 I just want to start off kind of addressing an answer I gave last time. You know, I'm in no disrespect to Malik or anything close to that. We've been in constant communication since he was drafted, you know, through the madness that ensued after my last press conference. And, you know, over the last few weeks as he's been in the building and kind of getting to know each other and he's a good person. He's a talented player. He's coming off a great college career. You know, we're happy to have him in the room. Really just kind of disappointed in how things got spun and twisted a little bit. You know, I pride myself on being a great teammate. I have my whole career going back to the time I was a kid, you know, playing youth sports. It's been something that's been important to me, you know, from the beginning and will always be important to me. It's something I'll try to instill in my kids as they start playing, you know, youth sports as being a great teammate. And when I say that, I mean, you know, trying to help out, whether it's on the field, off the field, supporting each other and just building those relationships. And as time goes on, some relationships grow deeper and you build friendships and then you're there for each other just like you are with any other friends. You know, some of my best friends in the world have come in football locker rooms and, you know, started off just as teammates and have grown into friends. So I think it's important. You know, another thing that I think kind of got blown out of proportion is when I said the word compete. You know, I compete every time I step foot on that football field. I compete against myself and the player I was the day before, the lessons I learned, the little things that I pick up off the tape. I'm competing against the defense if we're going against the defense and if we're doing QB drills and I'm competing against whoever else is out there. That's just how I'm wired. I love to compete. I love to win. I freaking hate losing, you know, no matter what it is. So whether it's a small drill on the football field or, you know, playing a game at the house, I freaking love to win and I'm going to compete, you know, every time I have the chance to. So, you know, that was kind of frustrating for me as well. You know, I think that, you know, we're going to continue to push each other, to learn from each other in the QB room, encourage each other as this thing goes forward. We're all here for one goal. My primary focus is to win football games as everyone in this building. That's our goal, is to do what it takes to go win football games. And so that's what we're going to do. You know, it starts at a personal level and then builds, you know, as we get into team and pushing the guys, leading the guys around you. So I'm excited for this upcoming season. Man, it's been slanted this off season, just how things have been kind of thrown at it. But I'm excited, you know, regardless of what's been out there, I'm excited about this season, excited about the opportunity we have. I'm excited about the work that we've been able to put in the past few weeks with the guys that have been here and just working on details, working on, you know, tweaks and concepts, just understanding what we're trying to do, what we're trying to accomplish. And then, you know, as we get into these practices, you know, going against the defense and translating it from meetings and from individual to team reps. So it's really good work. I'm excited about what we've got accomplished and look forward to kind of carrying this momentum from this off season, from this spring, as we keep going here for a few more weeks and then carry it into the fall for the upcoming season. So... You mentioned how that kind of took off like wildfire. I was going to, you know, wrap it up, but you guys are eager. Eager, all right. Fire away. You mentioned how that kind of took off like wildfire. Man, did you feel the need to say anything to Malik when he came in here? Like, hey, that's not what I'm about. What you've heard about me and... Yeah, we were communicating the whole time. As soon as it blew up, I reached out to him and said, hey, I'm going to be a great teammate to you. I'm going to support you. And they're making this out to something that it's not to be. It's not what it's been made out to be at all. And he's been good. And he was great with it throughout the whole time. As soon as I reached out to him, he's like, yeah, I can't believe that it's blown into this. So things that were great with us from the beginning and have continued to be great. And it's been great to have him in the room and get to know him as a person. And we'll continue to build that relationship. Do you think the word mentor, Ryan, and the way maybe different people interpret the word mentor might have played a part in things getting twisted around? Yeah, no doubt. I think that... I take that word seriously. There's a few people that I count as mentors. There's hundreds of people that have helped me out throughout my life and my career, but there's only a few people that I consider mentors. So a mentorship is something that both people have to want. Both people have to agree to enter into that, and it's going to take a lot of time, energy, and focus. He agrees with me. He agrees with me. So yeah, I think that definitely played into it. Yeah, it was good. It was just frustrating. Like I said, just how everything kind of got spawned and it's kind of the opposite. I feel like most of you guys kind of probably had a sense of who I am and what I'm about. So to see how things just got completely twisted and thrown in the opposite direction just hurt, you know? It's like when you get made out to be something