Like, how good does it feel to be 2-0 for the first time in your career here in Cincinnati?

Yeah, it feels great.

It feels great.

You know, we're not where we want to be yet.

You know, we want to be...

You know, I'm going to always push us to be perfect, but...

To be 2-0, sitting where we are, how the games have played out, we're really happy with it.

Like, how cool is that? What's the mantra around the building been? Like, what are we, starting fast? What is that mantra?

Like, did they let you come in and be yourself? Did they change, try to change you?

They let us find ourselves as players and coach us along the way.

They didn't try to coach us into what they wanted us to be.

Um, What I'm really good at is I can think critically about what I'm doing and try to fix it in my own way.

But if somebody tries to tell me to do something, I'm going to try to do it, but that's not the way that my brain clicks.

I want to take a lot of different things in and mold it into what I know I can do.

And our coaches gave me a lot of freedom to... be myself as a player and find myself along the way and coach me hard sometimes, but you know, gave me the freedom to make mistakes.

like the people off scooby-doo like the dude yeah yeah pretty much like if you

I'll ask you, this under center transition, I guess, from when it happened to now, can you tell me what it's allowing or it's, if it's working?

Yeah, we'll see if it works.

You know, in, in practice it's hard to really get a, a feel for it just because, um, you know, you're not playing a game.

Defenses don't have to...

You know, you're gonna run the ball, and they don't have to tackle, so the ball's gonna get put right there, and then, you know, you get to third down, and, you know, you're gonna pass rush more in practice.

There's no tackling.

It's just, it's just so different than a game.

You did that successfully back then

I

II was laying in the training room for probably six hours on that ball.

Couldn't move.

I would try to get up and do some treatment and no position worked.

Um, still I can't really sleep.

I- it's last ...

This week has been better, but I still f- I'm a back sleeper and I can't really [laughs] really sleep on my back with the glute.

So you, you came out of the Carolina game feeling something in the glute?

I would try to get up and do some treatment and I-

I-No position worked.

Um, still I can't really sleep.

Uh, it's less...

This week has been better, but I still f- I'm a back sleeper and I can't really, [laughs] really sleep on my back with the glute.

But I've, I've finally been getting good sleep.

Um, feel just comfortable moving around.

So you, you came out of the Carolina game feeling something in the glute?

And, um, you feel like it's somewhere you can get settled in pretty fast and that's why I felt like it was a good fit for me.

... my sciatic nerve and different things going down my leg, and it was some of, some of the worst pain I've ever, I've ever dealt with.

Um, it was not a fun...

I mean, it hasn't been fun.

[laughs] Uh, this week, the last two weeks have really been the first couple weeks that I've really been improving and, and feeling better.

Um, you know, those first few days were really tough and, you know, it's, it's been testing my, my mentality and, you know, been testing everything.

Um, 'cause it's, it's hard to deal with, with pain, um, especially how these last few years have went and how good I was feeling and coming back from the hand and having, having these, this adversity that I've overcome and then just getting hit with this random thing that...

Were you in pain just, like, sitting, watching television, doing whatever?

What is that reputation that other, other players on other teams that, you know, don't have a direct connection with the Rams think about the Rams? What, what is that? What is that vibe?

Um, well, I mean, you just see it from the outside.

You see the, the quarterback.

I mean, he's second to none and, uh, you know, just all...

Like I said, the pieces to the puzzle are just incredible, and then you see Coach McVay and, and how they run things and, you know, it's a, it's a, a approachable, approachable place you feel.

And, um, you feel like it's somewhere you can get settled in pretty fast, and that's why I felt like it was a good fit for me.

Hitting my sciatic nerve and different things going down my leg, and it was some of the, some of the worst pain I've ever, I've ever dealt with.

Were you in pain just, like, sitting, watching television, doing whatever?

Mm-hmm.

So it was mentally taxing and challenging to continue to stay disciplined and consistent week in and week out, day in and day out.

But, you know, at some point you just realize that this is your job and that's what you do, and if I'm gonna continue to play as good as I want to, then I'm gonna have to keep doing these things daily to put myself in the best position to succeed.

Mm.

'Cause you don't really know, especially if it's a team that you haven't played before or a coordinator that you haven't played before.

Uh, so it's...

The offense is at a disadvantage in the preseason, so I always feel bad for these young quarterbacks that go into the preseason and they play like shit, because you're not gonna play well in the preseason because your coaches aren't game planning their defense, and you're just running out and running your training camp plays-