 It's been a good first day of official mini-camp, but we've been grinding our OTAs. Have you picked up any tweaks of hints of changes under the second year with Arthur Smith? In regards to hints, in regards to- In the way things are being run and practice, et cetera. I can say it's more smooth, you know? And you got guys who've been in the program now and understand expectations and bringing in guys who want to impress the coaching staff, impress the teammates. So it's been smooth. I feel like the camaraderie has been very, very well and closer than any team. I feel like I've been apart since I've been here, just the way guys vibe and working together. And it's just a healthy, healthy competition. At the end of the day, it's going to lead to some good things for us. You said you're enjoying getting to learn some things about your teammates. Anyone stand out to you in particular? Man, it's been so many. It's been so many to keep up with. And I've been having to learn a lot of new names, but after doing some research, looking on some guys up and knowing we've got some real ballers, you know, got some guys who want to hit the field and make a name for themselves and continue to advance their career, whatever that may lead them. But it's like everybody pour it in and believes what we got going on here in Atlanta. That's why everybody here. How does that chemistry come so easily? You talked about the fact that you felt like it's here so far. So how does it come so easily with the new team? You know, it's been so natural, you know, I mean, just from working out, you know, to guys moving around in the building, to out here on the field. I'm sorry, I just feel like it's just been it's just been so effortless, you know? And, you know, we welcome guys to open arms. And, you know, it's like it's like a place guys don't want to leave. Guys want to be here. They want to compete. And that's what we want. I don't know if it cooled it off now. It's like it might have steamed that thing up a little bit, you know what I'm saying? But man, it's been a super hot couple of days. We had to cut my youth camp short on Saturday for all the little kids. The babies was falling out on me. They was mad at me because I gave them black shirts for camp. I had to make up some story. I said, I said, I know y'all going to get something to eat after this. I ain't want y'all to wear the white and get food on your shirt. Mess up your pictures. But no, I did them dirty. So I appreciate everybody coming out to the camp. Now, it's been a hard couple of days, but this is what it's about. I mean, you're so used to this though, right? I mean, being like a Georgia guy, the heat. You know, I'm a Georgia boy through and through, you know what I'm saying? And but every year, you know, you got to always ramp up, ramp up to it. I feel like whether you live in the heat or the cold, people can say you get used to it, but you always got to prep for it, man. You know, you always got to get used to it. How many kids you get out there? We had about 350 in the youth camp. And then we had 12 high schools for for the 707 and a big man challenge. I'm going to put up some footage here in the next couple of days. So get guys to check it out. So we did it here and just get straight to it. And we had a little rain delay. So, you know, kind of cool it off for about the first half of our, we'll say almost second practice or whatever it may be. But definitely got hotter towards the end. So no, but, you know, I was proud of our team come out here after a little adversity, having to go back in the locker room for an hour, come back out here and continue to work. Where do you feel like you're physically and mentally at this point? Yeah, physically, you know, I feel like I can always just keep getting into shape. Obviously, you know, this past six months have been, you know, training for the 40 training for kind of skill drills. Now it's about getting into football shape. So I can still get into better shape, you know, mentally. You know, I think I'm right where I need to be. I can always continue to get better at that, though, and continue to be the best person, the best teammate I can be. We were talking to Marcus last week and he made the comment that he was like something that he likes about the staff is that they're constantly challenging him from a mental standpoint. What does that kind of look like from a day to day standpoint for you to? Yeah, so now we kind of, you know, put in what we're going to call, you know, kind of a check system with our offense. So we want plays designed within plays. And, you know, we really wanted to go out there and get a certain play against a perfect look. And so, you know, we're able to check into a play that we like rather than what we had on. So, you know, for us, this quarterback is mentally it's adding new checks in every single day and then coming out here and repping them against the looks that we want to see. Charles London was also talking about this whole idea of wanting to make sure you and Marcus can save yourself in the moment, in the heat of a game. What does that mean for you when you're kind of looking at what you do? Yeah, I mean, for me, that's just playing smart, being a smart quarterback. That's not, you know, going out there, taking too many hits, obviously being smart with the ball, both when you have it in your hands and then when you go to throw it. But then just being able to survive to the next play live to see another down, that's what we like to say. So that's what that would mean to me. As you guys are installing an offense, what's the biggest difference for you from college to pro? Oh, play calls 100 percent. That's the biggest thing. But just going home at night, getting on your iPhone, your voice recorder and just sitting there and reading the script into the voice recorder and then putting your AirPods back in and then reading it back out. Kind of like how the helmet is to us. So just being able to pick them up and spit them out. That's kind of been my challenge and, you know, where I've needed to grow the most throughout this