like? Literally all the stuff we just talked about.

Yeah.

You know, just setting goals.

You know, he always told me, Q, I wish in my career I would have set my bar and set my standards, set my goals higher.

His goal was play 10 years, make at least one Pro Bowl, one All-Pro.

And I said, okay, I'm going to do you one better.

I said, I'm going to win defensive player of the year.

But

Along those lines, what's it like for you to communicate and organize a defense out there and realize that defense also added Miles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jalen Watson? Yeah,

so funny story about that.

We were watching film today, and there was a pass caught.

And Coach was in our meeting room and he was like, man, that was like, sometimes plays are gonna be made against you guys.

And we're like, we're super competitive.

So we just wanna make every single play about down every single ball.

And then our coach, he goes, well, just look at this guy, his number is 95.

Do you feel any kind of difference from this point to last year? I mean, even with the additions? Yeah.

Is that wishful thinking, or do you think that's a realistic...

So, this is the thing that I know on a personal level, and you guys probably have questions about this, so it doesn't have to be the last one.

I'm okay.

I'll be here all day.

Don't say that.

Right.

So, when you have a guy that serious in Aaron, who you guys know, like even interviewing, he's kind of intimidating, right? But when you have a guy that's that serious about even considering coming out, it's like, okay, we might have a chance.

recruiting pitch be?

What has been your advice to guys in a similar spot who are trying to make a team and find some longevity in the NFL?

Yeah, I always talk about it all the time.

And I've even talked about it to, you know, the team is, you know, there's an acronym that I always use is called APE.

It's the three things that you can control on a daily basis, your attitude, your preparation and your effort.

And if you're able to control those things to the best of your ability each and every day and maximize them, you'll have a pretty good shot.

You look at a lot of guys that are just good head on their shoulders and do the right thing.

Yes, sir.

How did you view what you guys did with the draft this year?

Oh, okay, okay

... like, and, but I'm telling you the transition.

So it was, there was a week in the Cowboys game, and I, this is, I was like, "I'm just gonna learn every position." Our nickel got hurt, and then they moved me to that position, and I did well.

I had, I made a couple plays, um, did pretty well, and they're like, "Okay, we're just gonna see.

Try him out at that." And then it kind of evolved into, "Okay, now you're gonna play safety in base, and then you're gonna move down into the box and play nickel during all of these, whether it's 11 personnel, all these different packages."And then it just kind of expanded into that.

And you mentioned guys like Kyle Hamilton and Nick Emamori, but you got- also look at guys like Brian Branch too, that at, like, this position is a premium position really because of how much effect you can have on the game.

You can blitz, you can cover, you can play deep, you can play, um, man-to-man and zone.

I mean, you're good at all of them, otherwise they wouldn't have given you the contract, but what do you think is your greatest strength out of all those things they ask you to do, and what do you think is the area where, boy, that, that's tough and you're still looking to improve a little bit more?

I have an agent too, but I'm like, "I need to know every day what's going on."

I know, I know, I know.

But that's why for me it's like a lot of athletes can kind of get in trouble if you think about it too much.

But if ...

You never want to let that side of it affect your play.

And I always told myself, "If I take care of what I need to in between the white lines, everything will take care of itself." These processes are long.

Mine was eight months, you know, of constantly talking, making sure, "Hey, we're always in good communication." But at the same time, I was like, "Hey, I'ma let you handle it," you know? I'm gonna go out there and put my best work that I can, and everything will fall in place.

Like, how did he prepare you for the league?

How does it feel right now? How did you battle through that?

Yeah, the biggest thing for me was understanding and hoping and believing in my team.

Um, you know, it was tough and it was scary in that moment.

You know, you get, you're, you're in that position a lot, you know, where you're engaged in a blocker, you put your arm out and you try to make a tackle.

But unfortunately my arm was just, you know, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Um, But through, you know, the really month and a half of rehab that I was going to, I always leaned on really my teammates, my family, and really God.

You know, there's a Bible verse, Matthew 6, 34, that says, Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow.

Were there similar vibes? Because it certainly felt like that team last year could have won a Super Bowl as well.

Please.

He just doesn't stop talking.

You, like, there's people you meet that are talkers and, you know, they talk all the time.

And Verse, don't come at me, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm gonna hype you up.

But he will not...

It doesn't matter what it is, he will not stop talking, and it shows on the field too.

Uh, he's an incredible athlete, a guy who loves the game.

Mm-hmm.