Speaker 1: Chris, just take me through the process of how you
Speaker 1: became a Pittsburgh Steeler and what it's been like just
Speaker 1: in the short time you've been here. It was definitely, uh,
Speaker 1: you know, a crazy ride through draft weekend, you know,
Speaker 1: just all the uncertainty and things like that, and then, uh,
Speaker 1: I didn't really talk to the Pittsburgh Steelers, you know,
Speaker 1: I got brought here on my visit and then uh,
Speaker 1: you know, coach Tomlin called me and let me know
Speaker 1: the news, and uh, you know, it was just a
Speaker 1: surreal moment, a moment I'll never forget. And I'm just
Speaker 1: for every you know, grateful you know, to the Steelers
Speaker 1: organization for bringing me in. And then since I've been here,
Speaker 1: it's been really good at just you know, getting to
Speaker 1: know the guys, going to know my rookie class, and
Speaker 1: sort of starting to build those relationships, because I do
Speaker 1: think that's you know, one of the most important, you
Speaker 1: know things in football is getting to know your guys
Speaker 1: and you know, really forming those relationships on the field.
Speaker 1: You know, you know, you're going to bat with guys
Speaker 1: that are gonna go to bat with you. So it's
Speaker 1: been great and just uh, you know, as a quarterback.
Speaker 1: It's a lot to take in and just get uh,
Speaker 1: you know, learning, a lot developing and uh, we'll see
Speaker 1: how this year goes. Who did you meet during your
Speaker 1: pre draft? Is that when you're in Pittsburgh. I know
Speaker 1: they're be fast. But who did you spend the most
Speaker 1: time with. Definitely spent the most time with Blaine he's
Speaker 1: our wide receiver's assistant coach, and UH coach Tom Show
Speaker 1: And then I got to meet with coach Canada as
Speaker 1: well and coach Hamlin. So it was great to you know,
Speaker 1: just put a face uh with them and get to
Speaker 1: know them personally. You know, you see coach Haman on
Speaker 1: the sideline on TV and he looks all serious, but
Speaker 1: he's a really cool dude. And we got to you know,
Speaker 1: sort of bond about you know, when he lived in Tampa.
Speaker 1: I'm from Tampa, so it was good to meet them.
Speaker 1: For sure. Is he who you thought he was going
Speaker 1: to be now that you've had a chance to be
Speaker 1: around him more? Yeah, I know, just because you know,
Speaker 1: there's so many guys that I know that have played
Speaker 1: for him. You know, Gionta I've known for a while,
Speaker 1: Ray mcleoud have known for a while, Dion Kane, all
Speaker 1: those guys have played here. So when I'm back home training,
Speaker 1: you know, I would ask him about coach Hamlin. They're like, man,
Speaker 1: if you ever came here, you'd love them. And so
Speaker 1: it's been it's been great, and he's exactly who I thought,
Speaker 1: you know, who I've heard he was. He mentioned a
Speaker 1: number of guys that you know who who played here,
Speaker 1: have played here, Deontay somebody who worked out with this season.
Speaker 1: How has he looked and how is it, you know,
Speaker 1: getting a chance to work with him. He looks great.
Speaker 1: You know, he's definitely, uh, he's ready to get back
Speaker 1: up here, and you know he's just making sure his
Speaker 1: body's and you know, recovering from last season. But uh,
Speaker 1: you know, we've gotten to definitely throw and work out
Speaker 1: every single day together and he he's definitely gonna be ready,
Speaker 1: and I'm excited to see, you know, what he does
Speaker 1: this year or two after coming off a Pro Bowl
Speaker 1: year last year, which was definitely deserved, and I'm just
Speaker 1: really proud of him just how far he's come. You know,
Speaker 1: he was my host when he was at Toledo, so
Speaker 1: we've known each other for a while and so it's
Speaker 1: always good. We see someone from the city doing pretty well.
Speaker 1: How do you explain you know, getting drafted as the
Speaker 1: ultimate goal for everybody draft weekend, but coming somewhere where
Speaker 1: they don't know who the quarterback is going to be.