entire thing. But I feel like I've done a great job of that. I feel like I've done a great job of preparing and learning and understanding and offense. So the terminology and the verb, which comes out a lot easier. Who taught you how to go through play calls like that? Just a whole bunch of people. I mean, throughout this entire process, especially at the quarterback position, that's, you know, kind of just a certain way that they tell us to do it. So from guys here, Marcus, you know, Coach Rags, all the way to Palmer, my quarterback trainer, to Coach Gino Godulli, my quarterback coach at UC. So I mean, there's been a lot of people. But you've been like working with Kyle Pitts and Drake London out there. Yeah, it definitely makes my job a lot easier. Just being able to, you know, those are smart guys and big guys, just being able to go put it out and give them a chance to go get it. Like we say, let our playmakers go make plays and that's what they do best. Yeah, as a tight end, he's a great body and a great athlete. You know, Coach Rags always jokes to kind of all three of us of Marcus, myself and Felipe, that he's the best athlete out of all of us. Where me and Marcus kind of chuckle. But no, you know, he's a great addition to our team, not only in the quarterback room, but in the tight end room. You know, he's not only helping, you know, our team out, but he's helping himself out individually as well. I'm straight three out of many camp, between camp and in three seasons, everybody every week is going to ask, who's starting, who's starting as a player and how do you sort of process and approach the situation? Yeah, I mean, I take it day by day. You know, I'm not coming out here trying to, you know, win the starting job, you know, right here right now. My job is to come out here and to make myself better to then make Marcus better, to then make the team better. And so that's just my job, my role right now is to kind of, you know, bring everyone else with me, bring the rookies with me, bring all the guys around me with me so that we can become better. Is it unusual or does it feel weird to come when you go from college to pro when you when you started in college to suddenly sort of have to refurb yourself to see if you're good enough to start? No, I mean, that's just the that's just the way of the game, that's just how it goes. You know, we're coming into this league as a competitive league, not only, you know, at our position, but, you know, all the teams in general. So, you know, at the end of the day, whatever your job it is, whatever your role is, you're competing somewhere or another. Yeah, just the way he approaches the game, you know, meeting with them in the morning, just going over the script, kind of how he talked about learning the plays and everything to the simple way of how he takes care of his body, what he does, not only on the field, obviously, we're both out here on the field. So picking up little tips and tricks of, you know, how we how we manage his coverage is and and different things like that. And then, you know, just off the field stuff, like I said, take care of your body, how to watch film. Excuse me. And then, you know, a kind of funny thing. We had dinner with Olimon the other night and, you know, I'm sitting at the table with Jake Matthews and nah, mom, I'm going to pass on that one. We're good. No, go ahead. You can't do that. I can't. Well, I mean, you could, I mean, we won't tell him. No, we're good. But Drake had also mentioned that this rookie class really has a great connection. He said that Coach Smith's a good job drafting you guys. So why do you have a good connection? What it means? I mean, we just all wanted to come in here and work. And, you know, that's I'm sure what every rookie class would say. But, you know, this rookie class, you know, we're something that we want to come in here and we really want to change the way that things have gone the past couple of years and try to turn them into something better. You know, that's what that's what Coach Smith is preach since we got here. And that's what we'll continue to preach. So just bringing not only myself, but like I said earlier, all the rookies around me to give the level we need to be to make the team most successful. I'm sure expectations you came in. That's like one thing that maybe you look at, like, wow, I was surprised that you did not think that was going to be that hard. That was going to be that different. I would just, yeah, I would just say the overall knowledge of the offense. And, you know, I thought, honestly, I'm not going to lie. I thought I was going to come in and kind of struggle a little bit. You know, we're almost all the way through all of our installs. And like I said, putting in all those checks, I got a good grasp of it. So that kind of surprised me, honestly, you know, I'm not saying I wouldn't have picked it up, but, you know, I definitely thought it would have took maybe just a little bit longer, a couple of extra more days. But I've been able to pick up on it pretty smoothly. What did you realize that maybe I'm getting this a little bit faster than I thought? About last week. What was it that happened last week that told you that? I mean, it was just the flow of it. Like I said, the way it's coming out of, you know, my sentences in the huddle to the command that I had at the line of scrimmage to see in the defense, but also seeing the offense, you know, everything just came to me. That's the number they gave me. No, they asked me to choose between four, 13 and 16. And I know Lorenzo Carter, he had nine. And so I, you know, sent him a DM after the draft to try to get that. But he had had that locked up. So, you know, I went with four. So, you know, I'm a rock for it for now. And, you know, we'll see. You know, I'm a frugal guy. So, you know, I think the number change can wait. Did he throw a number out to you at four? No, so yeah, he didn't throw a number out. I, you know, just dumb rookie. I'm just going to ask for it out. You know, he shot that down real quick. But, you know, I knew that there was a