Zach. I know coming into this season, you quote unquote transformed your body. How much did that help you? I think it helped me a lot, you know, just being able to bulk up during this last offseason and kind of put on functional, functional weight that I knew I was gonna be able to, you know use for my different role is more so blocking and um, I guess being able to be a little harder to bring down after I catch the ball. So I think it helped me out a lot. And I kind of felt that.
I think when we talked this last summer, Um, I knew that it was going to help me going forward and be an advantage for me, and I think it was. Was it easy to maintain throughout the season as well? Yeah, it was surprisingly. I didn't think I was gonna be able to maintain it. Um Uh. Coach Tomlin was just talking to the other day. You know, now that I'm twenty five years old, you know, it's a little easier
to hold the weight on. You know, you don't need to go through all the different fluctuations of being a younger guy. So now that kind of made me feel old with that conversation. But it's it's it's easier to hold onto you for sure. Now, Um, what do you plan to do this offseason? And have you even thought about, you know, looking back after talking to coaches and just wrapping a bow for this season, what you were able
to accomplish? Well, my off season plan is to just work on work on some things that I feel like I need to work on. Flexibility, core, Um, you know, just continue to stay conditioned. Um. I'll be back home in Albuquerque with my parents for a little while and I'll be back here, and you know, I never liked it to get away from this building for too long, so I'll be kind of back and forth. Um. You know, UM, I was. I was happy with with some of the
things I was able to accomplish this season. I think, um, coach Fredo and coach t or Um complimentary some of those things. But we also, um, you know, like I said, mentioned some things I need to work on. So I'm excited to get after that. What was it like having Pat friar Muth joined the team and it seems, you know, you guys got along instantly and your room was I would say, fun, Yeah, yeah, I had I had a
blast with the room this year. Um, we had some great personalities, and yeah, the addition of Pat was is huge for me. And he's like, you know, he's he's obviously he's you know, one of my best friends and um, a heck of a ball player. So it's a whole lot of fun. You know. I think we kind of compliment each other on and off the field, and I'm just excited to continue need to work and play with him. The physicality of the blocking, Um, how much do you
like that? And have you had to grow into liking that? I do like it a lot, um, And you know, it's something that I used to be real physical, like when I was younger, I played a little defense, but you know, that was something I got away from for so long playing quarterback. And I think especially for the last couple of years, I'm kind of finding myself really enjoying that aspect of it again. And um, so yeah, I'm having fun with it and I do enjoy it
and enjoy the position that I've been. Right now, speaking of quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger's last throw in the NFL was to you, did you think about it? Where's that ball? Um? Do you have it? So? I should have? There was eleven seconds on the clock or something like that. When we snapped the ball and I was tackled on the field, and so I got up in a hurry. I wasn't thinking about it immediately, so I threw the ball to
the reft to try to get lined up again. Um, but yeah, I should have just held on tight to the ball that the time is going to run out. Um, I do remember I was There were three or four Kansas City defenders but near the goal line, and for for a fleeting second, I thought I should go airborne and try to score for his last one. But I made a business decision to stay down. And I told him about that. He said it was fine. Um, what is it going to be like not having Ben Roethlisberger
around the facility, around the team moving forward? Oh, it's going to be an adjustment. Um. You know, I was talking to some of the equipment guys the other day. I said, it's gonna be weird not having seven around,
But it'll be even weirder for them, you know. They mean, he's been around here for so long, and there's there's so many people in this building that are used to having him and seeing him every single day for the last eighteen years and I've been fortunate enough to be around for three years, so it'll be bizarre for me, But um, I can't imagine how weird it's going to be for everybody involved. It's been here as long as
he has What is it going to be like? You probably, you know, would have to think about this a little bit. But knowing that there's going to be a quarterback competition, no matter if it's guys that are here, guys they bring in draft free agency, what does that do to a team and maybe even if it's the off season O T A s for instance, Well, we'll see. You know, you have to build a rapport with whoever these guys
are going to be. You know, we have Mason and Duyne here right now, and um so we know that they're going to be here, and so obviously guys are gonna be trying to work with them, and they're gonna be working hard this offseason. But it'll be interesting to see what, you know, what shakes out. Um. I know that our organization is going to make the best decision going forward, and so whoever we have back there, I know it's going to be a capable and um talented quarterback.
Are you an option at quarterback? I'd like to think I am. I'll have to put my name in the hat for that. UM. I throw in pretium warm ups a little bit, so I'll have to keep my arm loose.