NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey became a father for the first time last week.
It's already starting to change his perspective on life, and what toughness is really all about.
Casey said his wife, Ryann, is the real beast in the family.
"Becoming a new dad has been off the charts," Casey said on Thursday. "And the love you gain for your wife during the process has been out of this world, just to see her go through something like that, it has been unbelievable.
"When the young man was born, it was special. And to see how my wife just beasted through the whole thing, it was crazy. There were a few times I was ready to cry. She was in pain, but when I looked at her face she was thugging it out. I was like, 'I have to hold in every tear.' She is tougher than me."
Last week, the Casey family welcome Nolan Gray Casey into the world.
Nolan came early, and weighed four pounds, eight ounces.
TitansOnline.com looks back at DT Jurrell Casey's 2018 offseason. (AP Photos)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Former Tennessee Titans safety Michael Griffin, center, jokes with former teammates Jurrell Casey, left, and Wesley Woodyard, right, after Griffin signed a one-day contract with the team and then retired as a Titan Monday, May 7, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. Griffin, a first-round pick by the Titans in 2007, played nine seasons for Tennessee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Former Tennessee Titans safety Michael Griffin, center, talks with former teammates after Griffin signed a one-day contract with the team and then retired as a Titan Monday, May 7, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. Griffin, a first-round pick by the Titans in 2007, played nine seasons for Tennessee. From left are outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, defensive end Jurrell Casey, Griffin, defensive end DaQuan Jones, and inside linebacker Wesley Woodyard. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans' defensive end Jurrell Casey gives a television interview during an NFL flag schools event at King's House Sports Ground in Chiswick, west London, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
NFL players, from left, Seattle Seahawks' cornerback Neiko Thorpe, Tennessee Titans' defensive end Jurrell Casey, Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver Mack Hollins, Oakland Raiders' tight end Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers' linebacker Kyle Emanuel and Jacksonville Jaguars' kicker Josh Lambo pose for photographers with large sandwiches during a promotional event for a sponsor during an NFL flag schools event at King's House Sports Ground in Chiswick, west London, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Robert Stevens )
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans' defensive end Jurrell Casey, right, chats with Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver Mack Hollins as they give a video interview during an NFL flag schools event at King's House Sports Ground in Chiswick, west London, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans' defensive end Jurrell Casey gives instructions during an NFL flag schools event at King's House Sports Ground in Chiswick, west London, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Tennessee Titans' defensive end Jurrell Casey, foreground, throws a ball after posing in a group photo as he takes part in an NFL flag schools event at King's House Sports Ground in Chiswick, west London, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
A boy throws a ball next to Tennessee Titans' defensive end Jurrell Casey, left, after posing in a group photo during an NFL flag schools event at King's House Sports Ground in Chiswick, west London, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Robert Stevens )
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey poses June 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Casey said his wife and newborn son are doing well. Ryann Casey went through 19 hours of labor, Jurrell said, and hardly flinched. Ryann Casey is a lawyer working in the Public Defender's Office.
"As soon as he was born, she said: I could do this again," a smiling Casey said of his wife. "She is tougher than me right now. The biggest thing is how she handled it all. She was definitely a trooper through the whole process.
"What I do playing football, it doesn't compare at all. She wins that title every day."
Casey, a three-time Pro Bowler, had presents stacked in front of his locker on Thursday – gifts from his teammates.
On Sunday, he'll return to action when the Titans face the Buffalo Bills.
In the meantime, he'll begin raising his baby boy. He's already started toughening him up.
"We have been putting him on the pacifier and I have been telling them: That has to go already. My little man has to be tough," Casey said with a smile.
"… At the end of the day, being a father you have to start thinking even more responsible -- you can't think about yourself any more. Everything you do from here on out impacts the young man, and not yourself. Everything I do from here on out I have to think about twice and make sure every decision is right for him. But it's going to be great; it already is."
The Tennessee Titans take the field for practice on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 at Saint Thomas Sports Park. (Photos: Gary Glenn)
