So was it satisfying to you to set your career high yesterday on a day where you guys are missing Miles and Aaron?

I'm not going to lie to you.

I'm glad you actually said that.

You know, it's something I've been wanting to say while I was saying it.

And the fact that you brought it up is, you know, great because just the past few years, you know, every time I was playing, it always been like, you know, kind of like a secondhand credit to Byron.

Like, you know, it'd be credit to me, but it'd be like, well, because so-and-so taking all the attention because of this.

And it's just like, you know, I never really got the credit.

maybe why kind of along the lines of what Adam was asking you, even just beyond kind of that, you know, outside perception and kind of quieting that, you know, what was it like for you personally, just, you know, being able to have a game like that, that was also, you know, you, you got to celebrate with essentially, you know, in different ways with, you know, friends and family in terms of just like online interactions and things like that, who have obviously always known what you're capable of doing on the field.

know like and you've gotten steadily better but you know not a name that like maybe the average fan knew about a couple years ago what have you done to your game that you think has brought you to this level like over the last three years what's different about year four Byron compared to when you were a rookie

Honestly, I just think my mindset of understanding that I'm going to have up and downs.

I'm going to fail.

I'm going to have plays that I don't like.

I'm not going to feel the best all the time, but I got to keep going.

You know, life ain't perfect and football is not perfect either.

at the same time just taking that approach and growing like that um i learned that from ad my rookie year he was telling me he told me uh it's okay to make a mistake you know just make up for that you know and just have the mindset i want to get better but over the years you know i would just find out different things to do workouts pilates uh scratch lab just all those different things i just kind of put into my recovery workout whatever it is and just trust in the process you know because at the same time it's like you gotta understand like this is football you know it's a it's a sport where you're gonna get beat up all the time regardless if you're playing all the time but you gotta practice you gotta go through all of that so you know it's just i think over the years just looking back and just really studying myself and understanding like okay i want to get better at this i want to get better at that but just taking one thing at a time and not trying to do everything at the same time but just take that one thing and try to get better at that that's what i do every day when i step on the field just Take that one thing, whether it's getting off the ball, whether it's just using my hands better, getting off block faster.

But do you feel the pace picking up a little bit? Like, if you can get to the quarterback faster, you just know that they're coming down tighter, that they're covering aggressively in the way where maybe you know that that complimentary feeling is there and it feels like you guys are truly setting each other up?

Mm-hmm.

He was telling me, he told me, uh, it's okay to make a mistake, you know.

Just make up for that, you know, and just have the mindset, "I wanna get better." But over the years, you know, I would just find out different things to do, workouts, Pilates, uh, StretchLab, just all those different things I just kinda put into my recovery, workout, whatever it is, and just trusting the process, you know? 'Cause at the same time it's like you gotta understand, like, this is football, you know.

It's a, it's a sport where you gonna get beat up all the time regardless if you're playing all the time, but you gotta practice, you gotta go through all of that.

So you know, it, it just, I think over the years just looking back and just really studying myself and understanding like, "Okay, I wanna get better at this.

I wanna get better at that."

W- what about the matchup against those two tackles, specifically Abe Lucas, you know, Charles Cross, who, who you're matching up against, you know, in those games? Like, w- what's the scouting report a little bit on them? Like, what, what kind of problems do they give you? What, what kind of problems do you give them?

Mm-hmm.

So what was that like for you to come up with him and see him go to another team?

Yeah, that was unfortunate.

It's part of business.

It's something that definitely did hit me pretty hard, building that relationship with him.

Friendship, that was a brother to me, still a brother at the same time.

I just had to understand that that's kind of how it goes.

You know, like I said, unfortunately, we didn't want that to happen.

the room different without Jared?

And then what happens? [laughs]

I'd say about two years ago.

When you become reliant upon the internet, there's this thing called an algorithm, and that algorithm decides everything on social media, and that's something that's controlled by Zuckerberg and his people and, and of course Google.

The word on the street is that they changed the algorithm and basically tried to see how much money they could make.

