 Ryan how much does you know playoff experience maybe an experience overall in the NFL help a quarterback when you're going into this stage of the postseason? You know hopefully it helps a little bit you've been there before it's nothing you know the experience is not new but at the end of the day you have to go out and execute and play well the nerves before kickoff for a playoff game or is that kind of old hat by now? I don't know if it's old hat you know I think there's a level of excitement and an energy going into every game and that only amps up during during playoffs and so you take the field knowing what it is and what's at stake but also at the end of the day it's another game so just have to go execute and play well and play your best ball and come away with the win. With that weak of self-reflection you had what were some of the things as you look back that you felt you did well and what would be some areas for improvement for you? Yeah I think there's there was a lot of areas of things we did well and things we can improve upon you know I felt like we just left left some things on the table you know throughout the course of of the last part of the season opportunities that we didn't hit for whatever reason and I can get more out of whether it's a run play or a play action or or a drop-back you know it just felt like if we clean a few things up and tighten things up then we're gonna get more out of what we're running and and move the ball more effectively. How much is maybe the mood change even inside the building going into a week when as you kind of talk about last week you know you lose and you go home now? Oh there's an excitement you know there's a buzz this is you know you work all season to get into the playoffs and and go chase a ring so we're excited to be here we're excited to to have this opportunity and you know go play our best ball on Saturday. It took you a while to get your first playoff opportunity how much do you kind of cherish these these chances now? Yeah no doubt don't want to take it for granted I was talking to the guys last week about you know these opportunities don't just come every year and you have to take advantage of it so we realize most we realize you know last last year we didn't we didn't go play our best ball and and we got sent home so we need to be able to to go out execute against a really good team and and come with when. Last three games I'll be of games you guys won it took the offense at least a quarter to sort of get going what's got a change there to make things start faster? Yeah just execute early in games you know I think in a couple situations we put ourselves behind the chains with penalties got to clean those up and then just play good clean football you know when the opportunities are there make them and then you know don't kill yourselves. Still waiting to see if you get Derek back obviously this Saturday but having AJ having Julio how much of a you know that prospect of having all three of them together do you try not to get too excited and what could this do for that offense? Yeah I'm excited to have have our guys back you know it's a it's a little bit different when you have have guys guys back and guys that you've played with a lot so it's definitely a positive thing but at the end of the day you have to go make the plays and execute just because you have guys back or maybe Derek's coming back just because he walks out there doesn't mean anything's gonna happen we have to go out and earn it and and make the plays necessary to win the game. What have you seen from their defense throughout the season? Yeah I see a good defense they're playing well right now they have good players you know you see the edge rushers they're getting getting to the pocket getting good push in the middle from Reader I know Ogongobi's out but he was doing a really good job for them the backers are running fast and playing physical and Bates on the back end he's making plays all over the field you know he's rangy he has a really good sense of where the ball is gonna go he ends up around the ball a lot. Vell's coming down he's big he's physical he's making making tough tackles and kind of setting the tone and they have some length and size out on the edges and really just overall you look at a really sound defense they give you a ton of different looks all with the same personnel you know you can kind of drive yourself crazy if you try to dissect it all you know they're gonna play every every type of coverage all types of different fronts with the same people so our communication has to be clean and they all be on the same page and go out and execute against the different looks they give us. It's been a while since we asked you about your relationship with Todd Downing and just the install and that process goes how has that kind of evolved as you guys have worked through the season? Yeah you're constantly growing you know that relationship is constantly growing constantly evolving you know with the ins and outs of who's in who's out and where we're at with things throughout the season so I feel like Todd just done a really good job of navigating that and and you know steady progressing as the season's gone. We've gotten like more involved as far as like what's up and what's down for that week as far as the play sheets concerned? Yeah I mean I feel like it's been pretty pretty steady the whole year you know we do a good good job in my opinion of of getting on the same page early in the week before you know things are fully installed adjusting things if necessary throughout the week and I go into the game feeling really good about what we have. Were you self-scouted last week yourself what did you see that you liked and what did you see that you wanted to improve on