 How much have some of those kind of X plays that you hit last game? How much does that change a game and make the defense start thinking about some mills? Makes a difference, no doubt. Whenever you're able to get those explosive plays, shorten drives just by yard needed to gain. Definitely gets the defense on their heels and when they want to stack the box and we can take advantage of some looks down the field that helps. Ryan, your coach says Sunday is not a revenge game. Are you of that mindset as well? Yeah, no doubt. Just like I said, after Thursday night, that was last year. Half this team wasn't even here. So this is a new team facing another new team. Obviously a game we want to win, but it has nothing to do with last year. You've been around a lot of rookie receivers. Anything unique about Traylin just as far as his mindset approach, maybe how he handles his work? He's a heck of a player, young guy coming in, done everything we've asked him to do. And I think there's a lot of learning experiences along the way. But he's been great to work with, he's easy to work with. He's talented, obviously. He's got size, he's got strength, great hand, judges the ball well, can run. So he has everything you're looking for and he's doing a really good job of everything we're asking him to do. So I want to just keep the pressure on him, keep him growing in our offense. And he's going to continue to make plays for us. This team has a guy that's periodically flashed like he did. And sometimes it doesn't sustain it or build on it based on how somebody defends you or the game plan or whatever. How do you kind of balance that line between not necessarily forcing it to him but continuing to grow what he's doing? Yeah, just take advantage of the opportunities that come. Each game is different, each defense is different. Not only scheme, but the guys you're playing against. So it's going to present different opportunities each and every week. So when the opportunities arise, we want to hit them, take advantage of them. And just understanding that not every game is going to play out the exact same way. How significant was this time off for you personally in the ankle? How are you feeling? Yeah, getting there, still healing. But definitely the extra time off is nice and just want to continue progressing. I know this game isn't a revenge game, but for you, just from a mental recovery standpoint, how has the year gone? Do you notice anything different? Did you learn anything new about yourself? And we're going from that point to where you are now? I don't know exactly what you're looking for there. But yeah, every year is a learning experience. The guys around you are learning the nuances of how things are going throughout the year. And so each and every year is a little bit different. There's a little bit different mental side to it. And yeah, I think myself and everyone included has grown mentally throughout the challenges of the year. Some of the things you're seeing in the passing game, the last couple games, Ryan, does it give you sort of optimism that maybe a little bit of a corner has been turned compared to some of the earlier weeks of the season? Yeah, we want to keep building. We just want to keep building in what we're able to do and how we're attacking defenses. The receivers have been doing, and tight ends have been doing a great job of taking advantage of the opportunities. Like I said, every week is going to be different. And when we get those opportunities to make the plays, our guys have been stepping up and making them. So I've got to tip your hats to those guys. And like I said, you want to keep the foot on the gas and keep growing as an offense. It seems like every week you guys have the matchup advantage with Donchrell Hillary going against whoever he's going against. What has he done just to really step up and be able to lead the team in touchdown reception? He does everything we ask him to do. Obviously, he's savvy out of the backfield. He does a good job for us in protections, first of all. And then with that, we're able to get him out and in routes. And he's fast. He catches the ball really well. Has a good feel for how to set up defenders, how to attack defenders based on leverage. And he's done a really good job with it. It kind of remains to be seeing about Ben and whether he gets that protocol or not. But how did you think Brew did on Thursday night? And maybe how was it adjusting to a new center when we used to playing with Ben? Yeah, I was really happy with Brew. He came in there on a short week, not a lot of time to prepare, and did a great job for us. He handled the communication up front for the offensive line, kind of set the table for us, clean in the huddle, clean operation with all the snaps and everything. So to see a guy slide over from guard to center with hardly any preparation, I was really proud of him. 69 guys and a coaching staff, largely behind closed doors with nobody else allowed in to see how much is that part of what builds the chemistry, the camaraderie of a good football team? Well, it's definitely part of it. The tone that gets set each and every day in the meeting room, sorry, with Coach Vrable, and the message that he preaches, whether it's the message of the week or the overall foundation of the program, gets everyone to buy in. And then when you see it work throughout the year and on game days, gets the players to really lock in and engage it and buy into it. So that's definitely where the table is set. Is the closed circle part kind of important? You're leaning on each other. You kind of know each other in a special way. And it's kind of you and everybody else. I think that's definitely part of it. I mean, at the end of the day, we're all we got when we step out on that field. It doesn't really matter what people are saying or what's going on outside. As soon as the ball is kicked, you