A little bit. I appreciate y'all how y'all doing. How do you feel like you're doing as far as building the time? Well, it's been the beginning. Uh, obviously I only been here a couple of days, spent some time at OTAs, which was exciting. Uh, also getting used to the heat a little bit, so it's fun, but, uh, taking it one day at a time. Um, obviously it's a work in progress, but at the end of the day, it's still football. So having a lot of fun stan, what excites you most about this team and what are you most looking forward to since you've been training? Uh, what excites me most. I mean, just the guys that I've been around, obviously the quarterback position, um, uh, the fellow receivers, um, congratulations to Nick as well. He's getting paid. You put a lot of work in and I watched them on tape even before I got here. Definitely one of the best receivers, you know, we got in, uh, tank obviously, you know, I know Tank for, for a while now he's like a little bro and little Met, uh, just spending time with the guys being around it, being around the team and building that camaraderie, uh I've been in the league for a little while now. So being around a good group of guys is always, you know, a breath of fresh air too. OK. What was your mindset coming in? Your 13? Coming into this situation with this group of guys? What was your mindset? Walk in? Where did you wanna start and have your input and want to show stamp to say this is my input on this team, what you want. Yeah, just more so, uh earning the respect of my teammates, you know, uh as a player and I've been around the league for a little while now, earn the respect of your peers first, you know, and earning the respect of your coaches being where you're supposed to be, you know what I'm saying, taking your time each and every day, uh really value in the moment, you know, I uh I take it, you know, I take it pretty serious but loving what I'm doing and um loving who I'm being around. So my impact is gonna be more so just taking it one day at a time, um being myself, you know, and I can't be nobody and I'm not, I'm gonna still be myself but uh continue to build and grow in the right direction that comes from earning the respect of your teammates, uh and being accountable, you know, as far as that with the plays and all the new stuff they got going on. So, uh you know, like I said, it's only like my fourth day out here. So, uh I was just gonna ask you, how does it feel to be one of the best now to be able to mentor some of these younger guys coming up, some of the wide receivers that have watched you play and that around you. It's crazy because, you know, I've been in the lead for a little while now and, uh, you know, I have those conversations with them and I listen to him talk and I'm like, damn, you sound a lot like myself when I was your age. But, uh, is there, like I said, it's a breath of fresh air and it kind of keeps me in that mindset. Like, I don't know, I just remember being in their shoes and I'm equally as hungry if not even more now, you know, because I've had a taste of, you know, the playoffs and getting close and that kind of thing and I, I see their mindset and the things that they want for themselves and, you know, that's everything I always wanted for myself. So, uh it's always like a little chuckle inside when I hear them say I want this, I wanna do this and I'm like, you're gonna get all of that, you know I'm saying, just keep working and, you know, obviously those, the young, the young guys that we got, they work extremely hard and they definitely by Uber talented. So being around him just like that, like I said, it's a breath of fresh air for me and it's just like shit also being a vet, you know what I'm saying? I've seen it, I'm saying, I've seen a lot, I know what it takes to be successful on the field and I know what it takes to win. So I'm trying to bring that, uh that maa each and every day, did you, um, feel like, have you been chasing a Super Bowl? Did you look at the Texans roster with the quarterback c he just tried to say, hey, this might be a place that I can try to pursue that goal. Well, I mean, I feel like I've been chasing the Super Bowl since I got in the league. So, I mean to say like, uh, you know, you get to one specific place and say, uh this is where I wanna try to win it, but this is where I'm at right now, you know what I'm saying? Uh Obviously believe in this team, I believe in the quarterback. You know, those are, you know, unspoken things that we all can assume. Um But for me, uh chasing the ring is in a, isn't it? Like I came here to chase it, I came here to win and saying that starts with a game one and moving forward, of course, you wanna ringing and it sounds good to be like you want a Super Bowl and you wanna ringing. But um it takes a lot of effort and a lot of consistency for me, um I take it in one day at a time. Um Take it starts in practice, it starts in the walk through, it starts in the, in the meeting room. So for me, um winning is always in the forefront of my brain with everything that I do. You know what I'm saying? But it's one thing at a time rather than just jumping the gun. I don't put the car before the horse. How do you, how do you deal with the perception that things didn't end well in Buffalo for you people sometimes labeled you as a diva wide receiver. How do you deal with that perception when you hear people say those things? Well, personally, I don't take things personal from people. I don't know personally what I'm saying. Like, uh when you garnish your opinion from what you hear about somebody, it's not different if you know them on a personal level. Not too many people know me on a personal level. I mean, I don't particularly share a lot of my thoughts, you know what I'm saying? I, I keep work work I'm saying, uh I try not to dive into like how I feel about certain things or like in some people's opinions, you know, I've been in the league too, probably before my 10th year. Um I've obviously uh put in a lot of work to get to where I'm