for the playoffs? Yeah like I said you know there was there was a lot of plays that you know we did really well and you like and at times we were pushing the pocket we were pushing the pile we were finishing really well I want to clean that up we got to have their best effort and finish as we as we go into the playoffs here and some good things in the play action some some downfield shots and then obviously some opportunities we left out there. I mean it's tough to say you know their defense has changed a whole lot personnel wise there's a few few of the same faces but a lot of different guys over there so that has to be adjustment and and they're playing really well right now so maybe as a as a jump off point to look at you know how they played us and and how we play it obviously and things we can clean up but at the end of the day it's it's a very different defense and who's out there and and they're much better. You guys said you didn't want to stray too far from your identity offensively in terms of approach and if you do get him back do you feel like you didn't stray enough to where it'll be seamless to bring him back now that you haven't changed too much from what you were doing when he was helping. Yeah I think so I think we kind of stuck to our guns and I think the stats will show that we ran the ball really well even even with Derek out so you know if he is back it would be nice to have him back but feel like we've you know stuck to our guns and our game plan and we can insert him back in. What's your relationship like with Zach Taylor from your time in Miami and how you like the job maybe he's done in Cincinnati and you're not surprised at the success he's had. I'm so happy for Zach just a great guy a great man and enjoyed my time with him he helped me out so much early in my career you know my relationship started with him back at A&M you know he's helping out with the tight ends and then obviously my first few years in Miami being the quarterback coach so spent a lot of time with him love him as a man he's a heck of a football coach so you know really happy with with his success you know just hopefully you know we can come out on top this week. He said today that he roots for you all year but obviously not this Saturday kind of the same for you. Yeah no doubt no doubt always pulling for Zach and a lot of those guys on that staff that I have the relationships with good people good coaches so you pull for them as long as it's not against us. Do you have your full arsenal of teammates and weapons available? Is there a confidence comfort boost that comes with that? Yeah no doubt there's definitely a confidence boost just knowing what we have out there the capabilities we have like I said at the end of the day you have to go make the plays just because guys guys are out there doesn't mean it's just gonna happen have to execute make the plays. As a quarterback when you face a defense that can get pressure with four as opposed to having to manufacture what kind of difference does that make for you? Yeah I mean there's more guys in coverage right you know if they're gonna collapse the pocket and get pressure with four then there's more guys in coverage and theoretically it's harder to complete the ball downfield you know I feel like this team does a good job with that as well as you know mixing in pressures or send pressures and you know bringing guys from all different spots but still you know having guys in coverage so gonna have to be on top of our game no doubt about it. You've always had the relationship with AJ seemingly since the both of you got here but when this offense has been at its best there's been six seven guys catch a ball during the course of a game how much did it feel good to get back to that the last couple of weeks to spread the ball around? Yeah it feels great you know I feel like we have a good arsenal of weapons and the more we can spread the ball and make teams you know not focus on one or two guys but but cover the entire field and take what they give us is definitely placed to our advantage and we're gonna be more efficient and effective. Last year Ryan with the one and out in the playoffs. I said effective that's not even a word. Effective. Thank you. Effective that's a new. Can we coin that somewhere? Trade market. After the way you guys went out last year the one and done here at home how much is there we're not letting that happen again type five years now? Yeah I mean you definitely learn from that experience you know I don't think last year really matters at this point you know it's it's a new year new team a new opportunity but you take that experience you learn from it and you don't want to let it happen again. Do you stress I don't like talking about how every play counts everything you do pushing the pile matters now do you stress that the guys now and what do you tell maybe some of the younger guys who embarking on their first playoff experience? Yeah no doubt about it like I said these opportunities don't just come around all too often you have to go out take advantage of every rep you know if you're a guy who gets 10 reps then make those the best 10 reps of the year you have to full out every single play because the the stakes are higher and and teams are better and so if you don't play your best ball you're going to be sent home. Did you have anything more to fly by with him after last week last year's game and you have any relationship with him and if not what do you think about what he's been able to do at such a young age in his career? Yeah I don't have have a relationship with him don't really know him too well but he's playing some really good football right now obviously heck of a player and you know defense is going to have to play well to slow him down.