One year later.
How much different this NFC Championship game bring what it.
Did last year?
I mean pretty there's differences in similarities. I think for us, you know, just continue to have the mindset of one day at a time, one practice at a time, and then going out and executing no matter what the situation is. Obviously our sense of urgency is extremely high and love the way we've been practicing all week and excited to go.
Personally, for you, you were here for a half a season last year. At this year, you can hear the entire season. Does it give you a different perspective.
On it at all? I think just having familiarity with the with the guys and being there all off season and going through training camp with them, going through the highs and lows with everybody, Uh, definitely more comfortable and just with more time and more experience with all these guys definitely means a lot boost.
Is it to get depot even just in a limited basis back at practice today?
That's awesome? Anytime he's out there, Uh, he brings a extra set of juice that is hard to hard to mimic without him.
You heard about George being TV glass year.
BLUs George is unbelievable. Man. He's uh, he's someone that's you know, I think the best tight end in the league, and uh, somebody who uh does everything right, whether it's blocking, receiving, blocking downfield. His leadership is great, and he's tough as ever. You know, he played through anything and find any way to get on that field with his guys, and so I have the utmost amount of respect for him and really glad that I got to I get to be a teammate.
Last game, he had seventeen carries against Green Bay. In an ideal world, how many times would you like to tote the.
Ruck as many as it takes to win? Uh? Yeah, I mean I've had games where you have ten carries, have games where it's thirty. For me, it's not about the touches, it's about making them count. And uh, you know some games, you know, carries a lot of times are depending on one how well we're running the ball and two what the defense has given you. And so for me, I just try to make every single touch count, no matter if it's a carrier pass or if I'm blocking,
if whatever it may be. Just you just got to execute on that play.
Front seven statistically, they're real good against the running.
Sorry, yeah, they I mean they're extremely tough. You know, they play hard, they fly around, their physical I think they give you a lot of different looks. They pressure a lot, so I think a lot of guys get confused sometimes and you know where they're coming from. But overall, you know, it's a great defense that plays really hard and it's no shock there here.
What his game has drawn some comparison to yours?
Just sorry, what was that first part?
Gibbs? His game has drawn some some comparisons to yours. Do you have any advice for a young running back?
And yeah, I mean, just keep doing what he's doing. Uh, he's a stud man. Been a lot of fun to watch. I remember watching him in college. Uh. Just an exciting player and somebody who's going to be great for a really long time. So both those backs there, I have a lot of a lot of respect for the way they run. You know, they're fast, physical, they can break tackles, catch the ball, whatever it is. So I just have a lot of respect for him.
What have you learned running behind Trent Williams? From your view? How does a man that size move the way he does?
I've learned it's really fun to run behind Trent, And I have no idea how somebody that big moves like that. I've yet to figure that out. Sorry.
People joke that the NFL MVP Award is a quarterback awards, So what is it?
What do you think about a running back being a finalist this year? Yeah?
I mean, you know, all the awards are great. I think, uh, you know, when when you're this far into the season and you're playing for an NFC championship, it's hard to think about anything else but that. Obviously those things are cool, but I don't think they they touch how how meaningful it would be to to win this game and have an opportunity to go on to the next. But it's definitely an honor to be mentioned in that conversation. Definitely an honor.
Does it feel like any other week or is it electure? Uh?
You know, I think you prepared just like any other week. You know, I don't think you do more, but I think the natural emotion of this week has everybody pretty amped up ready to go.
There any emotions from from last year's NFC championship game into this one. Knowing just how you guys just really didn't get shot and did that fuel you and stick with you through this year just to.
Get back here for that, I think, you know, last year was last year. This year is this year. I think we're exactly where we want to be with a chance to win an NFC championship at home. And you know, I don't think we're thinking about last year at all. We're just focused on this week and doing everything possible to go out there and win. And there was a great photo of you in Tarve interview recent I think earlier this week.
What was it like to me up with her big football fans?
She gives me. Yeah, she's a legend obviously, just became the winning as coach and being a Stanford coach, so I would watch it when I was back in college and watch her team. So when I saw her, she had the jacket on with all the all the wins, so I had to go up and say hi, and she was awesome.
Talks about that kind of the interchangeability of you and Debo and how it affects defenses.
I know you're may not see.
Any real fan when you watch the team. How much does it make a difference when you have are both on the field together in terms of the way, even if you're not getting the ball, how it might influence the defense.
Yeah, I think it influences the defense a lot. I think, you know, in order to do that, you kind of have to have the right mentality. And I look at the way that guys like him and i UK and Juan and George and Juice, how everybody kind of commits to doing their job whether they have the ball or not. Uh So, in order for it to really have an effect, you have to do things right when you have the ball and when you don't have the ball. And he's
a good example of that. And even if he's just in motion, getting people to put their eyes on them, because you never know, you know, when he has a ball in his hands, it's pretty scary.
Many camps seem like you were on a totally different speed than almost everybody else on the field. Is this team kind of like on a mission based on the way last year ended to finish the deal and make that take those two extra steps?
Yeah, definitely, I think. I think, you know, going back to the first day at OTA's, you know, we definitely had a salty taste in our mouth from last year and we knew how how good this team can be, and teams like this don't always come around. So to have it and to have this opportunity and to be in the position we're in, the sense of urgency is definitely high.
And Kyle expressed the Detroit as this confusion up front.
How did they do that? What do they do?
I just think you know, the different stunts and blitzes that they do, and uh, they bring a lot of different people and they do it fast, so that would probably be the biggest thing. Appreciate you guys.