Cole Madison, the Green Bay Packers’ fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft, opened up Tuesday on why he took a year off from playing football the year he was drafted, without going into too much detail:

“I love football, but at that point it was my health, and my life was on the line,” he said. “I had to go help myself before my football career. If I didn’t get my chickens in order back then, I don’t think I’d be here right now.”

The Green Bay Packers selected him based on his stellar performance and general athleticism he displayed as Washington State’s offensive tackle. Walking away from a promising rookie season was not an easy choice to make, especially seeing as the Packers really needed a strong right guard. Despite this, Madison knows he did the right thing.

“That decision to really go out and seek help, especially for men our age, going out and starting that process is real tough,” he said. “Real tough. If I had to make it again, I’d do it again. Because it was the greatest decision I think I ever made.”

Madison said he was in a funk all last year, but the fog dissipated late in 2018. Things began to change around Christmas and he realized he wanted to go back to play for the Packers.

“This last year was just really for me day by day,” he said, “taking everything day by day. It wasn’t really looking into the future. Then that day came where I was like, ‘Hey, you know, I’m coming back. I want to play some ball.’ So that brought us here.”

Green Bay’s general manager, Brian Gutekunst, called Madison’s appearance at spring workouts a “really, really pleasant surprise.”

But will he make the starting team next year? After his absence, the Packers signed on another potential right guard in Billy Turner a month before.

“However they want me to play, I’ll play for them,” Madison said. “They had my back, I’ll have their back now.”

Nowadays we might think tiny details in a product’s design seem purely aesthetic, but it actually serves a useful purpose. These 25 everyday items have important functions, some potentially life-saving. Others are game-changing in terms of their usefulness.

If you ever spent time flying, then chances are you’ve wondered what the possible uses are for the small hole in your airplane window. This opening at the bottom of the window actually has two purposes. First, it allows sufficient ventilation to prevent too much pressure building inside the airplane and to break the window as it increases in altitude, and also, it is a smart way to avoid the windows from becoming foggy with all the warm breath of the passengers.

We all know what the weirdly shaped claws on the rim of a pasta spoon is for, to grip pasta as you dish it out, so it doesn’t slide off the utensil. What about the mysterious hole in the middle? While we might all have thought it was to drain the excess water or sauce, it has another useful purpose. The hole can be used to decide how much dry pasta you will need for one serving, and this will help keep single eaters from overdoing it on their pasta.

Toblerone, the legendary triangular Swiss chocolate with honey and almond nougat, was first manufactured in Switzerland, it is easy to see why people presume that their shape of the chocolate bar is in honor of the famed Swiss Alps. But the design of the chocolate bar is more functional than aesthetic. The peaks are shaped in triangles so that if you push on the end of one piece with your thumb, it will snap off easily and leave you with the perfect sized serving to savor the delicious chocolate.

We’re all familiar with the small silica gel packets are included with items to help “preserve freshness,” because it says it right on the little packet. So how, exactly, does this small sack of “beads” work to protect your product? Silica gel is a drying agent, as it tends to suck moisture out of its surroundings, preventing anything that can spoil with excess moisture nice to stay dry. So, store those packets in a safe place for the next time you need to dry out your phone.

When Levi Strauss first made his famous pair of denim jeans, it was quite a common problem for the stitches of the trousers to come undone due to stress and weathering by those who wore them. The rivets were fixed to strengthen the trousers at the most noticeable spots. So all of those small metal rivets you have in your jeans have a specific purpose, being strategically attached in places where jeans used to come apart.

Converse shoes were originally designed in the early 20th century for basketball players and have become incredibly popular over the last decade. The shoes have two extra holes on the side near the bottom that are the same as the shoelace holes. Many people have thought that these “extra” holes are for ventilation when actually, these two side holes have a second purpose is to allow you to get creative with lacing. So now you don’t just have to lace your Converse in the traditional way.

Most pots and pans nowadays come with handles that have a slim, circular-shaped hole at the end of them. That open space in the handle of your pot is useful for more than one reason. Sure, we might use it to hang up our pots, but the real purpose of the hole in pan-handles is to hold the handle of most spoons used for stirring. This way, the spoon end floats directly over the pot and minimizes the mess from cooking.

When driving a new car, you may have parked on the wrong side at the gas station, only to realize the gas tank is on the other side. So, you’ll be glad to know that this happens to most drivers. But our cars have been showing us which side the tank is on for years. If you observe the gas signal light in your car, you might notice that there is an arrow icon next to the pump. That arrow is showing you which side your fuel tank sits on.

