker-is-a-lot-more-detail-oriented-and-you-have-to-know-a-lot/)

[Justin Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cole/)

> [It's not just about your name. It's about what you do for your team and your value on the defensive end of the court.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-jordan/it-s-not-just-about-your-name-it-s-about-what-you-do-for-your-team/)

[DeAndre Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-jordan/)

> [I definitely like playing the run. It's very important for a defensive end to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bosa/i-definitely-like-playing-the-run-it-s-very-important-for-a-defensive/)

[Nick Bosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bosa/)

> [That's what I normally pride myself on, being a solid defender and giving all my energy on the defensive end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hill/that-s-what-i-normally-pride-myself-on-being-a-solid-defender-and/)

[George Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hill/)

> [I really had to create my own style, because it's kind of hard being a 6-1 defensive end. I'm really like 6-4 - really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-douglas/i-really-had-to-create-my-own-style-because-it-s-kind-of-hard-being-a/)

[Hugh Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-douglas/)

> [I love playing defensive end. It's the position I played in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-nassib/i-love-playing-defensive-end-it-s-the-position-i-played-in-high-school/)

[Carl Nassib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-nassib/)

> [We had to play both ways on the field, so I was offensive center and defensive end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-clemons/we-had-to-play-both-ways-on-the-field-so-i-was-offensive-center-and/)

[Clarence Clemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-clemons/)

> [On the defensive end, I know I've got to man the defense and just keep having positive vibes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-brooks/on-the-defensive-end-i-know-i-ve-got-to-man-the-defense-and-just-keep/)

[Dillon Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-brooks/)

> [I'll knock down the open jumper when it's there, but I want to get after it on the defensive end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/i-ll-knock-down-the-open-jumper-when-it-s-there-but-i-want-to-get/)

[Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/)

## More by Joel Embiid

> [If I play against you the first time - or it doesn't even have to be the first time - and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/if-i-play-against-you-the-first-time-or-it-doesn-t-even-have-to-be/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [When I look at myself, I'm not a big man - I'm a guard. I can do everything on the basketball court. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/when-i-look-at-myself-i-m-not-a-big-man-i-m-a-guard-i-can-do/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [If I feel great and my body feels great and my knee is fine, I should play 30 minutes or more. I definitely have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/if-i-feel-great-and-my-body-feels-great-and-my-knee-is-fine-i-should/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [My very first scrimmage at Kansas, I got dunked on so hard by Tarik Black that I almost quit. Tarik dunked on me so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/my-very-first-scrimmage-at-kansas-i-got-dunked-on-so-hard-by-tarik/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [We're always going to be trusting the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/we-re-always-going-to-be-trusting-the-process/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [Sometimes, I feel like I'm lost. But I've always said that I believe in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/sometimes-i-feel-like-i-m-lost-but-i-ve-always-said-that-i-believe-in/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [When I play '2K,' I'll play in GM mode. And I choose different teams. But I always trade for myself because I'm unstoppable. Literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/when-i-play-2k-i-ll-play-in-gm-mode-and-i-choose-different-teams-but/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [I want people to say that an African basketball player is the best player in the whole world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/i-want-people-to-say-that-an-african-basketball-player-is-the-best/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [When I sat down with Under Armour, one of the first things we talked about was how this can be bigger than just shoes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/when-i-sat-down-with-under-armour-one-of-the-first-things-we-talked/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [One thing when I started playing in the league, I saw that a lot of guys are friendly. It's OK to be friendly, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/one-thing-when-i-started-playing-in-the-league-i-saw-that-a-lot-of/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [Everything in my life happens really fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/everything-in-my-life-happens-really-fast/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [I had this DVD that my coach in Cameroon had mailed to me when I first came to America. It was an hour-long tape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/i-had-this-dvd-that-my-coach-in-cameroon-had-mailed-to-me-when-i/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [I wanted to become president, and I wanted to become an astronaut. Because I was really good at math.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/i-wanted-to-become-president-and-i-wanted-to-become-an-astronaut/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [When I started playing ball as a junior, I'm kind of glad that I was never good enough to be highly recruited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/when-i-started-playing-ball-as-a-junior-i-m-kind-of-glad-that-i-was/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