at. I'm saying respect level is always there. You know I'm saying who I am as a player. Uh They know who I am and I'm a, I'm a true competitor. I love to win. You know what I'm saying? I love it. I love getting better and who I am as a person. You know what I'm saying? But this is a job at the end of the day, I'm saying we build a family environment with your team. Those guys would know me personally. That's why I earn, I respected them first, um, along with my coaches, but, uh, I try not to take things personally from people. I don't know. And a personal level, you know I'm saying rule it though. There's a lot of t on the offensive side of a lot of defeat. Is that a good thing? A worrisome thing. Like how do you balance just everyone kind of getting there? And also what, um, shit, I mean, I feel like that's something I knew coming in. You know what I'm saying before I got here, uh, obviously know that, uh, Nick had a hell of a year, uh, tanker just got hurt. He was gonna have a hell of a year and, uh, it's always a balance. It's not my job to sling the pill around. It was my job to call the players. I just gotta get open and catch it. So for me, it's not nothing I would worry about, uh, considering, you know, you do your job, you get the ball. And I feel like this offense is one of those offenses that got a lot of horses in the state with what I'm saying, let them all loose. Um, we'll figure the rest out. CJ. We talked to CJ a couple maybe like a month ago about, about y'all meeting at the pro bowl and y'all crazy, right? Yeah, I wanted to hear it like, from your perspective, like what really drew you to him and, and how did that relationship develop over time until you end up getting traded? Uh obviously, like, uh at the end of the season, it was uh a lot of gray area as far as like, what I was gonna do as far as like, whether I was gonna be in Buffalo or not. Um And then going into the pro bowl, you know, obviously that's a um that's a place where like the best athletes in the world are the best football players in the world are and just happened organically that um he was not too many seats from me at the Provo where we get dressed and did all that and we had chopped it up a little bit and I kinda like, got to know him a little bit. I'm like, damn, he, he pretty cool. So kind of when things start hitting the fan and um Houston was kinda on the radar. I was like this damn um ironic I don't believe in coincidence. Everything happens for a reason, you know what I'm saying? And uh I asked God to like my path and here I am. So it was definitely something to get super excited about. Uh I don't know how many times I smiled. I wasn't here yet. I didn't get to share the smiles with y'all, but I promise you, I'm su I'm super happy. Um, you know, you were top, you know, top four and receiving yards, yards, touchdowns, everything in that, in that aspect. Um And obviously, you know, you can trade it. Um So what kind of went through your mind when you were traded? I mean, for me, uh I gotta try not to get too personal but, uh I kinda felt it was going in that direction like, you know, throughout the season, you know, I had some ups and downs, especially after the first eight. we had coaching shifting and different things going different ways, uh, you know, different scheme by schematic and, you know, the ups and downs of it. But for me, I kinda, you know, you kinda feel it in the air a little bit, especially, you know what I'm saying? Personal feelings, but for me, um when I got traded, obviously I was, you know, I was happy, I was, uh in a good place like I said, I told God to light my path and here I am. So, um, he makes no mistakes, you know what I'm saying? I'm standing firm in that. I'm standing strong. So, um, when I say I've been smiling, I've been, I've been smiling, there could be, there couldn't be two climates probably more different than the NFL than Houston and Buffalo. So you, you kind of noted, um, noted that earlier, but are there things you're doing to kind of adjust to such a big change like on and off the field? Yeah. Um It's a little crazy just because uh the previous places I were, it was like, no, it's not hot, it was like kind of cool, you know, got good weather for the most part until they get cold out and then you come to a place like this and it's like, uh ihell, I hear every day. But uh as far as like my approach with the game of being somewhere new, um I kind of partner that was just being a professional and hydrating the right way, uh no extra curriculars during the week trying to have all the energy that you can and uh really just taking my time. You know, the nutrition part is obviously another layer. But um as a professional and then as an adult, like the older I get, you gotta take care of your body a little bit more. So I'm packing on a little bit. So we'll see you talk about the earlier, you talked about your desire to win. But from what are you willing to share? What are some of the lessons that you learned right there in Minnesota and Buffalo to make it, you know, kinda all come together here in Houston. It's crazy because, uh, that's a, that's a question I asked myself. Um, I'm a big person of self reflection, you know what I'm saying? Like, um being in those places before, you know, asking God to like my path, I still had to look where I came from and a lot of things that I had learned, whether it was in Minnesota or it was in Buffalo. Um What were the things that worked and what, what were the things that could have helped in that situation? So, and I feel like um things that I'm carrying over is like just putting a lot of more time in um football is football at the end of the day, but you don't know what an extra meeting would do or some extra time after practice or some extra time in the morning. Just uh maybe some little things that kinda can carry over and, you know, do something that'll uh help you on the field. So just spending more time, you know, you think you're working in that time, you can have a lot of success. But uh that