Most of the time, when you see a girl wear bobby pins in her hair, you can see the curves facing up. This is because most women assume the curvature in the pin is there for fashion, and they should be wearing them this way. But, the true purpose for the curvy shape, though, is to hold the pin into place by gripping it to the underlying bulk of hair. In other words, curved side down, girls!

Have you ever seen a little hole in the bottom of a padlock? Well, that little hole is there for two reasons. The first is that it easily lets water flow out of the lock when it’s left outdoors, so it won’t become rusty in the rain or freeze and break during the winter. The hole is also there to oil the lock to keep it working well, making it easy to reach the inner workings of the lock.

These days most utility knives or box cutters come with a thick plastic cap at the end. It actually serves a purpose. The attached lid can be pulled off of the knife frame and the split, in the end, can help break off the top of your blade, revealing a new, sharper razor blade just beneath it. Using the cap to snap the scored blade off from the knife makes it quick, easy, and safer as it prevents any unwanted cuts on your fingers.

You know when you buy a new piece of clothing, it often comes with a bag containing one button and about 1 square inch of matching fabric? The reason seems obvious, right? A button in case one falls off, and the fabric in case you get a tear and need to patch it up. This might be a nice use for the fabric sample, but it’s only secondary. The real reason for this fabric is for you to trial your cleaning products on, to make sure they won’t ruin the material.

Why on earth is there a tiny hole in your pen cap? While many have just thought it’s some funny way to keep, the ink flowing, turns out manufacturers of the pens were forward-thinking and understood that young children might end up with these choking hazards in their mouths. This might be a nice use for the fabric sample, but it’s only secondary. The real reason for this fabric is for you to trial your cleaning products on, to make sure they won’t ruin the material.

When using your computer, have you ever noticed the little bumps on the “F” and “J” keys on a keyboard? They are very subtle but definitely noticeable familiar with a computer. Most typists will know why they’re there. The “F” and “J” keys are the home keys, where your index fingers should rest. The little bumps let your fingers feel their way back to the home position without having to look at your keyboard.

Do you remember your love of lollipops as a kid and the joy that came when you finally finished your sweet treat, and you tried to turn the plastic stick with the hole into a whistle? The real reason our lollipop stick has a little hole at the top is so that when they pour the hot, melted candy into the mold, some of it leaks into the hole, hardening to keep the candy on the stick instead of falling off.

It might be clear what the plastic lid on the cups is for at first; to keep your drink from messing, but that is not the sole purpose. Not only does it hold liquid inside the cup, but once you’re ready to take a sip of your drink, the lid has specific ridges that can let it function as a coaster and hold the base of your cup. Lids are produced with this function in mind, and each size fits the corresponding cup’s base.

If you are an iPhone user, then by now you should have seen the small black dot in between the lens and flash on the back of your iPhone. There have been many theories and strange suggestions, but this black dot is really a third microphone. It serves the purpose of supplying superior sound quality by eliminating noise in the background and also captures better sound when recording video in a crowded place like a concert.

And the soft, little disc underneath the lid of a plastic bottle? Have you ever pried them out and found that your bottle still closes just fine? What purpose could they possibly serve then? Actually, they have a particular function. They’re there to create a secure seal that keeps everything in that bottle, both liquid, and carbonation. Without these, the fizzy gas would leak out, and all you would be left with is a flat, syrupy drink rather than a refreshing sparkling beverage.

We might have just thought that wooden coat hangers were simply a more expensive version of a plastic or wire one that had no other purpose besides being more costly. In reality, though, they actually have a special purpose to them. The wooden closet hangers are made using cedar wood, which is known to repel bugs. These are the ideal hangers to use for heavy clothing that is susceptible to damage from insects, such as nice hefty coats and jackets or dresses, particularly of the wool variety.

We may have thought we knew all there was to know about how to use a soda can properly, but you might be surprised to learn about this one. Every can of soda comes with a tab for easy opening of the tasty beverage. And every single one of them has a fairly large hole in the top. It’s intended purpose is actually to serve as a place-holder for your straw. Simply spin the tab around over the opening and slip your straw through.

It would seem that we have been eating Tic Tacs wrong this entire time. It turns out there could be more to extracting the tiny breath mints from their containers than some initially thought. You’ve probably noticed the little indentation on the lid of a package of Tic Tacs before and figured it was there to seal the container, right tightly? Well, this design feature has more intention to it, it acts as a dispenser meaning the correct way to eat Tic Tacs is to dispense the small breath mints one-by-one.

