Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, they like to do quite a you
Speaker 1: know a number of things. You know, they like to
Speaker 1: mix it up, kind of keep you keep your off
Speaker 1: on your on your guard a little bit, and um
Speaker 1: they'll bring it. They'll bring pressure looks from from different areas.
Speaker 1: So you know, the biggest thing is we got to
Speaker 1: just watch the film. You know, we gotta study them, um,
Speaker 1: really game plan them and really detail what they do.
Speaker 1: And I'm well, have a good plan for them about
Speaker 1: the importance protecting yourself. Is there any thing aside from
Speaker 1: them talking to you and you're looking at plays that
Speaker 1: you can do you are to meet get ready? No,
Speaker 1: you know, it's really just keep reminding myself, you know.
Speaker 1: It's it's one of those things that you know as
Speaker 1: a as a young quarterback. It's it's something I'm I'm
Speaker 1: trying to every day, just remind myself even when I'm
Speaker 1: watching film, like how could I have prevented you know,
Speaker 1: even in practice, what would I have done there? Um,
Speaker 1: all those things And it's something I'm still learning. I'm
Speaker 1: you know, obviously I gotta keep learning to stand top
Speaker 1: of the pocket and all that and make a play
Speaker 1: also well when you're in the pocket, it's a whole
Speaker 1: different thing. You know, when you're in the pocket, you know,
Speaker 1: sometimes you gotta take shots, you gotta you know, deliver
Speaker 1: the ball down field. It's it's when you're out of
Speaker 1: the pocket where you got to be smart. And that's
Speaker 1: something I gotta keep keep Learningisberger before the draft, what
Speaker 1: did you learn from you know, it didn't spend a
Speaker 1: lot of time with him, just kind of talked. You know,
Speaker 1: we didn't really talk a lot about football. Um we talked.
Speaker 1: I mean he's a big outdoorsman guy, and um we
Speaker 1: talked a little bit about our backgrounds and what we
Speaker 1: like to do off the field. But you know, he's
Speaker 1: a great guy and I'm looking forward to competing against him.
Speaker 1: History started that way with you get so much better
Speaker 1: than Oh you definitely look at the negative plays. You
Speaker 1: look at where you can clean things up, where you
Speaker 1: know what what you miss protection wise, what what kind
Speaker 1: of throw um could you have made it to complete it?
Speaker 1: You know all those different things. Um, you know the
Speaker 1: good players are, they're gonna happen. But you know, we
Speaker 1: were always trying to just see where we can improve
Speaker 1: and where we can keep getting better. You up to
Speaker 1: just because you guys. You yeah, you know, watching Big
Speaker 1: Ben has always been fun. I've always found it intriguing
Speaker 1: the way you know, that guy plays the game differently
Speaker 1: than a lot of guys, and um, he's fun to watch.
Speaker 1: You know, that guy can can make some some really
Speaker 1: big plays and it's pretty impressive. It's huge, you know,
Speaker 1: having them, Um, I could never can never say enough
Speaker 1: how much you know, they understand the game. You know,
Speaker 1: they get it. They know what it's like as a
Speaker 1: as a former quarterback, they know what I'm going through, Um,
Speaker 1: how I'm seeing things. So it's been huge. Um. Well,
Speaker 1: first of all, to be compared to a guy like that,
Speaker 1: that's pretty pretty impressive. You know, I got a long
Speaker 1: way to go. Um that that's first and foremost. But um,
Speaker 1: you know, I've always admired the way he plays. Um.
Speaker 1: I love how he how he can extend plays and
Speaker 1: improvise it and you know he's not afraid to chuck
Speaker 1: the ball deep in and make some plays. So, UM,
Speaker 1: I definitely admire his game. How supposed to just mess
Speaker 1: you have to be the other guys. I just yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: you know that It's it's one of those things that
Speaker 1: every week changes and you know, We've seen some a
Speaker 1: lot of kind of mixed coverages both man and zone
Speaker 1: the last few weeks. And really the Steelers like to
Speaker 1: play a lot of zone and that's what they do
Speaker 1: and that's what what they thrive on, like to bring
Speaker 1: different pressure looks out of that. So, um, you know
Speaker 1: we'll be ready for it. We've got some good good
Speaker 1: stuff drawn up. And um, you know, I just got
Speaker 1: to be really really smart with with how I'm reading
Speaker 1: things on the runs? Is that different here than it
Speaker 1: was in college? Look more like to hit the sideline,
Speaker 1: so where the first guy kind of hit you on
Speaker 1: the and you're on the line and the other guy
Speaker 1: can finish you off. Did that happen as much in college? Um? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean it's it's still football, you know, still getting hit. Um,
Speaker 1: But yeah, I guess I gotta just keep keep learning
Speaker 1: here at this level. You know, in college, Um, I
Speaker 1: ran the ball. We had designed runs, so you kind
Speaker 1: of go into running back old um, and here it's
Speaker 1: not so much the case. So I'm still learning how
Speaker 1: to protect myself. Good. So your teamates a word, Matthees said,
Speaker 1: they really did, so how much fun you have leading downfield?
Speaker 1: And a mental aspect of it. I mean, how much
Speaker 1: do you actually enjoy that part of it? In the preparation.
