all these big

ass dudes.

You gotta think, like, I'm looking at people, like, I'm gonna... sophomore in high school what did they look like then because i've never been all up in front of them and stuff so i'm thinking of these macho dudes like unbeatable and stuff and here comes zeke who i feel like i'm comparable to athletic athletic wise he's just the best to ever do it he might have gotten even better since high school obviously but there's no telling like if i really put like just focus on it like he's just focused on it i can i can find a way to you know he's fourth overall i can be in the league doing something, running down on kickoffs or something.

Like I can do something in the league.

So, um, I also had got birthday.

So I was sitting there in the sling.

I tore my pet.

When you hear that, is that some sort of kindle to a fire? Is that something that it doesn't really matter? That's for the birds? Does it have its time or place? What does that mean to you in any capacity?

Where is your strength right now in this defense?

It's playing together.

I mean, I like the defensive line.

They're big guys.

Uh, just, you know, when we line up and I'm looking at the huddle, I'm like, "Wow, these are big guys." Uh, but they plug up gaps.

They can play, uh, two gaps and stuff, and then let us flow over the top, be a little more patient.

Allows the safeties and stuff to play back.

When you talk about that off-ball linebacker, what are you looking for to play next to you? What, what does this player have to have to be that starter on this defense?

Foye, what are things that you sort of lock in on early in camp in terms of your improvement?

Understanding the defenses that's being presented, making sure I'm reading my keys and stuff, anticipation of plays and basic alignment.

Every team has different plays off of their formations and stuff with some kind of go over from team to team to team, so being able to call out what I'm seeing and stuff, communicate with my backers next to me, with the DBs behind me, making sure the front's all right, just moving the right way.

Obviously with the physicality, that will keep improving as the camp goes on with the pads and all that, so natural steps with that.

But just being in the right spots and being able to burst the ball and run yourself into shape.

Anybody that you've been kind of like, wow, he's really locked in and doing a good job.

I think Trevor came back, firing the ball and stuff.

I understand a good command of the offense.

When you had a chance to reflect on the season, what went into being more productive in defending the pass?

I think it was stopping the run as a team.

And that went into it was team defense stopping the run.

We were throwing our bodies around.

We're kind of playing a little bit different than we were coached the years before.

But we all bought into it.

And, you know, we might get flung around one player this play.

Is it hard to believe that you're going into the fifth year here, and are you pleased with the contributions you've made to this organization?

Very

competitive.

Yes, very competitive.

I think we understand where we're supposed to be at.

A lot better than last year, kind of going through our defense.

We've seen the problem routes.

We've seen the problem defense.

I know you're gonna miss Devin Lloyd being next to you, but what about the other guys, the Ventrells, the Gardex, and really all of them, Branson?