Yeah, yeah, yeah

...

I thought that I'd have to learn something.

Yeah.

How are you, how are you doing? But I, I don't know.

I mean, I think that was just about showing up, learning, being a good teammate, helping Sam when I could, uh, helping the team prepare where I could.

And then getting here with the Colts, I was in a situation where I was competing, you know, competing to, to play.

But then you had the injury, and then you're trying to think, "Am I gonna re-sign? Am I not?" How was that process, and talk a little bit about the recovery as well.

... or thinking about those days?

Uh, yeah, I mean, I think, uh, [laughs] you think about it, I think coming out of camp last year we felt really good.

We had a good camp and we were prepared for the season.

Uh, started fast.

We're executing well.

So, um, you know, I think that process and kind of a lot of the things we were doing throughout camp worked.

So, you know, you wanna, you wanna kind of use that, but also understand it's a different team, it's a different year and, and you've got to start over in building that.

... from the preseason now in year eight?

How much more comfortable do you feel going into this season? Was the full playbook, like, ac- accessible last season, and how much more can you do this season coming in after a full off-season in the offen- offense?

Yeah, I mean, I think a good bit more, uh, thinking back to this time last year when you're trying to learn it, you know, for the first time, and it's, it's all pretty simple install.

And, you know, we'll start camp that way.

I mean, every team, uh, every team that I've been on starts with, you know, your kinda your basic install stuff.

But I think we'll be able to move a little bit quicker into some of the stuff we started to do, uh, last year through the season, some of the stuff that was working for us.

And, um, you know, it's, it's my second year.

It's the second year for, you know, a lot of guys, and third, third year for, for a number of guys, third, fourth year.

But how important his, is his development to just where you guys wanna be offensively, kind of maybe replacing some of those tough yards that Michael Pittman, uh, had, and that you're gonna have to find a way to replace with him not being there anymore?

I ask him what he thinks about the Parthenon as a piece of public art.

The Parthenon is an interesting symbol of sorts for the Nashville art scene, meaning that it is representative of a very traditional style.

It's something that borrows from a, you know, a very traditional Western European aesthetic and classic aesthetic.

But while we're standing here in this park, far... not even that far away, literally steps away, you have the Centennial Performing Arts Studios where all of the interesting dance work in town is incubated.

And w- fascinating thing about it, in the back is a sunken garden that used to be a public swimming pool that was shut down because when they tried to desegregate it, people were so mad that they said, "We don't even want a pool if we have to share it."

They sent a message.

It's a deliberate fear being put forward of artists, and it is a potentially lasting attempt to brand culture as something that should not be shared amongst people, that our society should be more afraid of culture than they should be, you know, excited to lean in and engage with it.

And I mean, during my lifetime, we've never had a government that is so hostile towards artists.

And then Reggie Wayne, the legend Reggie Wayne, tweeted out after, uh, Michael Pittman Jr. went on to the Steelers and said, "Hey, that was kind of the tone-setter in that wide receiver room." So who steps up in that room, whether it's Pierce, Downs, in your opinion?

Uh, yeah, I mean, I think first just obviously bummed to see Pitt go.

He's a, was a, you know, tremendous leader, obviously a great player, extremely productive, and a guy you can count on.

As tough as they come, um, you know, to always, always being out there and, um, wish him the best.

I know he'll crush it with the Steelers.

They're lucky to have him.

Um, but yeah, I think, you know, I think all those guys.

Nice

You, I saw you up close, up close and personal in your first win down in Tampa, and, uh, now, what flip, what, what switch flipped the switch for you? Is it coaching, system, offensive line? Because you were playing the best football I've ever seen you play.

Appreciate it.

Appreciate it, coach.

Um, I mean, I think it, I think it's all those things.

I think, um, you know, football, um, you know, people want to make it about one guy or one thing or one play, but I think the reality is, it's, it's everything kind of working together, and everybody, um, everybody doing what they're supposed to.

It's a boring, you know, kind of cliché take, but I, I honestly think that's, that's how it works.

And, uh, offensive line's played incredible.

Thank you.

So what's that input like throughout the week, uh, with Shane while you're putting it together?

Yeah, we communicate a lot, try to watch, uh, you know, watch a lot of tape, and, and you know, it's, it's, uh, him, it's, it's Jim Bob, it's, uh, Tanning, all those guys are, are putting together the plan, uh, in the pass game.

The guys up front do a great job with the run game.

So, you know, I, I'm, uh...

You know, when I have an idea, you know, talking it, talking through it and, and seeing what they think, but, um, you know, it's, uh...

Yeah, it's been a collaborative process.

I think, uh, we saw some things we thought we could, we could do in the pass game, um, you know, and, and, uh, a lot of those things converted, but thought we had a really good plan going in.

How much was the Vikings like, um, a confidence booster for you, maybe? Or a reset for you? What, what, how do you kind of view that? And how do you view KOC?

Can you remind us of the story behind this essay?

Yeah.

Yeah.

So, uh, Mandy Len Catron was studying love.

[laughs] She was, like, a student of, of love in school, like, wanted to figure out how it worked, and came across this sort of obscure, I think, study done by a psychologist named Arthur Aron, and he'd come up with...

Uh, and his team had come up with 36 questions that would sort of accelerate the process of falling in love.

And she thought this was interesting and decided to do it, not with a total stranger, in the experiment they'd done it with total strangers, but someone who was almost a stranger, who was someone who was at her climbing gym and who she already had certain feelings for.

You know, I'm curious, just personally, what have these 36 questions taught you about falling in love?