extra layer or that extra, you know, a little bit of practice time or meeting time could go, could win you extra game or get you on the same page with your quarterback. So for me just, um what I really kinda garnished from my past is more so putting more time in because it's not about effort. For me. It was never about effort. It was never about grind because I put the time in um off the field and on the field, but it's more so uh keep building and being on the right pace consistently because, you know, when you get late later on in the season, um you wanna be hitting on all cylinders, but that comes from putting that extra time. And so for me, uh I give you a little tidbit just putting a lot more time in even though you think you're grinding. Um working smarter, not only hard about the Houston, the Minneapolis miracle time, long time to pick Ks Brain a little bit, find out about the organization and lastly, uh does the brother match up the Dick's match up? Take on a little extra. Meaning this year in the battle of Texas. I think that's a two for one question. I'll let you pick one and let somebody else pick the last one. So you, you, you could pick one you want though. There you go. I knew you was gonna pick that one. It's, it's later on in the season. Um Right now I'm spending a lot of time with my brother, you know, obviously he's healing up. Um getting on the right page with his, with his re rehab and recovery. I wanna see him hitting on all cylinders. But, you know, uh down the line, that's, that's down the line is something I can get excited about when it comes. Um But it does actually add a little extra incentive, you know, closer to the holiday. You know what I'm saying? We get that way. It's exciting. I know that you're big on a family. You just got to talk about your brother who looked at the Texans from a talent standpoint, but I was there when you came to the JJ Watt chair softball class and the way that dog, the, the legends, the Houston Texas legends embraced you. How have you accepted that, that, that family build that's here at NRG. It's crazy because I mean, kind of, we touched on a little bit just I don't take things personal from the people. I don't know personally, but these people I'm learning personally. I'm saying it's like they welcoming. I'm saying, I don't know if they call it like the Southern um hospitality, but they are very welcoming and very uh open arms and, you know, kinda like, I just feel like it's important for me to be a part of things like that and, you know, be a part of, you know, obviously charity is, you know, just one layer of it, but be around the people that came before you, uh not only giving them the respect but giving them that, you know, like I'm here to kind of follow those footsteps into, you know, fall in line with, you know, Andy Johnson, he's going in the Hall of Fame. You wanna, that's what you, that's what you wanna be like. So when I'm talking to the young guys and I'm like, I've been in your shoes before, I'm taking it a step further at this point to be around the people that came before me and you know, hopefully a little bit out of rub off, you know what I'm saying? But that family environment, I I feel it is genuine. Um and you, you thrive in that space, you thrive in uh space when you're love, right? You thrive in the space of being around those who like, you know, truly care and truly wanna see you win. So um for me, I just been taking it one day at a time and you know, trying to do the right shit. Excuse my language for anybody can't cut. Yes sir, John High school. There we go. I used to be your ass though. So you're right when you look at the creativity of the Bobby slaughter as you talk with him, talk with football. What are your impressions of Bobby and kind of what you guys can cook up together? I just saw him move to pieces around last year, you know, um, you had a star receiver, get hurt and when I speak a star, I think Tank is a star straight up now, um, get hurt and you still had other horses in the stable come in and play very well play at a high level. Um, obviously with Meek, I feel like, uh, you give him the pieces, he gonna make him shape. You know, obviously when I look at his offense and the time that I've spent with him, I kind of relaying back to, you know, a couple of teams that I've seen on tape and he showed me a little bit and those guys had a lot of stars on that team. You know what I'm saying? They played at a very high level and they had a lot of success. So, um like I said, there's a lot of horses in the state where I really look forward to look forward to uh make it in all shape. Thank you. Um You know, Josh Allen said that you were very instrumental to making him the quarterback that he was. Oh my dad, you know that he is now, um how instrumental do you think Josh was to helping you elevate to the next level of seeing that you ended up becoming? I felt like he was a like intricate piece in my career because at that point, um you know, when I left Minnesota or whatever, like I was, I presume it was like a I was a good player, you know what I'm saying? But I always felt more for myself. I felt like I was better than that, um, that I could be better than that. And I kinda up to that point, I was just like, shit, I'm gonna roll the dice and bet on myself, you know what I'm saying? Um, and they sent me to Buffalo. Um, I don't know if they sent me to Buffalo with the most kindest, you know, with the most great intent but, uh, alls well ends. Well, you know, when I got to Buffalo, uh, Joshua's, you know, Josh is still my guy, you know what I'm saying? Like people don't really understand what it's like to be out there, you know what I'm saying? And he really, he really embraced me. You know what I'm saying? He kinda had that southern hospitality, you know what I'm saying? So, for me, um, he embraced and we spent a lot of time and I probably wouldn't be right here if it wasn't. So, you know, I got, I got a lot of love for that voice. So y'all, y'all give him a hug and a kiss one. Yeah.