have your teammates, your coaching staff, and everyone you prepared with. And that's all you got. So you really have to lean into each other during those times and go out there and battle and find a way to win games. Talk about how almost half this team wasn't here from last year. This team kind of got off to a slow start. How much do you feel like that you guys are starting to trend in the right direction and starting to get back to what you had last year where it's finding a way to win no matter what? Yeah, I think we've done some good things. So I have a lot of room to improve. So that's the goal each and every day as we come out here and find a way to improve whether it's mentally, physically, and your preparation and your recovery. And then, ultimately, you've got to find a way to win games. And I think we've done that over the course of the past seven or eight weeks, and definitely it's going to be the number one thing as we move forward. Some of their personnel has changed, as you mentioned, but what do they do on defense that maybe gives offenses trouble? Yeah, they're a good defense. They're solid all the way around. Big physical front. They make things tough. They're long on the edges, big in the middle. Their backers are running all over. They have a veteran secondary who's seen a lot of football, understands concepts and how they're getting attacked and has really good instincts. So you look at them, talk to them, and it's a solid defense. I know that you're not comparing that to last year's game, but the fans, obviously, take a different take in that. And they kind of want revenge on Bengals. So is it nice to have them here and have an opportunity, again, to maybe get a win for the fans? And what have you thought about the crowds this year at Nissan Stadium? The crowds have been great. It's fun. Anytime you get to step on Nissan and play in front of your home fans, that's an exciting day. And so this day is no different. Want to go out there and find a way to win. Derek kind of joked that when he was told that he had three touchdown passes in his career, that he was like a young Peyton Manning. Is he lobbying for extra chances? Or how do you maybe tell him, OK, that's enough for the year? If Derek gets another opportunity, that'd be great. As long as it goes for a touchdown or completion, I'm happy with it. Momentum-wise, do you take from last week's game? Are you able to carry that into this week? Or is that something that it kind of starts from today and rolls into the game? How do you go like you approach that momentum? Yeah, I mean, there's a little bit. But at the end of the day, each game is different, right? So you'd like to build on what you did well in the game before and in the games before leading up to this point. Ideally, you're making corrections and growing from each and every game. So I definitely think there's an aspect to growing on what we've done the past few weeks. And like I said, just keeping the foot on the gas and trying to find ways to improve. Mike, as you start this game week, status with Todd, is it something that you just keep working until the legal process, league process comes to a conclusion? Or how do you handle that now? Well, we'll continue forward with how things were. As Todd is our offensive coordinator, now those things could change. I want to make sure that everybody understands that at any point in time when we hear from the league or that the legal process, those things could obviously change. I want to make sure that everybody understands that. But as of right now, that's where we're at status quo. Why not be proactive and not wait on the league and do something as an organization rather than wait and let the league handle a difficult situation? And again, I appreciate that. I do. I think it's my experience, the organization's experience that we'll just wait for everything to play out. And then obviously, if the decisions that we make require us to be held accountable, we'll absolutely do that. Our entire focus now, it's got to be on Cincinnati. That's what I told the team. That's what I expressed. And I'm confident that we'll do that. So the way you phrased that, I think maybe you said, if the decisions we make require us to be held accountable, you don't feel the decisions that you've made require you to be held accountable? I think that, again, our focus is on Cincinnati. We understand that there's things outside of football that we have to deal with. And certainly in this case, that we'll have to do that. So this is the decision. This is where we're at right now. And that can obviously change. What's planned to get there is a change, Mike? Well, right now, I'm just focused on Cincinnati. And we've got a bunch of people in place. So our full focus has to be on Cincinnati. They've won four of the last five games. Listen to them talk. This is right where they were last year. And this is really when they started to take off. So we'll have to do the same thing. We'll have to try to continue to improve. How much of a playoff game, maybe what you're doing about them can back in the day where you're healthy in preparation for this one? You know, I mean, this is not a revenge game. More than half of our team didn't even plan that game. But I think trying to have some familiarity with who they are have a lot of respect for them, obviously in all three phases. So that might help, Jim. There may be some carryover. You know, I'm sure they're still going to try to get the ball to their elite skill players. And whoever those may be, based on availability, defensively, they're going to make it tough for you. And very good front and aggressive secondary. For Ryan, he said, you know, Tata always said this game, you know, last year, put him in a dark place. He wanted to attack this year with a new desire for winning. How have you seen him just kind of bounce back from that