number. Didn't know what that number was. So, I just wasn't even going to go for it. Obviously, you and Marcus are competing with one another. But what do you feel like your relationship is like right now? Oh, yeah, he's like a big bro to me. You know, like I said earlier, you know, he's taking me under his wing. You know, just taught me some of the little nuances of, you know, not only becoming an NFL quarterback, a quarterback, but just NFL player in general. And so, you know, I'm excited to keep learning from and keep growing. Still got to get on the golf course to see what that game's like. So, it'll be fun. Speaking of relationships, how have you gone about building relationships with the wide receivers and competitors in general? Yeah, just being myself, you know, building relationships, obviously, with the amount here on the field, but just in the locker room, too. You know, getting with them in meetings and then just in the locker room, just grooving around with them, getting to know them individually, personally. That's kind of my leadership style. That's the way I go about it. And I feel like that's the best way for me. So, golf course, it's going to be better. I don't know, Marcus has been playing a lot. I've been pretty devoted into this playbook right now. That's what I'm going to use in my excuse now. But he's got out a couple more times. So I don't know if we'll get to get out this season. But hopefully, you know, after we take care of our work this season, we can head out. Yeah, I mean, like I said, that would be one day it's going to bring y'all out for that. Yeah, no, we'll be out there. I'm hoping to have obviously, Drake is going to be out there with me, but hoping to have a couple more guys come out there. We're going to Jordan Palmer, T.J. Yusmanzada. That's who works out Drake. But just getting out there, building the connection with all these guys and try to come back to it. It's your first mandatory mini-campus or rookie. How do you feel like it's going so far? Great. I think I'm learning a lot. I think I could say that for the whole rookie class. So we're just learning a lot and excelling at what we're doing right now. I think we're doing pretty good and we're headed in the right direction, which is all that really matters, you know? What's it been like to get reps with Desmond Ritter and also Marcus Mariota, how's the connection going? I mean, a blessing. I mean, honestly, Marcus Mariota is at QBE and catching balls from him. It's pretty cool. I've been watching him since Oregon. So it's like a dream come true, playing NCAA with him and all that. But also Ritter too, strong arm, really, really smart. It's really, really cool to play with a guy like his caliber. How do you compare where you're at, how you're feeling, just comfort level now from taking the field the first time in rookie camp? Like night and day, like how today was, it was bright and sunny and then all of a sudden it started raining, kind of like that. Honestly, just getting in the field for playing football again at that. You know, I haven't played since like October. So I've had a couple of days in me, a couple of weeks in me to get acclimated and get back. I'm still progressing, obviously. All this is new, but I think I'm going in the right direction. Speaking of night and day and the weather, I don't know why I'm sweating more than you, by the way. This is water. I just spray water all over. What was it like? Is it a little extra, you know, intensity competition in the heat? Were y'all feeling it? Oh, yeah, most definitely. I mean, at least for me, I'm not used to this muggy weather like this. So it is a little bit new. But at the same time, it's just something you've got to go out there and do. And I don't mind it really. You're going to sweat anyway. So I think there was one moment we caught it. I'm not sure if it was a miscommunication or a ball off your hands or something like ripped off your helmet, just emotional reaction. Was that just the fiery competitor in you coming out that moment was early on in practice and drills? I'm going to be my hardest critic at the end of the day. That's how I've been since I was little, and that's how I'll always be. So sometimes it could get the best of me, but I try not to let it show and just keep it in my mind and keep on going from there. What do you like in particular about this hockey class? Just where everybody's mindset is. And it's honestly like a, I don't want to say like that, like a college field, but we're already so close knit to each other, which is really, really cool. And we were building connections that I don't think we're going to be able to break when we keep on growing, you know? So I think that's special about us. What makes you guys so close? Like, what's this connection that we don't get to see? I don't know. I honestly don't know. I just think it's a group of guys. I mean, Coach Smith did a great job of all recruiting us, all drafting us. So he did a good job with our mindsets and how we are sorry about that. So it just, we just go together, you know? What's the biggest thing you think you've learned so far, just putting in these OTA camps? What, anything that's changed for you? Again, the game comes down to a T is a game of inches. Everybody's on their P's and Q's. Everybody's done their eyes, you know, crossing their T's. So you have to be on point on everything you do. And I think that's what we're all learning fairly quick out here. And we're doing pretty good. What's your plans look like after minicamp? I know T is over. What do you have going on in the summer to get ready? Work my butt off. That's it. That's all I got to say to that is just work my butt off. I got a lot to prove and I'm ready to do it. Are any of the receivers getting together or anything like that? Quarterbacks? Any plans to do that before camp? Yeah, most likely. I mean, I'm going to be headed out back out to Cali. That's where I train and that's where I stay. But if they're out there, then I'll be more than willing to bring them in. Definitely going to get some work with the QBs, so it'll be good.