Oh, man, Tampa, Tampa, Florida is treating me well, Randy man.

It's a blast down here.

The weather is unbelievable, you know, up north were used to blizzards.

Snowstorms?

I grew up in Buffalo, New York, to So, uh, that was always, you know, cold with a lot of snow, too.

But it's weird, though at this time, because the sun goes down, you know, around five o'clock, and I'm used to when the sun goes down around four or five o'clock that it's cold outside.

It's weird that it's still 75 80 degrees out and the sun's going down and it's five o'clock.

I'm like, No, like like it's supposed to be, you know, light out till about eight PM when you're a nice weather.

But that's the only difference I gotta get adjusted to.

But the weather phenomenal.

There was a tropical storm the other day, and it was kind of weak.

It was only 25 MPH wind, and I was always saying, if a hurricane hit here, I'm gonna stay because I never been in one, and I always wanted to be in one, but, uh it was a weak tropical storm.

So I'm gonna have to stay.

Ah, little bit longer, You know, next year and see if we get a hurricane or are you know, a stronger tropical storm and just be chilling and watching and seeing what it does.

Did you?

Did you see, Did you actually see the Sunday night game with the Ravens and Patriots?

Did you see the climate and the conditions that they were playing in?

And do you miss those?

Yes.

I don't miss that type of climate.

You know, I always say this.

Everyone's like, Oh, you do.

Do you know how much better is that?

The player in the warm weather?

You know, I don't mind when it's cold out like, I don't mind when it's 25 degrees, 30 degrees, 35 degrees.

As long as it's not windy, if it's windy.

Oh, it's the worst to be in that temperature then.

And if it's windy and raining at like 35 degrees 40 degrees, that's the worst.

I do not miss that, but I I always like playing like when I was 25 30 degrees, 40 degrees.

As long as there's no wind then it was cool, but And when it's rainy and windy, I don't miss those ones at all.

Well, look, when you when you walked when you walked away from from from the game for for short stent, you know, just the football world and and the fans of yours was just, you know, puzzled and just wondering why.

And, you know, I did that.

I took a year off, you know, just to relax my mind, relax my but my body, but for you to be able to come back, not just come back to the National Football League drunk, But you came back to play with Tom.

What was your reason for coming back to the league?

You know, I just felt like I was ready to come back.

Uh, I've been playing football in my whole career.

Uh, since I was, you know, 15 years old, 14 years old.

When whenever I started right around that age.

And I've been playing multiple sports since then, too.

I was playing hockey, baseball, basketball, all growing up off the field to I was always fighting with my friends, fighting with my brothers, whoever it was growing up.

And then I'm going into the football world.

College football, the pros I never ever gave my body a break like in my life.

Like I'm talking like never like even the off season, Moss.

It was not like, Oh, I'm gonna chill out, relax, take care of my body.

Know when I was different, like, you know, growing up, man, it was always Go, go, go.

No matter what, if you're playing a sport, if you weren't playing a sport, and I just felt like, you know, your body needs time off eventually And that's what I felt like a man and I took that time off.

I didn't know in my head if I was gonna come back or not.

You know, I felt like I definitely needed the break.

But I was very satisfied with taking the break, and I was happy where I was.

But, you know, with that time off, I started feeling better, you know, getting my body back into I stayed in shape, kept my workouts going, kept my cardio going, and I just felt like the right opportunity came, uh, to come and come down to Tampa.

Play with Tom.

Hey, came down here my mom lives two hours away being the Florida weather, Just everything lined up and I just felt like it was a great opportunity to not pass time.

What?

What?

What What has been, you know, taking that that year off from football.

Now you're coming back.

You talked about being in a different climate.

You're on a different team, different organization.

What has been your biggest adjustment since coming back?

Oh, uh, it's kind of like being experienced rookie coming back.

You know, I played nine years in the NFL, but now it's a whole different organization, a whole different climate, whole different atmosphere, I would say.

