Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's cool. I mean, obviously there have
Speaker 1: been so many great players in this organization, UM, and
Speaker 1: to set the record at home obviously very special. But
Speaker 1: at the same time, the most important thing to me
Speaker 1: tonight was to win UM five and six against the
Speaker 1: good football team, against a really good run defense. UM.
Speaker 1: They got good players up and down that defense. So
Speaker 1: something that we needed tonight, UM, and something that allowed
Speaker 1: us to continue to have the every opportunity UM in
Speaker 1: terms of the postseason in front of us. That was
Speaker 1: the most important thing. How your connection with Yeah, I mean,
Speaker 1: I think this year's definitely taking that next step. UM.
Speaker 1: I thought last year we were playing at a high level,
Speaker 1: but I think this year we've kind of taken that
Speaker 1: next step. UM. We see the game so similarly. We
Speaker 1: talk about football all the time. We're fully invested in
Speaker 1: being the best players we can be for this team,
Speaker 1: in this organization, and we just love the game of football.
Speaker 1: We love talking about it. We love, um the fine
Speaker 1: art of route running and the timing of the quarterback
Speaker 1: in the tight end, and I think you can see
Speaker 1: it each and every Sunday most of the time. There's
Speaker 1: been one time this year I think we've seen something
Speaker 1: different and other than that, we see the game very similarly.
Speaker 1: And it's a lot of fun playing with him. I mean,
Speaker 1: the guy is so competitive, he's so talented. Um, it's
Speaker 1: really fun. Yeah, I mean, I mean putting up that
Speaker 1: many yards against that defense, Um, it's very I think
Speaker 1: it's very revealing about where we're at as an offense. Obviously,
Speaker 1: we have the ball inside the five twice and don't
Speaker 1: get any points. It's tough. But at the same time,
Speaker 1: we didn't panic after those drives and we've got a
Speaker 1: lot of good players on offense. And this isn't about
Speaker 1: me at all. Um. Everyone else is doing their job
Speaker 1: tonight and that was the most important thing coming out here,
Speaker 1: finding a win. So happy for Darren. He's been through
Speaker 1: the gam at the past eleven weeks of trying to
Speaker 1: get right from the Sam strength thing, and just proud
Speaker 1: of all the work he put in to get to
Speaker 1: this point. He could have easily called it quits and said, man,
Speaker 1: maybe this just isn't for me anymore, um, but he
Speaker 1: really stuck, stuck to the process and just found a
Speaker 1: way to get healthy. And we need him. I mean,
Speaker 1: he's a dynamic player and he's really helpful for our
Speaker 1: football team clicking after a whole season struggling. Why do
Speaker 1: you think that, UM, I mean, I think it just
Speaker 1: takes time. We got new faces. Obviously Carson didn't start
Speaker 1: the year UM bringing in new guys. UM. But we
Speaker 1: work really hard in practice. I mean we're grinding for
Speaker 1: three days during the week trying to get this thing right.
Speaker 1: We understood that the talent level on the offense wasn't
Speaker 1: matching their production, UM, and guys were not panicking by
Speaker 1: any means. UM. We were just focused on being better
Speaker 1: from the previous week, and I think it's finally starting
Speaker 1: to click. UM. Against the defense tonight that I mean
Speaker 1: that front seven is probably one of the best in
Speaker 1: the league. UM. Josh Norman is one of the best corners,
Speaker 1: two really good safeties. UM. So it was a really
Speaker 1: good performance. We held the ball for a long time,
Speaker 1: and most importantly, I mean, our team is built to
Speaker 1: play with the lead, UM and coming out fast, getting
Speaker 1: seven points early, something we haven't really done and been
Speaker 1: successful UM in most of these games. So that's probably
Speaker 1: the biggest thing that I took from tonight was we
Speaker 1: finally started fast one. Yeah, express what your yeah? In
Speaker 1: terms of route running. I mean just studying him for
Speaker 1: so long. UM, finding the intricacies of how he ran
Speaker 1: routes something that I studied from the moment I came
Speaker 1: into the league. Since I had the opportunity to really
Speaker 1: study tight ends and study their film. He was the
Speaker 1: guy I was always watching because it seemed like third down. UM,
Speaker 1: he was always getting his number called, and he was
Speaker 1: always attacking leverage, and so I just really just modeled
Speaker 1: my game after him. I think there's there are some differences,
Speaker 1: but there's a lot of similarities. Um. And I've said
Speaker 1: it since I was sixteen. He was the guy that
Speaker 1: was always on TV, unfortunately back in California, and he
Speaker 1: was the guy that I was forced to watch. But
Speaker 1: at the same time, it was the perfect guy for
Speaker 1: me to watch because I was able to see, at
Speaker 1: sixteen years old, how a tight end should play. UM
Speaker 1: as the ultimate respect for him, he knows that. Um,
Speaker 1: we have a good relationship. I obviously we shouldn't play
Speaker 1: for the Cowboys, but UM, it was fun playing against
Speaker 1: him too. For a couple of years. The only jersey
Speaker 1: that yeah, yeah, he just uh you know, he told
Speaker 1: me in the passion Know it wasn't because that he
Speaker 1: was my favorite tight end growing up. He said it
Speaker 1: was because of he really respected how I played the game, UM,
Speaker 1: and how how I was always trying to get better.
Speaker 1: He said, he was watching my game from the moment
Speaker 1: I came into the league. UM, and he was one
Speaker 1: of the guys that I was one of the guys
Speaker 1: he was studying the off season and having being the
Speaker 1: only guy that he ever traded jersey with is honestly special. Obviously,
Speaker 1: everyone knows how I feel about him and h I'm
Speaker 1: excited for the game next weekend down problems, targets. Did
Speaker 1: you hear of that? I did hear of it, obviously, UM, obviously, UM.
