 Is there a mental aspect to when can I tell yourself when you can go full speed on it and without being worried about it? Say it again? Is there a mental aspect to that? Just really until you finally officially trust it to go full out on it because I know that's true. Yeah, they tricky and this is my first one so I'm just trying to make sure it doesn't happen again. Just taking out of precautions, that's why. In practice I'm just trying to strain a little bit to see where it's at leading up to this week. How do you practice like today returning back out there? It was good. I've been missing for a minute so I ain't never been out this long either so it felt real good being out there with the guys. It's crazy, you know, just coming back and it want to be cold today but just being in practice, you know, it's cold, it is what it is, it's late in the season. Like I said, just making sure it's right, just getting it fired up in team and all the things I can to make sure it's ready leading up to this week. How did you go watching these last three and could you give the defense a boost with your return? Just watching the games and not being out there definitely make you want to get out there quicker and make sure everything is straight on my behalf. But of course, you know, being out there, I feel like I get the defense and the team some juice always just by presence, being out there in leadership, just going out there and making plays. What do you feel like you need to see from yourself on the field to make you feel confident that you're strong enough to go back out? Just being myself, whether just in coverage and tackling and just not having those second guesses about my hamstring or nothing like that, just going out there playing free. Did you hear it heard it? It looked like Matt's just going to get in and do play next week. Did you re-aggravate it? Like what exactly? Yeah, I re-aggravated it. You know, the San Fran game I tweeted in. Like I said, I never had an injury before, so just going up the next week in practice, I just felt that it was still good to go. I was still top speed and all that and I just played and pulled or whatever. So just making sure I do everything right, leading up this week to make sure it's ready to go. Did you know right away? That what? In Cincinnati when it happened, like did you know right away? Yeah, I knew it happened. It just felt a little bit different than the San Fran game, so yeah, I knew. AJ, your face. Say it again. Yeah, I never had it before, so yeah, that's why I played, so it ended up being a little worse. The NFLPA and some players have come out within the last week or so talking about concerns about our official turf and a preference for natural grass. Do you have an opinion on that? I feel like everybody in the league probably prefer grass just for the give on our legs, our lower body. And, you know, I never had no injury on turf for real, but that's the most common so far, turf. AJ, your face lit up even when you were talking about just getting back to practice today. What has this waiting process been like you said you haven't obviously experienced being out like this? Yeah, you know, just a little bit, I'd say, a little stress just from being out. Like I said, I've never been out this long and just being able to get back out there and suit up with some cleats and shoulder pads and helmet and just be out there with the team felt real good. How difficult is it balancing? Like you said, you don't want to push it and go too soon, but also obviously you're aging. Right, well this is the perfect time to do it in practice, just making sure I know where I'm at. I'm pushing as much as I can just to see where I'm at. Did you learn anything? Like you said, you haven't been out this long recently. Was there things that you picked up and learned that maybe you've went to otherwise? Just making sure, just get treatment, make sure everything is the right way. Not just this hamstring, but working on the other hamstring, making sure my shoulders and everything together. Just anything to eliminate any type of future injury or something that could occur in the future, just making sure I'm in full strength in all facets. I meant more even just from a football perspective, like from watching on, because you haven't really watched years from it. Were there things you were able to pick up watching that maybe you hadn't been able to necessarily pick up before? Is that too much of a rookie question? No, mental reps is good. Just watching games, watching practice and watching from afar is definitely good, but like myself I want to be out there. Like you said, I've never been out there missing that long, missing this many games. Like I said, it's a blessing to be back a little bit and just get moving with the team and just waiting to see what comes forward. If you're back this week, can you talk about the challenge of what Justin Phillips brings? Yeah, mobile quarterback. He's gotten better throughout the weeks and got a lot better from last year as well. He got some weapons, he know how to move the ball around, he know how to use his legs to make big plays. We just got a key in on the details and just make sure we attack him the right way. Don't let him get contained and get outside the pocket and all those things. So we just got to make sure we take care of our business. You mentioned that doing this recovery process. It was a bit stressful just a little bit. What were some of the things you were doing outside of the ball that kind of helped with that? Yoga. Being able to just get away mentally, just quiet and just doing stretches and things to help me get back. Yoga helped with a lot of mental. Just being able to get away a little bit. Just think, you know, stuff like that and it just works in all facets. I advise everybody to do yoga, sure. What kind of yoga do you do? It's not normal yoga where you just sit there. It ain't none of that, but it's not hot yoga either. Okay, Danyasa? Danyasa, like the flow that you're moving the whole time? Yeah, a lot of movements holding poses, but then I chill at the end. But during the whole process and, you know, the yoga work, I'll be moving holding poses and just making sure everything is stretched all the way out and just being good. Who got you into yoga? Were you doing yoga before you got hurt? Yeah, I had actually gotten into yoga my rookie year going into the season. I used a guy named Joe, Joe Police. And we've been doing yoga for going on three years now with the football scene, so it's not nothing new, but that's really where I lay my head on going into this injury. This is going to sound really ridiculous, but I think because I've done yoga before, I understand you understand your body. I feel like a little bit better than maybe some other people do. How has that kind of helped you, especially when it comes to an injury? You think you're more related at all? In ways, I'd say, but I just felt like, you know, yoga, I definitely understand stretching and knowing, really locking in on things and not just going through the motions and doing stuff like that. But I feel like yoga definitely, it helps me in every way possible. And I do it like two times a week. Um, I do child's pose. You gotta get off the shoulders. You gotta get off the shoulders. Much credit, because my wife deserves most of it. She's doing more of the work, but it's been