Speaker 1: UM. Disappointed, UM, knowing that we had lost a game
Speaker 1: that we felt we should have won. UM, you know,
Speaker 1: being up what was it ten, and with I don't
Speaker 1: even know six minutes left to go? Uh. You know,
Speaker 1: we put ourselves early in that game, in a good opportunity,
Speaker 1: in the opportunity that we wanted to be, in the
Speaker 1: position we wanted to be in, UM, and then those
Speaker 1: last you know, six to four minutes just kind of
Speaker 1: derailed ourselves and played uncharacteristic um the way we have
Speaker 1: been playing the whole game. So you know, it was
Speaker 1: definitely disappointed. I listened to Malcolm and talk about the
Speaker 1: margin of error, and you know, we we just have
Speaker 1: shot our foot, shot ourselves in the foot, UM, And
Speaker 1: that's one of those instances. Do you think that do
Speaker 1: you think that winning on Thursday night, as you talk
Speaker 1: about learning lessons, is that one of those games where
Speaker 1: you feel like you learn the lesson and this team
Speaker 1: will now win those kind of close games. You know,
Speaker 1: I don't think it's one defining momentum, but I think
Speaker 1: that adds on to that learning experience that we need
Speaker 1: figuring out. Uh. You know, what we've been talking about
Speaker 1: this whole year is in winning those tight those tight
Speaker 1: games and being able to make the plays down the
Speaker 1: stretch to win in crunch time. And you know, for
Speaker 1: us to be able to do that on Thursday was
Speaker 1: obviously a step in the right direction, But by no
Speaker 1: means does it necessarily mean that we're there yet. You know,
Speaker 1: I think everybody understands the situation and understands that there's
Speaker 1: still a lot of growth that needs to be done. Obviously,
Speaker 1: we believe that we're close, but that one game doesn't
Speaker 1: define who we are or you know, what has happened
Speaker 1: in the past just says that we are making those
Speaker 1: steps in the in the right direction, and we've got
Speaker 1: to continue to work, um, you know, to to correct
Speaker 1: and to uh and and to be able to do
Speaker 1: that consistently. Dallas. Are you expecting to see their regular
Speaker 1: players or what? I don't know, Um, you know, I
Speaker 1: can't really say who they're going to play. It's on
Speaker 1: them obviously, um. And but whoever they do play, you know,
Speaker 1: we're ready to face and you know, we're we're going
Speaker 1: into it thinking we're playing starters, and you know that's
Speaker 1: the matchup obviously that that we would like. You know,
Speaker 1: we want to play everybody at the best, and uh,
Speaker 1: we understand the situation, but you know, it is, it
Speaker 1: is what it is. That's their decision. UM, And well,
Speaker 1: I guess we'll see what do you want to get
Speaker 1: out of this final week for this season? First and foremost,
Speaker 1: it's a matter of setting, um, the foundation for the
Speaker 1: off season, setting the foundation for next year. UM. You know,
Speaker 1: I think I think these last couple of games, you know,
Speaker 1: we've played extremely hard, um, and if just battle, you've
Speaker 1: watched the film we battle out there, and you know,
Speaker 1: I think that necessary that has to carry over into
Speaker 1: this last game. And you know, if we do that,
Speaker 1: a lot of us, you know, most of us are
Speaker 1: would be you know, excited about the outcome. You know,
Speaker 1: we believe that when we play at our best, it's
Speaker 1: tough for anybody to get at us. So you know,
Speaker 1: ultimately it's that foundation. Ultimately it is it is laying
Speaker 1: the groundwork for off season and things to come. I
Speaker 1: think that you roll your eyes as the three you're
Speaker 1: you're sitting here in week seventeen one started. Every game
Speaker 1: is an a compliment? Really, is it is? It is?
Speaker 1: You know it is because I knew the perception going
Speaker 1: into the year. I knew, UM, that it had been
Speaker 1: built since college, that it was something that you know,
Speaker 1: I had told you guys that I'm not worried about.