And, uh, I would just say just getting adjusted to that, because once you get in a routine, uh, with everything when you're at one place, you know what's gonna you know what's gonna come You know what's gonna happen, you know, you know how to react.

So just, you know, just coming in and and knowing that it's gonna be different and and knowing that you're gonna have to react, and you're gonna have to adjust instead of being a rookie, you know, you're like, I don't know what to do like I knew that that was all gonna come.

I knew I was gonna have to adjust.

I knew I was gonna have to do what I had to dio, you know, to prove myself to get the respect of my teammates.

I've been through all that process, you know, my rookie year.

So I kind of felt like an experienced rookie on just overall, just getting adjusted to a whole new atmosphere.

I would say it was the biggest change.

Uh, you know, the beginning of the season and, you know, being on Sunday Countdown being on Monday Countdown.

You know, I've always been a big fan of yours, Rob, just for just how you played the game.

And I always said at the beginning of the season, you know, Where's Rob Gronkowski?

Where's Rob Gronkowski?

Sooner or later, they got to get Rob Gronkowski in the mix.

Why?

Why the slow start?

You know, first five games, no touchdowns.

Why the slow start?

Was it just you trying to get adjusted of getting back in the game was just such a long layoff or what?

I mean, there's a lot of factors that go into it.

I would say, But, uh, I mean, I would say personally myself, I wouldn't say I was up to power to where I wanted to be.

Uh, you know, there was sometimes in camp I would show lots of flashes that I'm back and then a couple of times after, you know, a couple of days after a couple practice after, I wouldn't be as sharp as I was before.

I would say the consistency wasn't there on my part.

And, you know, in order to be successful in the in the NFL, you gotta be consistent on a daily basis, Um, in order to gain the trust in your teammates on organization.

So I would just say, uh, I just kept going hard, being patient with myself, doing what I need to dio to gain the trust of my teammates and organization.

And then eventually I knew pieces we're gonna start falling into place.

We also got many, many great players here on this offense, and we're distributing the ball very well.

But I knew if I just kept working hard, taking my time, doing what I need to do to get back to where I need to be, things we're gonna turn around and they were gonna come.

But I would say I mean, I was still out there doing what I need to do.

I mean, I was I was blocking well, helping out with the old line.

We're running the ball well, just playing tight and isn't just one dimensional in the passing game.

I mean, if you're not catching passes, I know you get harped on it.

It's pretty crazy.

It's like it's like I could tell you this for sure.

Being a blocking tight end does not get you paid at all.

I ain't gonna lie.

You may get some respect from your teammates and stuff, but being a blocking tight end doesn't get you paid looking.

I don't have any catches, but I have a great blocking game.

Oh, man, we're ground.

He blows.

Oh, this that I'm like I'm like, Oh, all right.

I learned my lesson.

It's true.

If you make plays and catch passes, you get paid as a tight end.

It doesn't matter if you blocking out, but I like blocking.

So I'm gonna keep doing it and, you know, just got to keep on working every week to get better in all aspects of the game, baby.

Yeah.

No.

Well, first.

Okay.

Wow.

Like I said, I was just, you know, patient with myself.

I just kept working hard, going out to practice, showing that I could compete, make some plays, and it just started happening within the last five games.

You know, I got four touchdowns now in the last, uh, five games.

I've been making some big catches, uh, getting some first downs for the team.

And I just knew if I just kept working, doing what I need to do, it was gonna start coming.

And I truly believe that I got a lot more left in the tank to big time.

And, uh, you know, just going out there and just trying to improve every week, weekend and week out, that's all I'm trying to dio.

And I've shown some flashes.

I would say for sure of my old self.

Like I'm making some big place, um, in the passing game on then And then I would say, sometimes I'm, you know, not doing, you know, not getting open when I need to get open.

But I just got to keep on working on it.

Week in and week out so I could be consistent, and I could be very reliable when it really comes down to that time.

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