Speaker 1: It's fun, you know, it's fun, especially when you're doing
Speaker 1: it in there with Chase and with with Aaron Murray
Speaker 1: and then breaking it down with your coaches. I'm really
Speaker 1: just trying to pick it apart. And it's it's crazy
Speaker 1: to see a game plan really come together, you know,
Speaker 1: you start seeing things start really understanding. You know, earlier
Speaker 1: in the week you're usually like, holy smokes, how we're
Speaker 1: going to attack this team? And um, as the week goes,
Speaker 1: you really start to just understand it more. And that's
Speaker 1: always fun. And and then you go out there on
Speaker 1: Sundays and play pretty fast and pretty confidently. Yea happy
Speaker 1: the best play over thirty five yards? Yet how poort
Speaker 1: is it's kind of take your shots to start hitting
Speaker 1: those plays and or or it is just kind of
Speaker 1: hate but the game come to us? Or do you
Speaker 1: want to go out there and really try to Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know, it's one of those things. It's all about
Speaker 1: what the defense is given you. You know, you gotta learn,
Speaker 1: you gotta you gotta take what they give you at times,
Speaker 1: and there's there's a time to attack and push it
Speaker 1: down the field, and you know, I thought we've had
Speaker 1: a really good balance of that. They're they're not always
Speaker 1: going to hit, you know, that's that's kind of the
Speaker 1: nature of the game. But um, our big plays will
Speaker 1: will definitely be there, plays where they you know, you've
Speaker 1: gotten pressure and you've gotten out of pocket and as
Speaker 1: he communicating with your receivers, how's that communication coming, because
Speaker 1: those plays to be big for you guys down thumbroiders. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's huge. You know. I always tell those guys they're
Speaker 1: never dead dead on any of the routes. You know,
Speaker 1: there's always an opportunity for me to extend plays and
Speaker 1: um it's one of those things where we're still working
Speaker 1: through it. Um. You know, guys, we feel like we
Speaker 1: have a really good communication about, you know, where where
Speaker 1: they're going once I do break the pocket. But a
Speaker 1: lot of it's really just instinctive and making a play
Speaker 1: that never where is that something? Um, It's it's really
Speaker 1: just kind of my my innate nature. You know. I
Speaker 1: think that's kind of how how the Good Lord wired me. Um.
Speaker 1: You know, whatever it is I'm doing, I really want
Speaker 1: to just excel and really push myself to be the best,
Speaker 1: um that I can be, And UM, a lot of
Speaker 1: that is how I'm wired and really my upbringing. You know,
Speaker 1: that's kind of in North Dakota, growing up. There's a
Speaker 1: lot of things that that we do and just you
Speaker 1: really earn earn everything you get. So that's kind of
Speaker 1: how I'm Chase his influence. He talked a little bit
Speaker 1: about the schedule and he's kind of helped you creating
Speaker 1: what kind of influence. Yeah, Chase has been great. You know,
Speaker 1: He's been with Drew Brees, he's been with Alex Smith,
Speaker 1: He's been with some good quarterbacks, and really he's a
Speaker 1: true professional, you know, and he knows what it takes
Speaker 1: to prepare and what it's like. So so coming in
Speaker 1: and having him, you know, kind of help kind of
Speaker 1: create a schedule. Um, and I can more or less
Speaker 1: just take what schedule he's been using for for eight years,
Speaker 1: you know. And UM, that's been huge. You know, the
Speaker 1: last two weeks, I felt more than prepared, and UM,
Speaker 1: he's been a big part of that. Yourself takes you
Speaker 1: do soon do UM, I need to make you cringe
Speaker 1: for you know everything. Um, I don't know cringe, but
Speaker 1: you know, I'm mad at myself just as much. You know,
Speaker 1: I don't I don't want to take those hits, um
Speaker 1: by any means. So it's it's something again. I'm just
Speaker 1: still I'm still learning, and UM, I can tell myself
Speaker 1: over and over again. But it's one of those things
Speaker 1: when you're in the heat of battle. Um, it's just
Speaker 1: almost got to just keep keep reprogramming myself. You spent
Speaker 1: with Roethlisberger. What's the impetus for that? Was it your agency?
Speaker 1: Was this something you sought out? How did that work out? Yeah,
Speaker 1: it was through our agency, you know, he he we
Speaker 1: had the same age and everything. So, um, it was
Speaker 1: cool to really meet up with him and get to
Speaker 1: know him a little bit. And I'm looking forward to
Speaker 1: playing him and getting to know him even more. So far,
Speaker 1: doesn't seem you do this game really best for I
Speaker 1: can't who you were. You know, every week you're trying
Speaker 1: to see where you're at. You know, it's it's it's
Speaker 1: cool to be too and oh and you know we've
Speaker 1: done some good things. But um, every week you're trying
Speaker 1: to see where you're at and where you measure up.
Speaker 1: You know, the Steelers present a big challenge. You know,
Speaker 1: they do. And UM, I think we'll be uh, we'll
Speaker 1: be ready for the accelerated time aline, the short week.
Speaker 1: What does it mean for you? Um, you know it
Speaker 1: hasn't changed a lot. It really just the off day,
Speaker 1: UM really was non existent, so to speak, was the
Speaker 1: biggest thing. And um, but other than that, you know,
Speaker 1: we feel good, we feel comfortable. It's a lot for
Speaker 1: a lot of guys. It's physically. I'm just making sure
Speaker 1: your body is ready to go come Sunday afternoon. I'm
Speaker 1: feeling pretty good, feeling pretty good, feeling good. What's the
Speaker 1: value of the way the defense is playing. It's huge,
Speaker 1: you know, defense and special teams have been tremendous. You know,
Speaker 1: these have been amazing team wins. You know, it hasn't
Speaker 1: been the offense, hasn't been just the defense. It's it's
Speaker 1: it's all of us, all three phases. So UM, that's
Speaker 1: been huge, and especially for me. You know, we've gotten
Speaker 1: I don't know what our field position numbers are or anything,
Speaker 1: but we feel like we've we've started with good field position,
Speaker 1: so defense, special teams, offense. You know, we feel like
Speaker 1: we got some special going here. Thank you.