amazing. We're really enjoying being parents. Your favorite part of being a dad so far? Just holding him on an app, you know? Hanging out, watching TV for two hours and holding him the entire time. That's part of my favorite part, you know? Overall, you know, the Panthers, it wasn't the best game for the offensive line, even the offensive, the run game. So what can you guys do a little bit better to get the run game going and also maybe protect Marcus a little bit? Yeah, no, definitely looking to improve off of the last game somewhere we wanted to be. Really, I think it just started with today and the way we, you know, kind of got back to the basics, understand what our objectives are and simplify things a little bit. And, you know, I thought we had a good day today going out there and getting a feel for what they're going to do. So it's really, you can't drastically reinvent on something. You kind of just have to be back to basics and then get back to what worked well for us, and that's what we're focusing on right now. Going back to the personal experience of Thursday, I know you guys can't time the baby, and it happened to happen on a game day. Walk me through the experience of that day and just how chaotic the whole thing was. It was funny. I was talking to Maggie afterwards about it. We both were, it almost felt like a fever dream. It was so surreal how quick everything went, and just the way it worked out. I mean, the timing could have been more close to catastrophic, but also at the same time perfect. So it was amazing the way it worked and getting that whole weekend to, you know, figure him out and get to be a dad. And so looking back on it, we also talked about, you know, it's going to make a hell of a story, something, you know, as stressful as it was and how anxious I was trying to get back. I don't think I changed it for anything. I know Maggie was probably a little bit anxious, too, about the streak that you have going, how many games you've started in a row. Was that a little bit more motivation to go back and actually play that game? She's the best, because she had to do her part, and it was almost like a competition for her to like, I got to get this kid out now. Like I said, it's like we had him, and I had 10 minutes to hold him, and I was out the door, so it was just so fast and such a whirlwind, but I can't say enough about how well she handled it, you know. How many games is that in a row? I under something, I don't know. I don't know the number. Was there a point you thought maybe you wouldn't make it, like that it was going to be out of reach? It never got to the point where I was freaking out, like there's not enough time, like it's over, but it was a lot of like, I don't know, it's getting close, like I'm getting nervous, I'm getting scared, and texting her like, I'm afraid, like I'm not going to make it in time, but gosh, looking back on it, it's funny, I kind of pushed it out of my mind, but it's almost stressing me out, thinking about it now. It was stressful, but I mean, I run in the locker room, but it was like perfect time. The time I got suited up and everything on were going out for warm-ups, and you know, I had no routine whatsoever. I just threw all my stuff on and went out there, but it worked out, it worked out well. Was it like Arthur on there? It was Arthur's private jet, yeah, so yeah, he definitely was a crucial part of making it work, so I'm very thankful for what he did. What can you say about Marcus, and kind of like how he is the teammate, and maybe how hard is it as a teammate to see maybe the nice social media, things like that when it comes to Marcus? Yeah, I mean, I got the utmost respect for him. Just the way he carries himself and comes in, the way he treats his teammates, and the way he works, he's a guy that'll never take a shortcut, never, you know, someone you can trust, so I still have a little confidence in the world in him, and he's done a lot of good things. We all have, but we've all made mistakes, so it's definitely only to improve and get back to winning and playing like we were a couple weeks ago. We're a special group of guys, and we don't quit at anything, so I think we're pushing forward in the right direction. Where do you see something maybe yourself personally that you want to improve for this upcoming game against the Bears? I mean everything, all aspects of the game. Again, this is my first season, so I got a lot to improve on, a lot left on the plate out there, I believe personally, so I think improving all aspects of the game. Is there anything, though, so far in your season that you're like impressed with yourself, maybe coming into the league, like something that you feel strong, I mean, at the end of the day, I'm living out my dream. I'm playing in the NFL right now, being pretty productive in it. That's all I can ask for, but again, like I said, there's a lot left on the plate out there. I'm a competitor at the end of the day, so I'm trying to get more. What do you feel like is the biggest thing you've learned so far? The biggest thing I learned is probably preparation for the game. It's not like high school or college where you can kind of go out there and just go on a wing and play your ball. You know, everybody's good. Everybody got the same competitive mentality as you, so you have to be mentally ready and physically ready for the game. How do you feel like the connection is with Marcus right now? I think it's great. I think we're starting to build chemistry even better than what it was. That's for all the guys, too. And again, it just goes back to, I think we know what we have to do and how we got to execute that. Anything that you guys do particular in practice, whether it's communication or reps or whatever, it's just being dialed into details. Pretty much that's what cook art, he always says and always preaches, and that's what we try to do every day. How do you block out the noise, maybe when it comes to social media, when some people maybe aren't, its fans aren't saying the nicest things about your quarterback. Do you get defensive a little bit? Do you block it out? I mean, what do you do? Yeah, you can't really listen to the outside noise. I mean, I do get defensive over it, but at the end of the day, they're not in our shoes. They're not in this building at all, they're down for real, and yeah, that goes for all fans pretty much. I mean, they're not in our shoes, and we're not in their shoes, so I can't really tell them what to say or what to do, and they can't really tell me what to say or what to do, you know? So yeah, I just try to block all that noise out and try to keep a straightforward path. Other things you've learned from him, just working with him as one of the more veteran guys in the locker room, and obviously being the guy who's trying to deliver you the ball? Yeah, mentality. I mean, he's such a humble guy, and the way he approaches the day every day is really, really cool to see, and something that I want to follow in as well. With this minibuy, has it given you any more time to self-evaluate, or what have you kind of done with these extra few days? Yeah, I mean, after every game you're doing self-evaluation, you know, but we had a little bit more time to sit down with the coaches or markets with the other wide receivers and just figure out what we need to do better and how we keep on excelling this offense.