Speaker 1: You know, it's something that I'm working on, UM. And
Speaker 1: I think the work that I put in, the amount
Speaker 1: of focus that I put on my body and making
Speaker 1: sure that it's it's consistently healthy throughout the season. You know,
Speaker 1: there was there were times late in the season that
Speaker 1: I was feeling as good as I was, you know,
Speaker 1: early in the season. So UM, you know, I think
Speaker 1: I think the focus that I put on it has
Speaker 1: helped quite a bit. And UM, yeah, it's accomplishment mentioned
Speaker 1: margin of error. There's a lot of close games in
Speaker 1: this league, one score games. Getting over the top in
Speaker 1: a closed game. Is that something you can learn not
Speaker 1: not from, but you can learn to do more consistently
Speaker 1: or is that just sort of the feel of a season.
Speaker 1: I mean, I think it is. It is something that
Speaker 1: you learn how to do. I think as you've got
Speaker 1: your core, UM group of guys that are continually continually
Speaker 1: you know here and and are in those games and
Speaker 1: are watching the tape, UM in our understanding that every
Speaker 1: little detail counts in the outcome of the game. Um.
Speaker 1: You know, I think that's something that has learned um.
Speaker 1: And obviously this is my second year, but I think
Speaker 1: you can learn a lot from losing. I think you
Speaker 1: can learn a lot from mistakes, um, as long as
Speaker 1: you look at them for what they are and work
Speaker 1: on it. So, UM, you know, I think, like I said,
Speaker 1: I think we're heading in the right direction. I think
Speaker 1: Thursday is a testament to that. But you know, by
Speaker 1: no means is where we're you know where we're at
Speaker 1: right now. We're not We're not basing that on the
Speaker 1: whole season. So George, you got the peck injury at
Speaker 1: the end of the year. Didn't take you a while
Speaker 1: before you could really as far as training goes, get
Speaker 1: into it in your upper body. And I guess the
Speaker 1: question of masking is moving into this off season here.
Speaker 1: I know you're not looking there yet. Will that be
Speaker 1: a big year for you to develop physically? Yeah? It definitely,
Speaker 1: UM set me back a little bit. Um. You know,
Speaker 1: I couldn't bench for you know until really until I
Speaker 1: got back here in April, which you know is a
Speaker 1: good chunk of time off. So and you know, it's been,
Speaker 1: it's been. You know, I was always trying to be
Speaker 1: smart with it and not not do anything too crazy
Speaker 1: on it. But yeah, absolutely moving into this next this
Speaker 1: next offseason, UM, there's definitely a premium one on my
Speaker 1: body on you know, getting stronger, especially in this type
Speaker 1: of defense, you know where I'm taking on blocks and
Speaker 1: having to shed three hundred pounders, so you know, obviously, yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean every year there's you're constantly trying to work
Speaker 1: on that. But there's definitely a premium issue if you
Speaker 1: do see the starters. What did you call from feazing
Speaker 1: Zeke Elliott the last time and dree Rolls a chance
Speaker 1: to face him once ago. Yeah, he's a good back man,
Speaker 1: and you know you take it for what it is.
Speaker 1: Obviously we played for about ninety percent of the game
Speaker 1: pretty well against the run, and you know he's going
Speaker 1: to get his plays. But he's a good back. He's
Speaker 1: a good back and well respected back already and runs hard.
Speaker 1: So absolutely into your question, you know, we always want
Speaker 1: to go against the best, UM, so any chance we
Speaker 1: get to go against somebody like him or that offensive
Speaker 1: line is definitely an opportunity that we see already mentioned
Speaker 1: taking on blockers. How is your first full season as
Speaker 1: a middle linebackers supposed to safe being on the weak side,
Speaker 1: was occasionally not having to take on somebody. How how
Speaker 1: does it feel to get through it and have you
Speaker 1: enjoyed it? Yeah, I've definitely enjoyed it. I enjoyed being
Speaker 1: in the middle, being able to control, um, everything around me,
Speaker 1: you know, being that that voice on the field, the
Speaker 1: coach on the field. Um, you know, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I don't want to hype it up like it's something
Speaker 1: that I haven't done. You know, I playing linebacker, that's
Speaker 1: part of your job title. You've got to take on blocks.
Speaker 1: So uh, you know, obviously in some defenses you take
Speaker 1: on a little bit more. They techniques are a little different,
Speaker 1: but you know, it's part of the job title, man.
Speaker 1: And if I make it into something that is bigger
Speaker 1: than itself, you know that's not that's I just shouldn't
Speaker 1: do that, you know. So, Um, I don't know, taking
Speaker 1: on blocks is taking on blocks. I've done it ever
Speaker 1: since I've been a linebacker, so