downtime after losing that game? As a group, you guys lost, how has he bounced back? Well, I think that would be best for Ryan to talk through. You know, I think that coming off the last week's game, you know, we have to try to continue to do that. You can see that when we give him time and, you know, we're available and he was very accurate. So I think it was a good case of a lot of things coming together, his decision making, our protection, and guys being where they need to be. So that'll obviously have to continue. We'll see how that goes against the Bengals. How have you seen anything from your perspective, just in dealing with them this year as opposed to this? Mental recovery is a big thing for all of us, our ability to handle things positively and, you know, unfortunately negatively that happened to us. So our ability to try to keep things into perspective and make sure we understand where we are right now. How about you, like, given you've made some changes or maybe turned a bit of a corner in the passing game the last couple of weeks, seen some things maybe that you didn't see, you know, earlier in the season at all? Well, you know, every week is a new page, every day is a new page in this league. So there's just about trying to make some progress and improve in a lot of different areas. How much has the return of Trailer especially the game you had the other night helped to kind of open things up and give you more balance on the offense? Well, it helped the other night. You know, I was able to track a couple of deep balls and, you know, continue to improve and develop and, you know, get a lot of great experience. So, you know, we'll see how we prepare this week and hopefully ultimately what matters is what happens on Sunday. What was the element of speed and the yards after catch type of thing that he brought the other night? Can that help open up things for other guys underneath? I mean, I think that if, you know, he's taking guys with him down the field, then we probably aren't going to throw it down the field. And if there's one guy, then Ryan feels comfortable, then he'll probably, you know, take a chance. And I think that just building the confidence with the quarterback is critical that when you throw it, you know, we have an, you know, an ability to come down with it. I guess with the return of practice today it's safe to say kicking situation for Sunday to be determined. Yeah, I would say probably to be determined. You know, we'll see how that goes. Excited to see, you know, Caleb kick and start to work back into the mix. You know, he's worked hard to get back and obviously we'll see how Randy feels. Mike, have you noticed any changes in the way Cincinnati approaches their passing game without Chase or was it pretty much the same? Well, I think structurally it's probably the same. You know, Joe, Joe, those are the guy that's open. I mean, I think he's got guys, I think when Jamar's in there, that's who anybody would probably look to first. Maybe they have a few more plays that were designed for Jamar. But it's still, there's a lot of different options. You know, really has got a lot of trust and Hayden and Boyd inside and what T's been able to do outside. It's, you know, if you don't cover the backs, he throws it at the guy that's open and they gain yards. See the same thing from Borough on film now that you did last year on your stuff? Yeah, very accurate. I meant, willing to kind of wait some things out. In a quick game, he makes, you know, great decisions. He likes to work, you know, it's comfortable and empty and, you know, the different, you know, two by two concepts, three by one concepts that they have. Mike, regardless of the concussion protocol. I'm sorry? Ben Jones out of concussion protocol? No, I don't think the final stages have been cleared there yet. Mike, regardless of the personnel you guys have had available weekend and week out, what have you found from a coaching perspective has been key to helping empower guys to play at their best? Well, I think you build a, you know, connection with the guys by putting time in and teaching them, you know, trying to give them keys or tips that are going to help them do their job and, you know, usually guys take advantage of it, you know. So I think guys coming in on a short week and believing that they have an opportunity to play in the game, you know, get some engaged and then, you know, we try to coach everybody that comes through here. How much does Jeffery's double rate go up without Danique go there and how do things change for him? I think we'll have to see, you know, I mean, there was times where Jeff's single blocked and, you know, he's got to impact the game. You know, we'll have to have a plan for whatever it is. And obviously a big key will be affecting the quarterback. We know how critical that is each and every week. You know, so we'll kind of have to see how the game unfolds. You talked at the, after that last game against Cincinnati about getting turnovers, that seems to be an area that your defenses gotten much better at this year. How much more improvement can you get at? Well, I mean, I think a lot. I mean, we've dropped some interceptions. We have to have more attempts, you know, at the ball. You know, we have to hit at it more. We have to punch at it more to try to knock it out of the quarterback's hand. That's no offense to quarterbacks, but that's usually the easiest target on the field. And then when we do knock them out, we have to recover them. So we had one the other night. You know, I felt like coming out of that game, we did some really good things, but you know, our ball disruption attempts, you know, probably wasn't where it needs to be. Is there an update on Kyle Phillips returning from IR eligible now? Do you expect to see him out there this week at practice? I don't think I'd expect to see Kyle out there this week.