00:00Let me know that I made the 53 and, you know, it was a journey this camp and to get
00:05that call and show all the work was worth it, all the patience was worth it, it was everything.
00:09Bring us into that battle. What was it like going home each night knowing that it felt like every day
00:14was almost like a game for that position group?
00:17You know, you try to just take it one day at a time. So I used to go home, digest
00:22that day, and then, you know, kind of let it go behind me and move into the next with a
00:26clear mind.
00:27And that was kind of my consistency of pattern of staying focused and staying in the moment.
00:31Where do you get that fearlessness that you play with?
00:35Just knowing that, you know, I got nothing to lose. You know, I'm an underdog. I'm not supposed to be
00:40here, but I find a way every time.
00:43And, you know, that courageousness and having that family support and everybody supporting me, that backs me all the time.
00:48How special was the postgame in Philly? Do you like the cherry on top?
00:52Yeah, absolutely. The score touchdown at home in my home city, you know, with a hundred people in the crowd
00:59that I knew.
01:00And then coming out into the game and seeing my whole family out there supporting and cheering for me, it
01:05was a moment I would never forget.
01:07How would you characterize the competition now that you can look back on it and appreciate how hard a battle
01:13it was to get to that spot?
01:14Yeah, I mean, it pushed me to be a better player. You know, knowing that I had to show up
01:18and be my best self every day, there was no room for error, no room for, you know, just mess
01:23-ups.
01:23So, you know, it helped me to a higher standard. It pushed me to be better. And for that, it
01:27encouraged me to be the player I am right now.
01:30You said not supposed to be here. Have people told you that? Or is that just kind of an impression
01:34you've gotten from other people?
01:36Yeah, that's just an impression I get. You know, like I said, I've never been a top dog anywhere. I've
01:40always been an underdog. I always had to fight, claw, scratch, to find a way to make a way.
01:45And, you know, to this point, I've done it. But, you know, nobody's, like, telling me, no, you can't be
01:49here. But, you know, that's kind of the mentality I have to also encourage myself.
01:53You talked before you left for Philly about how special it would be if you made it. Was it everything
01:57you thought it would be getting that call?
01:58Every three, everything and more, you know, just, like I said, having that moment of having a pretty solid game
02:04and also getting a score touchdown in my home city.
02:06I haven't played there since high school with a bunch of family and supporters in the stands. It was special.
02:12Did you keep the ball?
02:13Absolutely. Absolutely.
02:14What are you going to do here?
02:15Sorry.
02:17Probably put it in the case or something. That's a special ball. But I'll probably send it back home with
02:21my family for now.
02:22Darren Simmons had told us coming into the camp that he felt like you were going to make it a
02:27competition.
02:28Did you feel like something happened in the spring that kind of made them really want to look at you
02:36a little bit more?
02:37I don't know. Like, I know they told me it was going to be an open competition.
02:41And I came with that mindset of, you know, there's a spot to be won.
02:45And, you know, it was up and down throughout from OTAs to now. But I'm just grateful the work was
02:52enough.
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