Meaning that our cost of acquisition, our cost to gain a new customer, all of a sudden overnight just went through the roof, and we could not figure out why that happened.

When an, and when an algorithm changes, it is very difficult to figure out because it's not nature.

Nature doesn't change that fast.

[laughs]

So why did you say a million?

Because the night before, one of the producers had told me he was worried about me having to talk about my valuation too much, and I said, "Well, I'm not gonna, that's, that's what I'll take for it.

What am I gonna do?" And he just said, "Okay." Didn't argue with me, and then that night I decided that I was gonna lower the valuation because I was not gonna do the deal.

That was what I was thinking.

I didn't know how this whole thing worked.

I was terrified.

My, everybody I trusted told me I was crazy.

[laughs]

Yeah

... uh, uh, to get for the draft prep.

And then, well, we got drafted together.

[laughs] We was roommates, um, for a brief moment.

Yeah.

So, like, you know, he, you know, he gave me good information, advice, and stuff like that.

You know, he's somebody I look up to.

He a leader.

Yeah.

... and just doing everything by the book.

Then we started, like, thinking how we think.

They draft us for a reason.

They draft us because the way we rush and everything like that, our potential.

So we use that to our advantage.

So it was, like, I would say the fourth game.

Like, what's your message to Rams fans if it's like last year the Eagles knocked y'all out? Why the hell is this season gonna be different?

Ooh.

... uh, being All-Pro, you know, that- that's- that's always been a dream come true for me.

You know, that's something I always wanted, you know, just, you know, just watching the guys that I looked up to like Von Miller and those guy like that, like, like one of my favorite players ever.

And just watch how they just go about business and, you know, every year making the Pro Bowl is just like, that's something I always wanted to do.

So coming into, you know, my third year, my goal is, you know, all favorable course as a team make it to the Super Bowl, but for myself, All-Pro, you know, Pro Bowl, you know, and Defense Player of the Year, that's where I'm looking, that's where I'm reaching.

You know, every, every day I work, that- that's what I, you know, that's what I'm trying to accomplish, so...

Mm-hmm.

You know, flexibility and everything.

A- Coming into the season, obviously with it being your third year, you obviously you have teams goals, but Have your personal goals, obviously I'm sure the sacks and, and, and the, the, the, the trajectory you are on right now so far this season, are there any other goals you had set in mind from an individual's perspective going into this season?

Oh f- oh, definitely.

Um, yeah, making my first Pro Bowl.

You know, uh, being All Pro.

You know, that, that's, that's always been a dream come true for me.

You know, that's something I always wanted, you know, just, you know, just watching the guys I looked up to like Von Miller and those guys like that, like one of my favorite players ever, and just watch how they just go about business and, you know, every year making the Pro Bowl.

And it's just like, that's something I always wanted to do.

Mm.

And so, hey, coming into the season, obviously with it being your third year, you obviously you have team goals, but have- Your personal goals, obviously I'm sure the sacks and, and, and the, the, the, the trajectory you are on right now so far this season, are there any other goals you had set in mind from an individual's perspective going into this season?

Oh, oh, definitely.

Um, yeah, making my first Pro Bowl, you know, uh, being All Pro.

You know, that, that's, that's always been a dream come true for me.

You know, that's something I always wanted, you know, just, you know, just watching the guys I looked up to like Von Miller and those guys like that, like one of my favorite players ever and just watch how they just go about business and, you know, every year making the Pro Bowl.

And it's just like, that's something I always wanted to do.

So coming into, you know, my third year, my goal is, you know, off field of course as a team, make it to the Super Bowl.

Mm-hmm.

What did this trial encompass?

Uh basically it was the 40 kind of like what you said you had to do the bench press at two twenty five um you had to change directions and like they basically were doing measurements trying to see where you were at And that was kinda like it for the most part There was like hundred guys there Yeah Were you the only one that made it Uhh I Was I was The only one That Made it Off the spot So Like There Was Other Guys That Got Called Back Cause You Kinda It'S Like Two Tryouts You Kind OF Have THE Second Tryout In ThE Spring Where YoU KiND OF HAVE SPRING Ball But I WAS LIKe tHE Only ONE To MAKE thE Team From ThaT THOUGH Okay okay Right Mm-hmm .

