Thank you very much.
You have these forty plus days or training camp opened and you weren't here. How did you stay positive? What was going through your mind during.
That whole process?
A lot, definitely a lot of thinking. There's certain points throughout it that are more stressful than others. But I trust the team around me, and I know that they have my best interest in mind. And I trusted the forty nine ers organization and all of them to work well with with my guys, and I had trust all along. But it definitely was stressful.
A point late where you just told your representation get it done. I don't care what it looks like.
I think that's always the goal. But I kind of defer to Brian ay Roll. He's the best there is and I trust him to tell me when it's time when And yeah, he's he's as good as it gets. It's fun to fun to watch him do his job.
Kyle was saying that as it came down to it for the last weekend, he just resigned himself to the fact that you weren't going to be here, just so he would quit going back and forth in his mind. Did did he get to that point for you? Did you think that there was a good chance you were not going to be here the first game.
I always I mean, you don't know what people are thinking. You don't know really what's going to happen. You're just getting updates every once in a while. And the closer he got, the more it seemed like it was a possibility. But I'm very appreciative of of this organization obviously for believing in me, and the York Family for believing in me, and I just want to thank them for for doing that,
and John, Lene and Kyle for believing in me. It's definitely an honor to be able to be with this organization for the majority of my career.
It was twenty nineteen a guide for you and that you could, you know, go right up until the start of the season and still perform.
Well, yeah, I think I did kind of the same thing in twenty one. I was around, but obviously, but I wasn't really practicing as much. And yeah, I wanted to get out here at least get a couple of days in. And I mean, I've been training the whole time, but it's different just doing all football stuff. And the past two days it's felt really good. So I'm really confident, Mo, since you've been able to.
Do to kind of duplicate what you can do on the field or what you'll be asked to do on Sunday. Is there anything in training that can really get you ready for what you're going to go through on Sunday.
Yeah. And my trainer, Todd Rice me. We work within me and my brother, and all the stuff we're always doing is training for to play the game. Obviously, it's strengthening everything and just improving upon mobility and strength and speed and all that stuff, and strengthening your hamstrings and being ready to take on a seventeen game season. So I've been doing all that, but you can't necessarily do the reps. Obviously, you don't have offensive linemen to go against,
and you're obviously managing risk. So there's a little bit of a difference there and it takes a little bit of time. But I'm confident.
Playing for a new contract, to get the contract, and then playing with it once you have it.
I haven't played yet, but I'm definitely thinking that it's going to be a weight off my shoulders and I'm just going to be able to really not really think about all the negative thoughts that come along with playing this game and just just be free out there and play for one reason and to win games.
What are your realistic expectations for Sunday in terms of what your workload?
How close to normal can you be? I am confident. I'm not sure what Kyle's plan is, but I'd be up for normal workload for sure, but I haven't talked to him yet.
Experience after the day, the days after the first game in nineteen and twenty one, I made you feel more sore for not having had going through training camp.
I feel like, maybe like your neck and just like the initial contact that you go through playing football and that stuff. But overall your hip flexers, you're growing and stuff will probably feel a little more sore, but it's all just adapting to playing the game.
From your teammates.
When you came back and what did it feel like for you to be around the.
Team again, it was unbelievable. I've been waiting for that moment. That's probably one of the biggest things I was excited for, is to walk in the building and see all the guys. I know they had my back. Players have each other's back in this league because it's business at the end of the day, and it was really cool to see everybody back to back days.
A Greek the terms. I know he's a friend of yours. I think same representation too. What was it like going through this process with him going through a similar one at the same time.
It was interesting. We we would shoot texts back and forth and be like you almost almost there, almost there, and a lot of it was not much update for weeks on end, and then finally he sent me a the eyes emoji and I knew it was it was time for him. I forget what I sent him when when I got it, But it was cool.
With everything you've been going through, you had any time to prepare for the Steelers and what you're going to be going up against and in their offense.
Yeah, I mean I've been in meetings the past couple of days and I've practiced today, so it should be good.
You've got a big contract, any anything on your first purchase, big purchase.
Definitely get a house out here, which will be a pretty big purchase in this area. Good