The design of the headrest is pretty plain; they are made to be adjustable to support anyone, no matter how tall or short comfortably. While this does make sense, why are they completely detachable? It’s actually a life-saving feature. When you pull the headrest completely out of the seat, it has two solid, metal bars; so if you are ever trapped inside a car and need to get out quickly, you can remove your headrest and use the metal bars to smash out your window.

Those margins weren’t inserted as a guide for how many sentences you should fit onto a page, or even to leave space for notes. Manufacturers started applying margins to writing paper to protect your work as rats used to be common in many people’s homes and would snack on paper. Applying a wide border to paper safeguarded against losing important work by leaving space around the sides for the rats to chew through first, and to protect the writing on the outer edges from general wear and tear.

Most people are familiar with the ultra-handy tape measurers sold in hardware stores today. You would be surprised to learn, though, that the metal tip has a distinctly useful purpose. The long and flexible band of tape with measurements pulls out from the roll and has a metal edge that you can hold in place. And the wider hole in the metal piece is designed to be just big enough to pin over a nail head, so you can grip the measurer in place while you make your markings.

Some things are so useful in our day to day lives, we sometimes forget they may have other functions. Of course, we all know that the main function of the grocery cart is to carry your groceries around while you shop. When you’re done shopping and bagging all of your purchases, you usually put your bags back into the grocery cart, right? Well, the metal loops that frame the top fold-out section of our grocery carts have a specific use – to hang your bags with items like bread and eggs, so they don’t get smashed among the heavier items.

It’s interesting to learn that the origins of the features and details of some of the most popular clothing items out there are more than just a fashion statement. The half-belt on the back of coats and jackets is regularly mistaken as a fashionable flair – when, in reality, it has a completley different purpose. They were developed for men in the military who had oversized jackets that used as blankets as well. The half-belt is used to gather the extra material to hold it in place so soldiers could walk around without the excess fabric.

Childproof pill bottle caps are the worst, it’s like, no matter how hard you try, you can’t get the bottle open, it’s frustrating. The solution to this problem may be easier than you thought; most of the pill containers have strange lids that are threaded on each side. One side has a stranded thread that you can screw on top of the pill bottle, the childproof side. If you don’t have kids around, you can use the other side of the cap to make it easier to open your medicine when you need to.

The best part of eating at a fast-food restaurant is probably eating the condiments. If they aren’t coming in individual packets, you’ll probably be serving yourself ketchup and mustard in these small folded paper cups. The cups are usually tiny, and it gets frustrating when you need to take multiple little cups, but what you might not know is that if you unfold the paper cups, they turn into small paper platters that can hold more sauce than you thought was possible for such a small

Whether it is stuffed at the back of your closet or the firs thin you take out the second the weather drops, everyone has a beanie. The poofy pom-pom at the top of your beanie may be a fun fashion statement, but it is so much more than that. The Vikings invented the beanie in order to keep their ears warm in the hard winters. The pom-poms were sewn at the top to keep the seams from coming apart.

Have you ever wondered about the design of bottles? Specifically, why the bottle’s, “neck” is so long and shaped the way they are shaped? The long shape was designed to encourage a person to hold their bottle at the top of the bottle so that their hands won’t warm up the rest of their drink before they can finish it. Next time you’re drinking something out of a bottle, try holding it from its “neck”!

Stapling things can be somewhat tedious – especially if the papers you’re stapling something that you’re going to have to undo later. Well, your minds are about to be blown. The metal plate toward the front end of your stapler is called and anvil, and it is there to adjust your stapler settings. If you turn your stapler upside down, you can adjust it by spinning the wheel until it lines up with the holes on the metal plate. This setting is for a “temporary staple” and will turn the arms of your staple outward, making it easier to pull out later.

Almost everyone grew up with the irritating misinformation that the two-toned erasers allow you to erase pen ink with one side. Figuring out the hard truth was heartbreaking, but you’re grown self will be happy to know that the opposite sides of these erasers do actually serve a purpose. The darker side, usually blue or gray allows you to erase pencil markings from different types of artist’s paper that are usually more sensitive to friction and tear more easily.

You are probably familiar with red, white, and blue stripes in the toothpaste, and no, these dental hygiene companies aren’t being extra patriotic. In the ’70s, people realized that cleaning the mouth to keep it healthy wasn’t enough – people wanted something to keep their breath fresh. Aquafresh added a blue stripe to their toothpaste to indicate that it had the dual action of cleaning and freshening. When people started paying more attention to the health of their gums, the company added a third red stripe to their product.

