You're You were on the show last year and your future was in flux, and it was unclear what was gonna happen.

Very high draft pick.

What was gonna happen with your contract?

Everything.

You show up on the bucks and you didn't look great, To be honest early in the season.

And meantime, Ronald Jones did look good.

But as the game's got important, when you entered the playoffs, we saw what has come to be known as playoff Lenny.

5.4 yards per carry.

Getting it done.

And usually people look at quarterbacks and talk about and talk about playoff, Lenny.

Usually people look at quarterbacks and talk about clutch and not so much running backs, but to me, you were clutch.

You had your biggest performances consistently when your team needed it most.

Why, uh, I mean, it's something up to God, man.

Uh, it was my time.

Flourish and prosper, you know?

Yeah.

I was being kept saying, Man, we're gonna need to play off, you know, we Oh, right.

That's what I did.

It was kind of hard for me at first, you know, because you come from being coming from a team of being a star player and pretty much the vocal vocal point of the team.

So it was difficult for me was a challenge to put kind of put my prior to the side and understand that I don't have to do everything on my own.

You know, we have a great quarterback, really.

Receivers, tight ends, great line.

A lot of great players on my team to help me.

And that's what I did.

Leonard gotta ask you this.

I do need to get into the text messages from Tom Brady and your family with the transition, but also your future.

Here you are a free agent.

Is your hope to stay with Tampa Bay?

Well, we'll see right now.

I'm just enjoying the process right now.

We're just W what's organization of my team and, uh, you know, you never know what the future feet the future holds for me right now.

You know, I wind up in a on a great, great note, and I love to be back.

You know, we have talked to my agent and you can see what they're talking about.

You 26 years old, you ain't going nowhere.

Somebody somebody gonna grab you.

Ain't no question about that, but I But I will ask you this question.

You spent the last the three previous years of your career in Jacksonville before landing in Tampa for this particular season.

And even though you went toe on a F C championship game in Jacksonville, a reality of the situation is that when we look at you right now in Tampa as a Super Bowl champion, could you crystallize for us and educate folks out there?

What's the difference between the championship team like the one you're on now And a whole bunch of the NFL teams that are trying to be one?

If there's an element there, Can you tell us what that iss Uh, I think I think it starts with the head coach and it starts with the organization.

You know, you wanna you wanna you wanna play for organization that loves you.

I could say Tampa Bay truly truly treated me like they love me.

When when I first got here has been nothing but love and the coaches, the players and everyone that surrounded in this book organization.

It felt like home.

So why not give you all you know, you play with a guy like Tom or die like drunk, a lot of other star players on the team, and, uh, it was comfortable for me as a whole, especially for my situation where I came from.

A lot of times, it's really hard to keep a Super Bowl champion together.

Um, you have a very important linebacker who's free agent.

Seems to me that would be hard to imagine the team without him.

You have an important receiver, same sort of thing.

They can use a franchise tag and you have you.

But it seems like the Bucks have the cap space in the wherewithal to keep this team together.

What's your pitch for them to keep you?

Why should they keep this group together?

It's very rare in the NFL, Even with Super Bowl champions.

I'm not gonna have a pitch, but Coach being made it loud and clear yesterday, you know he's gonna keep everyone who's gonna try their best to keep everyone.

So we'll wait and see.

I let my agent figure that out.

You know that's not up to me right now.

I'm just enjoying the process right now and you know I'm a world champ.

That's the that's That's the biggest.

That's the ultimate prize.

Go playing football.

And I'm just I'm just enjoying every bit of that right now.

Good as you should.

And obviously, Leonard, you said this.

It's a total team effort.

So two things I want you to speak to, just that transition going from the Jags to Tampa and how your family help you support through that.

And then also, we heard Tom Brady was sending out text messages each evening encouraging You guys just tell us a little bit about those behind the scenes situations.

I think probably when I got cut, it was tough for me.

You know, I was killing the whole TS and camp, you know, I was outperforming everyone that we had there, and, uh, I actually got a call.

You know, when I walked through the gate to go to work, they said the head coach.

One talked to me, and, uh, you just cut me.

You know, he didn't give me no reason.

You know, I think it just it was time for a new start.

Any way for me to be honest after everything that happened there and it was it was devastating towards my family.

That's my first time.

I like, you know, I've always been number one player and everything.

Freshman sophomore senior players come out high school, been drafted the number four pick overall.

And that's just that's just wasn't something.

Wasn't used to have been cut from a game.

I love to play, and I was so tempted to challenge that.

And this me coming coming from the Jackson, the Bucks.

You know, he had guys like Tom who reached out to me, Devin, who wanted me, who made me want, want to feel part of the team and wanted me to come there, you know, and that that's what opened my eyes about this team with those guys.

And also I understand, like a lot of people don't understand time ready, and I don't understand what people say.

They hate him.

You know when when you don't know a guy and when you finally get to be around him is on the same team, have understand his resume, and while he has it and all his rituals and what and what he does toe build, his team builds players around him.

Confidence in him and the game plan.

Well, it's crazy, You know?

He gave us a beat.

You for the game.

It's about honor.

You know, I ain't gonna go into details about it, but it was deep, you know, I never I never felt that that deep.

My finished was, were honor until he put it in.

Ah, centers that made everybody open eyes and realize, you know, realize that we're gonna win this game.

Let it, uh, before I ask you my next question, I'll tell you why people hate Tom Brady because they ain't Tom Brady.

That's why they hate them, because they're not him.

That's why you understand.

There's him whipping there, but they're tired.

I mean, he got everything.

He looks great.

Beautiful family, beautiful organization.

Six now, seven rings.

They're not him.

That's what it is.

It's jealousy and envy playing damn simple.

Now, before I let you get on out of here, was there ever a point right before the Super Bowl leading in the Super Bowl week that y'all thought, This is it for Tom Brady that he may decide toe walk away if he wins it all.

Was that Ah, thought Was that a discussion amongst the players prior to the game?

No, it wasn't.

E.

Think the way time carries themselves.

Carry.

Carry yourself.

You don't You don't think about it.

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