Hey hey Most ofthetime whenyouregrowinguptoo obviouslyin NFL youplaydefenseandwhenyouwereyoungerwhatpositiondidyouplay Iknowyouweren'tplayingDNbackthen Naw I Played RunningBack What?! You Weren't TotingThatBall YouWeren'ttottingthepig what OhyeahohyeahIplayedrunningbackallthroughhighschoolumthat'swhereivelikealwaysbeenfast Right SoAt At What Point Did Your Body Grow Into Actually Now ICan BeOnTheDefensivesideOfTheBall AndyougotAlittlebigger Well actually my senior year like I always liked digging High School but my senior year I played both sides and I play standup linebacker my senior Year ofHighSchool Sothat'skindaliketransitionafterthat Are you fromGeorgia No I'M FROM GeorgetownbutUMImovedtoGeORgiAaftERIGRADuatedHIGHSCHOOLINTwentytwo Georgetown SouthCarolina GeorgetownSouthCarolina YesSir HeyMatterofFactUmYouKnowWhatIgottalook IgotaSmallLook YouAin'tknowthisrightseeheyBY You Ain'TKnoIWknew This YOu AND MelissaJeffersoncomefromthesame smalltowntoo Ohyeayeahwewenttothesamehighschool wewasonthesametrackteam Ah WaitYouRanTrackToo YeahIRanTrackMysenioryear WaitWh What Race Uhiwasonthefourbyone Okayokay Okay Soyougetcalledsohowdidyouenduptattennessee honestly that wast hefirst power5 schoool tooffer meso Um Really Yes Sir Ifeel likitwas asignFromgodsoyousknowijust wentwiththem Thats dope Manandyouseeplayinginthe SEC Sowast hatalwaysyourdreamtoplayinthenfl YouJustHadAy TookALittledetour tookya littlewhileButHey YouEndedUpWhereYouended UpAnyougottoUltimatelyYourUltimateDestination Wast hatAlwaysYourGoal SoWhatwould WhatDidByronWantedtobegarhewassgrowingupWhenhewasa kid Hewaseightnine tentearsoldOfage WhatDidYouwannabe I always wanted to be in the NFL.

I always wanted to go in the NFL.

Um, I'd be lying to you if I told you that I just knew this, this would have happened like based off my journey.

But like, uh, my mindset was I just never wanted to quit, you know? I always like wanted to somehow get back into playing football but I really just didn't know how that would look like-

Mm-hmm.

You know, flexibility and everything.

Right.

That's something I always wanted, you know.

Just, you know, just watching the guys that I looked up to like Von Miller and those guy like that, like, like one of my favorite players ever and just watch how they just go about business.

And, you know, every year making a Pro Bowl and just, like, that's something I always wanted to do.

So coming into, you know, th- my third year, my goal is, you know, off field, of course, as a team make it to the Super Bowl.

But for myself, All Pro, you know, Pro Bowl, you know, and defensive player of the year, that's where I'm look ...

That's where I'm reaching.

Mm-hmm.

And so, hey, coming into the season, obviously with it being your third year, you obviously you have team goals, but have, your personal goals, obviously I'm sure the sacks and, and, and the, the, the, the trajectory you are on right now so far this season, are there any other goals you had set in mind from an individual's perspective going into this season?

Oh, oh, definitely, um, yeah, um, making my first Pro Bowl.

You know, uh, being All Pro.

You know, that, that's, that's always been a dream come true for me.

You know, that's something I always wanted.

You know, just, you know, just watching the guys I looked up to, like Von Miller and those guys like that, like, like one of my favorite players ever, and just watch how they just go about business and, you know, every year making the Pro Bowl.

And it's just like, that's something I always wanted to do.

Mm-hmm.