Have you ever wondered why the edges of dimes and quarters have ridged edges while nickles and pennies remain smooth? It turns out that that this is for a specific reason. Back in the day, people began shaving the edges off coins, saving up the excess, and melting that into new coins later on. Meanwhile, they’d spend the shaven coins at their full value even though they weren’t worth very much anymore. To avoid this, coin minters started using rough-hewn patterns on the precious metal coin so that a person could easily determine if a coin had been shaven.

We’re sure you all remember the moment you realized that “college ruled” notebook paper had slimmer margins, which meant that we needed to write more…or so we thought. In reality, though, those margins were invented to protect people’s written work. You see, rats were commonly found in homes back in the day and one of their favorite snacks was — you guessed it — paper. These wide margins protected people from losing important work since they left blank spaces around the edges for the rats to chew through first, protecting the writing on the outer edges from general wear and tear.

Get ready for your minds to be blown, people! It’s no secret that Chinese takeout comes in containers that are just a bit too bothersome to eat out of, so you always resort to plates and bowls. Well, it turns out that these takeout boxes are actually meant to be unfolded into a perfectly-sized cardboard dinner plate. Now not only is your food basically already on a platter for you but you also don’t have to dirty up any dishes!

We’re sure that you’ve all seen the odd diamond-shaped design on backpacks and automatically thought that it must be a logo or fashion statement. Well, we hate to say it but it turns out you’ve all been wrong this whole time. It actually has a pretty cool function. Commonly called a ‘lash-tab’ or ‘pig-snout,’ this patch is meant to hold items that may not fit in your bag or that you want easy access to, like a pair of sneakers or a water bottle.

Everyone knows the aggravation that comes with getting the last of the ketchup out of those pesky glass bottles. Luckily, though, this hack will save us all. Aside from the fact that the number ’57’ actually represents the historical advertising slogan of Heinz, it’s also used to get the condiment out of the bottle a bit more easily. According to a Heinz spokesperson, “the sweet spot to tap on the Heinz bottle is the 57 on the neck. All you need to do is apply a firm tap where the bottle narrows and the ketchup will come out easier.”

Despite what most people think, the loops on the back of most boots nowadays weren’t intended to become a fashion statement. In actuality, they have quite a few useful purposes. One way to use these loops is if you’re having trouble getting your foot into a snug boot — just grab onto the loop for extra force and push your heel into the show. You can also use the loops as a way to hang your boots to dry.

It turns out that rearview mirrors in cars have more functions than we thought! We’ve all experienced driving at night only to be blinded by some jerk’s high beams. Well, you’re about to make great use of that little tab on the bottom of your rearview mirror. Just flip that little piece and your mirror’s position will change to an angle that those bright lights are no longer shining into your eyes but you’re still able to see the reflection of the car.

It seems like loops have been a hot topic conversation throughout this list so why not talk about them some more? Have you ever noticed that little loop on the back of button-down shirts? They’re called ‘locker loops’ and they were first made by GANT in order to appeal to their Ivy League consumers. With this little piece of fabric, men can simply hang their shirts on a hook in locker rooms — a sure way to keep those button-downs crisp and wrinkle-free.

There’s no denying that it can be a real pain to rip an unbroken piece of aluminum foil or cling wrap off its roll in the box. But, if you’ve ever studied the box that the foil comes in, you may have noticed that there are little indentations on each end. It turns out those markings are there in order to lock the roll of foil into place — all you have to do is push those indentations in. Now, you’ll never have to deal with an unwieldy roll of foil again.

The little drawer that frequently comes along with a stovetop or oven seems like the perfect place to keep cookie sheets, cupcake pans, griddles, etc. It turns out, though, that companies intended us to use the drawer for something else. In many cases, the compartment is meant to be a warming drawer — a place to keep cooked and finished food warm while other dishes are cooking. Some manufacturers actually warn against using the warming drawer as storage space so you may want to stop shoving those pots and pans in there…

If you’ve ever seen or worn a pair of headphones with a microphone attached, you may have noticed a piece of foam material placed over the mic itself. Yeah, it turns out that those little foam socks actually have a purpose in that they can help remove unwanted sounds that are typically picked up by uncovered microphones. The foam itself slows down the airflow, which helps to fade so-called ‘explosive’ consonants or breathy sounds when someone talks into the microphone.

Ladies — this one’s for you! Have you ever noticed that some cotton pads have two different sides? Well, believe it or not, there’s actually a purpose for that! The embossed side of the cotton pad happens to be firmer and more absorbent, which makes it absolutely perfect to use if you want to remove nail polish or apply facial toner. The smooth side is softer and finer, making it a great tool for removing eye and face make-up.