Speaker 1: They don't know, I who's going to be in the
Speaker 1: quarterback room this season? Is that exciting? Is it nervous? Anxious?
Speaker 1: How do you explain that feeling? I think it's a
Speaker 1: little bit of everything. You know, there's there's a lot
Speaker 1: of uncertains uncertains in our room, and you know, I
Speaker 1: think we have a really good room with you know,
Speaker 1: Mitch Mason, then uh Kenny and myself, and we all
Speaker 1: bring a lot of different things the table, you know,
Speaker 1: at the quarterback position. So, like I said, meeting getting
Speaker 1: to build relationships with other guys on the field, it's
Speaker 1: just as important to build those relationships with guys in
Speaker 1: your room because not only you know, we're competing versus
Speaker 1: each other, then we're all pushing each other. But at
Speaker 1: the same time, you know, uh, we all have a role,
Speaker 1: and you know, whatever my role is going to be
Speaker 1: for this upcoming season, I'm gonna embrace that rolling you know,
Speaker 1: hit it full head steam. You mentioned how you all
Speaker 1: bring something different? What do you bring that's different than
Speaker 1: the other guys? You know, I think, you know, look
Speaker 1: at my film and just the ability to use my
Speaker 1: legs and get out of trouble, you know if need be, uh,
Speaker 1: you know, evading the rushes and making some off platform throws,
Speaker 1: you know, pushing the ball down the field and creating
Speaker 1: explosive plays. You know, that's it makes the game fun
Speaker 1: for me, you know, making a big splash play, especially
Speaker 1: when your team needs it. So I think that's what
Speaker 1: I bring to the table, and uh, you know, that's
Speaker 1: what I look to bring to this organization. Have you
Speaker 1: always been hard to take down? Oh? Yeah, yeah, since
Speaker 1: I was a little. Uh, I was always growing up,
Speaker 1: I was like, always one of the fast, these guys
Speaker 1: on my team. So I remember when I was little,
Speaker 1: one of my coaches, you know, he put me out
Speaker 1: running back and he told my uh, he told my
Speaker 1: dad that I'd never be a quarterback and that you know,
Speaker 1: I'd probably be a running back a receiver when I
Speaker 1: got older. So I'd love to sort of think what
Speaker 1: he thinks. Now. Yeah, I was gonna say, it's funny
Speaker 1: you remember that. Yeah, I've never forgotten it sort of
Speaker 1: that chip that I've always sort of had on my
Speaker 1: shoulder that, you know, if someone says I can't do something,
Speaker 1: then we'll see him. I'm gonna bet on myself every
Speaker 1: time I know you and Donlin Hodgens know each other.
Speaker 1: Was he called duck in college? Duck? Yet I've never
Speaker 1: heard him called Denlin people when we call him duck. Okay,
Speaker 1: all right, So that just wasn't a Pittsburgh thing. Um.
Speaker 1: Did you have a chance to watch him when he,
Speaker 1: you know, was here and what he was able to
Speaker 1: do in that two thousand nineteen season. Of course. Well,
Speaker 1: I was just telling people the other day. You know,
Speaker 1: I was at Sanford at the time, and I was
Speaker 1: a quarterback right after him, and uh, he had just
Speaker 1: gotten cut, you know, after camp. So he was back
Speaker 1: in Birmingham sort of throwing and then like he'd hit
Speaker 1: me up, you know, on the weekends we go grab
Speaker 1: food and hang out, and then you know, I hit
Speaker 1: him up Friday and like, hey, what are you doing today,
Speaker 1: and he's like, oh, I'm actually flying back out to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1: He's like, the Steelers just called me back. And I
Speaker 1: was like, well, congrats. And then two weeks later, he's
Speaker 1: just starting quarterback. I'm like Sunday Night football, which was
Speaker 1: crazy and crazy turn around for him. But I kept
Speaker 1: in contact with him the whole time, and he he
Speaker 1: loved Pittsburgh. I always told him he was like a
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh legend for like, you know, those weeks he was
Speaker 1: playing quarterback here, so I was pretty cool to see.
Speaker 1: Thanks Christ, appreciate your time. Yeah, for sure, thank you