Speaker 1: There are there are things that come out playing in
Speaker 1: the NFL for six years, there are things that come
Speaker 1: out sources all the time. UM. I don't feel like,
Speaker 1: I hope I'm not the problem. I don't think I'm
Speaker 1: the problem. I'm just trying to be the best tight
Speaker 1: end I can be. UM. I said all along, it's
Speaker 1: all about efficiency. UM, when it comes to targets and catches,
Speaker 1: I feel like we're efficient in that regard. UM, And
Speaker 1: I think I mean, I'm just focusing on trying to
Speaker 1: put wins on tape. That's the only thing I try
Speaker 1: and do. Um, I don't really focus on whether I
Speaker 1: get the ball or not. I said it all along,
Speaker 1: whether I get two catches or ten catches, the most
Speaker 1: important thing to me is winning football games. And I
Speaker 1: thoroughly believe each and every guy in that locker room
Speaker 1: feels the same way. Um. There's never been a doubt
Speaker 1: of selfishness from anyone in that locker room. And UM,
Speaker 1: I don't think. I don't want to give it too
Speaker 1: much merit just is what it is. UM. Focused on
Speaker 1: the win tonight. I felt like everyone got the ball,
Speaker 1: felt like it was a it was a good team win.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm focused on. Addressed the team or no,
Speaker 1: I didn't care at all. Um, I don't think there
Speaker 1: was anything to address. UM. I mean, it was an
Speaker 1: anonymous source, so if it was one of my teammates,
Speaker 1: I felt like they I mean, I'm I don't have
Speaker 1: a motive by any means. I feel like we have
Speaker 1: a great relationship with all my teammates and I got
Speaker 1: I mean, I can't give too much credit to an
Speaker 1: anonymous source because I don't know who it was. But
Speaker 1: for practice to a Thursday, Yeah, I guess I'll thank
Speaker 1: all you for that. Yeah. I mean, typically we don't
Speaker 1: start practicing until two days after a game. UM, it'd
Speaker 1: be really tough to go out there on Wednesday and
Speaker 1: play football game after a physical football game like we
Speaker 1: just had. UM, And at this point in the year,
Speaker 1: the recovery sometimes more important than the little little details.
Speaker 1: I mean, obviously, we played these guys a couple weeks ago. Um,
Speaker 1: I played them. There's gonna be my twelfth time playing them,
Speaker 1: so they know me, I know them. UM, it's gonna
Speaker 1: come down to how fresh can we be for that game. UM,
Speaker 1: that's gonna be the most important thing for a lot
Speaker 1: of guys, just trying to get your body right. Obviously
Speaker 1: it's gonna be week thirteen for us, So that's how
Speaker 1: your body feels right now. And guys are gonna be
Speaker 1: in the training room, living in the training room. Hopefully
Speaker 1: we'll get some more with these injured guys back. Um.
Speaker 1: But UM, I think that's the right schedule in terms
Speaker 1: of practicing. UM. I want to be on the field
Speaker 1: each and every play. But at the same time, Dallas
Speaker 1: is playing really well. UM. I got a lot of
Speaker 1: confidence teaching every time he's in the game. I got
Speaker 1: a lot of confidence in the coaches doing what they do,
Speaker 1: drawn out the game plan. Um, it's not saying that
Speaker 1: fourth and one, I'm off the field. It's based on
Speaker 1: the play that they already have called. UM. So each
Speaker 1: and every week they personnel the plays. Um, I can't
Speaker 1: every snap. Obviously, We've got in that early in the
Speaker 1: year and it's just not sustainable. So that was a
Speaker 1: play where Dallas was in. It was a scramble or
Speaker 1: it was an automatic sprint out to the right and
Speaker 1: he was backside, and it was a great play call.
Speaker 1: You said a few weeks ago that you had to
Speaker 1: believe despite the evidence. Yeah, two wins since then, and
Speaker 1: I'm playing the first place on Sunday. Just kind of
Speaker 1: what was the feeling in the locker room after this one. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean, guys are obviously extremely happy. It's really tough
Speaker 1: to win football games in this league. Guys, we found
Speaker 1: out the first eleven games of this year. Obviously we
Speaker 1: didn't start the way we thought we were going to.
Speaker 1: But I think this one really speaks to the overall
Speaker 1: resiliency of this football team, the character of the guys
Speaker 1: in the locker room. Obviously, at four and six. When
Speaker 1: we got drilled by the Saints a few weeks back,
Speaker 1: everyone had the opportunity to kind of put their head,
Speaker 1: heads down and sulk. But guys in that in that
Speaker 1: locker room really loved the game of football. I think
Speaker 1: guys really loved their craft. And I mean we went
Speaker 1: to work and obviously six and six now not where
Speaker 1: we wanted or thought we were going to be. But
Speaker 1: at the same time, we got the whole season in
Speaker 1: front of us. UM, I think we're close. I think
Speaker 1: we're really close. Um. Obviously, we scored two touchdowns inside
Speaker 1: the five yard line tonight, We're putting up forty against
Speaker 1: a really good team, and so if we're able to
Speaker 1: execute in the low red zone. UM, just finding little
Speaker 1: things to be better at each and every week. But
Speaker 1: I think we're close to reaching our ultimate potential as
Speaker 1: an offense. Okay, thanks guys, Thank you guys.