Have you ever noticed that the transparent window on your microwave has little holes or black grating? Well, that’s actually a Faraday shield — an enclosure used to contain the electromagnetic energy within the microwave itself. You see, microwave ovens cook food by using long-wave radiation to cause the water molecules inside food to vibrate and that energy is then transferred to heat. Without a Faraday shield, this process would not be able to happen and thus your food wouldn’t cook properly.

Those of you who aren’t gearheads or car enthusiasts might not know that the little marks between the treads on your car tires aren’t there as some sort of fashion statement. In reality, they’re actually there for your safety. It turns out that those grooves help channel water out from below when the road is wet, which helps you maintain control of your vehicle from hydroplaning when it’s raining. Naturally, though, a tire’s tread gradually wears away over time and as a result, the grooves can’t channel water away as effectively.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream! Let’s be real here — one of the greatest pleasures in life is ice-cream. We mean, who doesn’t love going to their local ice-cream shop to get a big waffle cone filled with creamy goodness? Speaking of ice-cream shops, have you ever noticed that some places have several ice-cream scoopers in different colors? While most of us never thought anything of it, there’s actually a purpose for this. Not only do the different colors represent the size of the scoop but it also prevents from cross-contamination in a busy kitchen setting!

We’re sure that this next little life hack will help quite a few of you! While not all toothpicks are made this way, some toothpick tops have ridges in them. Now, we’re guessing that most of you paid no attention to it. After all, we definitely didn’t. Well, our friends, you’re actually supposed to break that part off so you can then prop your toothpick on it. This way, your toothpick isn’t touching anything or picking up any germs. Say yes to hygiene, people!

You may have noticed that denim jeans come with a tiny extra pocket on the side known as the fifth pocket. This little pocket was actually designed with a particular item in mind; it’s where you kept your dear pocket watch when jeans were first invented. Jeans were the pants of choice for laborers in California since the 1850s, and one of the main items they kept on them was their pocket watch, which everyone had and was generally delicate and expensive.

We can’t be the only ones who have wondered why certain tubes have caps with spikes on them. Despite the fact that we may have poked ourselves on one, those sharp prods aren’t there to torture us. Jeans were the pants of choice for laborers in California since the 1850s, and one of the main items they kept on them was their pocket watch, which everyone had and was generally delicate and expensive.

Just because we don’t notice every little thing doesn’t mean there isn’t a purpose for it. Take, for instance, the little translucent disc in the lid of plastic bottles. We’re sure you’ve all tried to get that tiny piece out before and if you’ve managed to, you’ll notice that your bottle still closes just as well. With that being said, why is the plastic there then? It’s actually put there as a special seal to keep everything inside the bottle. Without it, fizzy drinks like Coca-Cola would go flat in no time.

Buttons are buttons, and it is no secret that their obvious purpose is to keep your clothes shut. But why on earth are the buttons on most women’s shirts are on the left? Bearing in mind that most people are right-handed, it would make more send to put buttons on the right, right? If you’re dressing yourself, yes, but buttons used to be a representation of social and financial status. If you had buttons, you were being dressed by a maid – the buttons were to your left and her right when facing you.

We can’t be the only ones that hate wasting. Whether it’s the last drop of dish soap or a smidge of deodorant, there are ways to ensure that you get every single dollar’s worth out of your purchase. When you begin feeling the deodorant container rub against your underarms, you can simply unscrew the bottom and force a pencil underneath the elevated platform to get another inch of antiperspirant out. Now, that’ll save you from buying a new one for at least a few weeks!

Ever felt like your hand is just too big for your tub of Pringles? Let’s face it – after you’ve had a certain amount of these addictive potato chips, you simply can’t reach after a specific point. However, if you simply insert a piece of paper into the tub and allow the remaining Pringles to slide through a little, you will have perfect access in no time. Of course, you could just empty them into a bowl, but where’s the fun in that?

We all get pimples from time to time. What many of us might not be aware of though is that the liquid inside an Advil capsule actually works wonders for our facial blemishes. If you pierce the capsule with a safety pin, you can safely extract some of the gel, it will completely cover the tip of the pin and then you can use it on your face. Just make sure to clean your face first, use a clean safety pin and let it dry after you’re done.

It turns out that Aquafresh toothpaste can be used for more than just whitening your teeth. You see, no one likes stained or yellow-tinted nails, which is a result of the pigments used in darker polishes. Luckily, though, whitening toothpaste will leave your nails visibly brighter and whiter. All you have to do is layer the toothpaste on your nails after removing the polish and let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. Once the time’s up, just grab a nail brush or toothbrush and gently scrub the nails under warm water.