> [I'm really not an injury-prone player. I just had that one injury that took, like, two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/i-m-really-not-an-injury-prone-player-i-just-had-that-one-injury-that/)

[Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

[Explore all 98 Joel Embiid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/)

## More Defensive quotes

> [Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/most-people-do-surprisingly-poorly-when-dealing-with-a-relative-who/)

[David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/)

> [I have my meals delivered... you know what I like? Chicken and rice... But the problem with being a defensive lineman is, if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-douglas/i-have-my-meals-delivered-you-know-what-i-like-chicken-and-rice-but/)

[Hugh Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-douglas/)

> [Before I signed for Liverpool, I was playing for Newcastle as a No. 10 - basically, I was always attacking. I didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georginio-wijnaldum/before-i-signed-for-liverpool-i-was-playing-for-newcastle-as-a-no-10/)

[Georginio Wijnaldum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georginio-wijnaldum/)

> [Any time I'm healthy I feel like I'm the best defensive player in the NFL.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/any-time-i-m-healthy-i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-defensive-player-in-the/)

[Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/)

> [“I need to ask, are you afraid of spiders?" Nicholas blinked, suddenly caught off guard, "Yes, I'm afraid of spiders." "Were you always?" "What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-irwin/i-need-to-ask-are-you-afraid-of-spiders-nicholas-blinked-suddenly/)

[Stephen M. Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-irwin/)

> [You have to feel confident. If you don't, then you're going to be hesitant and defensive, and there'll be a lot of things working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/you-have-to-feel-confident-if-you-don-t-then-you-re-going-to-be/)

[Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/)

> [I'm a coach who likes to have the ball, but what I really think is, 'How can you be in charge of the game?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-espirito-santo/i-m-a-coach-who-likes-to-have-the-ball-but-what-i-really-think-is-how/)

[Nuno Espirito Santo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-espirito-santo/)

> [Iran has little capacity to deploy force. Its strategic doctrines are defensive, designed to deter invasion long enough for diplomacy to set it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/iran-has-little-capacity-to-deploy-force-its-strategic-doctrines-are/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [“To switch effectively from defense to social engagement strategies, the nervous system must do two things: (1) assess risk, and (2) if the environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-w-porges/to-switch-effectively-from-defense-to-social-engagement-strategies/)

[Stephen W. Porges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-w-porges/)

> [I've never just thought of myself as a defensive-only player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-g-anunoby/i-ve-never-just-thought-of-myself-as-a-defensive-only-player/)

[O. G. Anunoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-g-anunoby/)

> [The top coaches want wide strikers who cut inside. They want playmaking midfielders who can play between the lines as well as perform their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/the-top-coaches-want-wide-strikers-who-cut-inside-they-want/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [“Defense mechanisms protect us. Fortresses isolate us. And far too often we begin with the former and end up constructing the latter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/defense-mechanisms-protect-us-fortresses-isolate-us-and-far-too-often/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [One of the turning points in the look of the Guardian is when we decided Logan Thackeray would be a Guardian as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-grubb/one-of-the-turning-points-in-the-look-of-the-guardian-is-when-we/)

[Jeff Grubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-grubb/)

> [I'm a storyteller... I haves a God-given gift that I can share with you and perhaps entertain you and bring you along for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-sutter/i-m-a-storyteller-i-haves-a-god-given-gift-that-i-can-share-with-you/)

[Kurt Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-sutter/)

> [The beginning of everything is our defensive organisation. The clean sheet is always the first objective that we have in the game. Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-espirito-santo/the-beginning-of-everything-is-our-defensive-organisation-the-clean/)

[Nuno Espirito Santo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-espirito-santo/)

[Browse all 394 Defensive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defensive/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "On the defensive end, I have to do my job.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joel Embiid"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Defensive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/joel-embiid-6639_defensive_on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job_494145.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/joel-embiid-6639_defensive_on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job_494145.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0f/joel-embiid-6639_defensive_on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job_494145.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On the defensive end, I have to do my job.” — Joel Embiid",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Joel Embiid",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "On the defensive end, I have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/on-the-defensive-end-i-have-to-do-my-job/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