you're not and something you're intentional about your whole career, then kind of gets thrown the opposite way. It's just not a fun position to be in. If it bothered you and it clearly did, why wait from that press conference to this press conference? You could have picked up the phone and called somebody. You're on social media. So it seems like it kind of stewed inside you. Why wait however long it's been to address it? Yeah, it was just such a firestorm. And when it's in the middle of the firestorm and everyone has their strong opinions and their thoughts on it, you know, I think that if I would have come out and said something in the middle of it, that's just going to further carry it on. And for me, I had to mentally just work through it and I knew I'd have another chance to talk to you guys and some time would pass and things would die down. And I don't think it would have necessarily quieted the situation if I did come out and say something right away. So I just felt like it was right to let it pass and wait for the opportunity to come speak to you guys again. What stood out to you the most in terms of this firestorm? I don't know. Just the general sense of how things turned. You know, I wasn't like watching the shows or reading reports or anything like that. Just I had a general sense of how things were going and the direction it was going. So I can't say one thing in particular. Just the overall sense of, you know, how I was being portrayed and like I said, just pride myself on being a great teammate and we'll always do that. Grapple immediately came to your defense the next time he was in front of us. Did you have any conversation with him in the aftermath or did he reach out to you at all? Yeah, we talked briefly. You know, I just kind of went to him. I was like, wow, that escalated quickly. And he's like, yeah. He said I thought you handled yourself really well and was very encouraging and supportive of the entire press conference. So, you know, great to have his support. I mean, he understood who I am and what I'm about and what I meant when I said that. And, you know, I think everyone in this building had great support from everyone in this building through the whole process. You know, coming in the building, guys were supporting me and they know what I'm about and the kind of person I am. So that's what helped me sleep at night. Just knowing that I had support from my teammates and people in the building because, you know, they know what I'm about and how I carry myself and we're supportive through the process. So, you know, it's good to have that. We've seen Malik only twice and in that span to our non-professional eye, it looks like he's tweaked some things and has already gotten better. What do you see in him as a mechanical, technical quarterback? Hey, he's out here working. You know, I think that's been good. You know, he's kind of coming up to speed with the way we work, the way we do things and how we do things. So that's one of my charges. The leader of the room is to try to help him out and he's done a good job of getting with the room and working to get better. You know, we're all out there just working to get better each and every day and he's doing that. After a couple of years of you and Logan and Barclay, Simeon, Hogan, somewhat veteran guys, how different is it to have a rookie in that room right now? Oh, it is different. You know, I just, he's figuring it out. You know, I think I can vaguely remember being a rookie way back in 11 years ago and yeah, you're just kind of figuring out it's coming at you fast. You're drinking through a fire hose and trying to soak up as much information and figure it out. So, you know, we're trying to help him along with that process and he's doing a great job so far. How's the chemistry process coming along with guys like Woods and Birks and Hooper, some of the new faces? Yeah, it's been fun, man. I've enjoyed working with those guys. You know, Robert's running a little bit now so, you know, getting to see him in some RVA looks and excited about that. Man, he's smooth, really enjoyed throwing in the football. You know, Hooper's the guy who's been working with us since I've been here and just that connection is growing. You know, so I'll make some place today. He's got some great size and strength and length and that's definitely a help for him and it will help us offensively. And you mentioned Birks, a guy who's, you know, dealing with some things and we're trying to get him back on the field and get him going again. But obviously, you see the size, you see the strength. You know, you see him in just that open field tackle drill. You know, he's going to be a one-cut guy. He's running, he's big, he's strong. So, I haven't thrown a lot of balls to him yet but looking forward to him getting back on the field and, you know, competing with us. He's a little bit with Dez during the off-season. What do you think is maybe next for him in the year too? Yeah, no doubt. Dez is working. You know, he came down to Florida through with me for a few days and got some good work down in there. He's working and excited to see the progress he's made. He made a tough catch today coming across the middle. Safety on his back, through the contact and just great play strength to finish the play and make the catch across the middle. So, you know, as a quarterback, you trust the guy, tight window, you know, defender on their back. You make the throw and he makes the play for you. That gives you a lot of confidence to be able to come back and throw into those tight windows and make the plays. Now it's all about consistency, you know, just coming out on a daily basis and doing it. Is it different build in chemistry with a veteran