"I'm just out there, you know, just balling," Paye told me on the most recent episode of Upon Further Review.
"I love playing D-line. I love being in the pocket, muddying it up and, you know, just, just violence."
Paye beamed, and the smile should send shivers up the spines of opposing quarterbacks on the Raiders' schedule…especially if Crosby is being, well, Crosby on the other side of the defensive line in the Raiders' reimagined front under new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard.
Yes, the same Leonard who spent the previous three seasons coaching Crosby and the rest of the D-line as the Raiders' D-line coach.
Paye may be new to Leonard's scheme, but he's already taken on a teaching role for the other newbies on the team and Leonard has taken notice.
"I say all the time I've learned the most from players," Leonard said. "And when they take control of that, that's where the details get taught, what things look like in reality outside of a playbook, and that's what you want to see.
"I mean, it makes you feel good, to be honest with you."
It should.
"I feel like the players make the calls come to life and the DCs preach that all the time - they can call it, but we have to make it come to life," Paye said. "You have to be very selfless. You have to sacrifice yourself.
"Sometimes, the play is not meant for you and that's OK. You have to go ahead and sacrifice your body to make somebody else come free and get the sack, get the pressure, get the pick, whatever it may be. And that's just all coming together and [we're] trying to win."
Paye is new to the Raiders, but not the rigors and heartbreak of life in the NFL.
Or have you forgotten about Paye being on the wrong end of one of his new teammate's epic comebacks.
"Oh, man," Paye howled. "Don't even bring it up. Don't bring it up."
Thing is, we have to, right?
It was Dec. 17, 2022, and Paye's Colts were up on Kirk Cousins' Vikings, 33-0 at halftime, 36-7 late in the third quarter.
Cousins, who would finish with 460 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, led the Vikings to a wild 39-36 overtime victory…even as he was sacked seven times.
Once by Paye.