I’m good man, smiling.

Obviously.

How good has it been to, you know, be out doing what you love to do after having to wait so long?

Yeah, There’s no better feeling.

Honestly, you know, it’s what I do for a living I enjoy, I love competing

And you know to be out here with the best of the best man.

You know it’s.

It’s a dream come true yet again.

Has it surprised you that you’ve been able to come out and look like yourself again right away?

Certainly what we’ve seen after going through through such a tough journey to get to this point?

N it doesn’t surprise me.

Cu, I know the type of player I am, you know.

And uh, you just got to go out there

And you know, put it on tape.

Honestly, you know, and I know the work I put in too, you know.

So you know, the work always come to light- took a while last year before we found out that you weren’t going to be able to play for the rest of the year.

Could you take us a little bit through?

You know the steps of of you know what it was like- to kind of maybe try to keep hope alive as long as POS possible and hold out hope that you were going to play last year.

Yeah,

Yeah, So it just started off as a sprained ankle got rolled upon on in, uh, at the indie game, and then, uh, just some swelling came up in my knee and no one really knew what was going on.

So we just wanted to Sw to go down and then we got an MRI and, uh, we just, you know, made, made the best medical decision.

You know, uh, I definitely could have played.

But, uh, for the long run, you know, career-wise and just, you know, for my best interest, team’s best interest, interest, you know, just go ahead, get it fixed, so I can be back 100% like I am now.

Were there days when it was tough to keep your spirits up, because I mean two years in a row, you can’t play the way that you know you want to and kind of.

Who helped you through that?

Oh man, stay prayed up.

I have a very strong family.

You know, I have a good, you know Bas on here, you know Dfe.

It’s like my brother, be like my brother.

So I live through them.

You know just them.

Three things, man, you know, God, family, friends like I, I, I really honed in on that.

And of course, the work, man, you know, nothing comes easy.

So I just put my head down to work.

That’s all I know.

So you know, I’m right back.

Talk a little bit about your work.

Maybe with Chuck Smith and developing a pass rush plan, we saw a great spin move the other night.

Maybe even take us through that and give us a little inside football.

Yeah, I mean Chuck man, that’s the guru, you know he, he really knows what he’s talking about.

Uh, you know, everything he says comes to light, you know, regarding just moves to use, when to use it, how to use it, and uh, we’re all, we’re all just good listeners.

Honestly, you know, cuz, you know, we’ll look over to him on the sideline, you know in practice, and he’ll really walk us through a move to do on a sideline.

We execute, it ends up working, you know.

So you know, it’s just a testament to him and his knowledge and how he passes it down to all of us.

And uh, it’s working, man, maybe any Keys you work off on that spin move specifically that you’re.

You’re looking for the opponent to do something before you.

So, yeah, I just Edge, Edge.

We, I was working him, Edge a lot and, uh, got a good.

Get off pressure on the left side.

So I knew, you know.

First down, I seen they were in a a pass stance.

So I know in his mind he’s thinking he’s got beat on the edge so soon as I seen him jump out.

You know, it’s game over, David, what, um, when you’re going through this process to get back out of here, what?

When did you feel like you?

Your old self, I guess, or or if have you

Yet I guess, yeah,

Yeah, Yeah.

So, uh, just shout out to the doctors, man, in terms of like the ramp up, you know, there’s definitely a slow ramp up leading up to.

You know, playing my my debut game back and, uh, yeah, every stage of the way I I felt as I was supposed to, you know.

And, uh, like I said, man, just shout out to the doctors and the, the, the training staff, man, they, they got me right%.

Yes, Sir, man, projection for you to play in the first preseason game.

Was that kind of what you were hoping?

Or did you get news that weren’t medically cleared?

And was that part of the process initially?

Uh, you got to ask the docor, my surgeon, all that you know.

They I just do, as I’m told.

And, uh, they had a plan in place.

I know that for sure.

And uh, I was clear for the second game and I went out and did my thing.

You talked about making the decision the best, in the best interest of team and of yourself, to to go ahead and have the surgery last year.

How hard of a deliberation was that for you personally, considering you’d already missed your Rie year.

Yeah, man, it was tough.

You know.

Like I said, it’s what I do for a living.

So to to not be able to do that, you know, and kind of being out of your control, you know that’s when you just lean on God, lean on your family, lean on people around you and just know that everything will work out for good, even though you know it’s been a long two years of recovery.

Ravens, if you look at the roster, I mean they still have a l riding on on you being very successful this year.

What does it mean to you that the team keeps the expectations high for your performance?

And, man, there’s no better feeling than that.

You know we we all want to be.

You know, feel like we’re special, feel like you know we’re dependent on and you know it’s on me to put in the work to to make that.

You know, Vision come to life.

So it’s a blessing man.

You know everybody wants to be wanted.

You know and to to to know that this team wants me and wants me to be successful.

You know it’s a blessing man, but obviously you have a lot of confidence in yourself.

But knowing how hard you work to get back, how much did you need to see tangible results from all that hard work, like you did on Saturday?

Yeah, man, I mean that’s I just control what I can.

You know the way I practice very hard.

You know, I study very hard.

I expect it to translate to the field.

So you know I. just what I can’t control is: you know the the practice field.

You know I go out there, do my thing and then come game day, Just Let it Loose and the results will be.

David, you see almost any national prediction about what the Ravens are going to be like this year: strengths and weaknesses.

Most will say: pass rush.

That’s a question mark.

What’s your reaction to that?

I’m focused on the Ravens, you know, and just what we got in here.

There’s a lot of noise outside that I can’t control.

You know, coach Harau can’t control, you know.

So to whoever said that.

You know that’s their opinion.

You know we just control what we can work hard every day in practice, and you know we’ll take care of itself.

One more: watch you practice, it’s obvious how much fun that you’re having out on the practice field has.

Has the injuries impacted that?

Did that give you a different appreciation of the game?

Yeah, man, uh, honestly just kind of like.

I said, having my brothers like do and beaks, and you know Trav, like I was living through them.

You know I couldn’t do myself.

So I knew that when I came back.

You know, I’mma cherish every moment.

You know, you really never know when it’s going to be a last.

You know, uh, Testament to even zo, our cordinator.

You know he just had the year of his life.

You know, you never know when it’s going to be a last snap.

So just cherish every moment.

You know I’m in a very blessed position, playing the Nfl for one of the best organizations.

So you know, every day I’m out here, man, just smiling through it and, uh, just making my best day.

Thank you, thank you guys, I appreciate you.