who comes in new like Hooper or Woods than it is with a rookie who comes in like Berks and Phillips and Chig? It's a little bit different. You know, I think that there's just a little bit more general understanding a lot of times from a veteran player. You know, they've played more football, frankly, and kind of understand how things work and you know, you might have called it something differently, but they've rubbed things in the past. You know, a lot of these guys coming out of college haven't run these types of concepts or in different types of offenses, so they're just having to pick up more information and incorporate it into the game. But ultimately it just comes down to getting the reps, seeing it happen, whether, you know, I'm throwing the ball or just seeing it on tape, they're on a backside route or something, I always take a peek at how those guys run their routes. Were they able to win? Did they use their leverage right? Then I just file it away and just know like, hey, now I can trust it and come back to that guy on a later opportunity. So yeah, it's a little bit different, but at the end of the day it just takes a little bit of time and reps. To be back this year and be in person every day during the OTAs and get all the normal field work, how beneficial can that be for you, especially given some of the new receivers? Yeah, I think it was important. You know, this year especially, just with all the new faces we have offensively at skill positions. You know, a couple years past, we had a bunch of returning guys and so might not have mattered quite as much, but you got a bunch of new guys, guys you haven't thrown the ball to. These reps are important. I'm enjoying getting to know these guys on a personal level. I'm getting to know how they play, how they move and just building that chemistry from a passing standpoint. And your chemistry standpoint, but even as a leadership role in that specific locker room? Yeah, no doubt. He's a veteran presence, a guy who does things the right way. You know, you can tell from the first conversation I had with him that he loves ball, he loves, you know, being around the game and is going to try to do things the way we want to do it. So you add a veteran guy like that to our team, to the wide receiver room, you know, we know that they're in good hands and he's going to steer them in the right direction. Ryan at rookie minicamp Malik was saying that you had, I guess some of the offensive rookies over at your house or something. Is that something you do every year with kind of the offense or how does that, or is that kind of a first time thing? Yeah, I had two kind of ways. I had the whole offensive skill rookies included and the next week I had all the, sorry, yeah, skill and the next week I had all the old linemen. So my house is not quite set up for like 50 people, but we can break it up into a couple of different groups there. But yeah, we weren't able to do that the past couple of years just with the COVID protocols and all of that. So it's been fun just having guys at the house and hanging out eating some food and, you know, watching some basketball and just chilling. You know, here we're working a lot of times and you don't get to kind of kick it, you know, so to be able to to spend some of that time together away from the building, away from the field has been a lot of fun. Did you serve dinner? What was the sense? Yeah, I spent hours and hours, you know, whipping up. No, I catered some food and definitely, I overordered a little bit, but, you know, we're able to donate the food so it all went to a good cause. Just to put kind of a cap on it for clarity's sake, I know I look back at quotes that you had about what Matt Moore did for you in Miami and I hear what you're saying about being a good teammate. So what is your thinking about the mentoring part of your job now with Malik? Like I said, I'm going to be a good teammate. I'm going to support him. I'm going to help, encourage, push him. You know, I think that's, those are all important things and things that I'm going to continue to do. When you came in Malik, was the word voluntary this time of year interpreted differently? And is it, is it an adjustment for you to see sort of limited number of guys out here at this time of year? Yeah, it's probably changed a little bit. And you know, I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. You know, I think this time of year is for getting yourself mentally and physically ready to go play your best in the fall. And that looks different for everybody. You know, for me this year is important to get on the same page with a bunch of these new faces and everyone's kind of doing their process to do what's best on getting themselves to go play their best ball in the fall. So everyone kind of has to make that individual decision. And yeah, I think it's overall, it's a good thing. I felt like last year with all the injuries you just continued to have new weapons every single week. Does that help? And does that give you confidence in dealing with a bunch of new guys this year that you were able to do it seem like week to week last season? Yeah, it was kind of a revolving door at certain times. That's just the way that we preach. Like next man up mentality. You know, we have guys that have have stepped in throughout my time here, stepped in and played huge for us in games and helped us win a lot of games. So we're going to keep pushing that mentality, keep pushing that thought process of, you know, you may not be the first guy up, but when you get your opportunity, you want to step in and take advantage of it. So something I believe in and have seen work here. So excited to keep pushing that mentality as we move forward.