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Mike Macdonald On The First Practice Of Training Camp: "It Was A Great First Day" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: All right, pretty great. Huh, pretty great first day. Awesome
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: to be back. Uh, guys are in great spirits, very
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: just just excited that we're we're back wronging. You know,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: a lot of credit goes out to, uh, to our folks,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: you know, throughout through our building, all our supports crew,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: our performance crew, all the business side people for creating
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: such a great atmosphere and I know it really contributes
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: to having great a great practice. So guys had a
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: great day, great first day, and then it's really just
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: about taking care of business, you know, just one step
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: at a time as we go. Trying not to sound
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: as cliche sometimes, but that's really what we're uh, what
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: we're focused on. So just just blessed, just feeling blessed,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: you know, just really cool. Great to see the families
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: and uh, just looking forward to you know, rest of
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: training camp. Yeah, it's you know, like you don't worry
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: too much about the execution right now. I think I
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: think there's some things that we're gonna want to clean up,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: but kind of the non negotiables about our style play
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: without getting in all the weeds. But we made that
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: emphasis today and so that's one of those things where
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: if you don't nail it in day one, it's kind
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: of hard to get it. It's like a it's like
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: a teacher. If they don't, you know, lay on the
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: law the first couple of days, it's hard to kind
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: of gain that back if you lose. It's our guys
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: have been on it, and so there's a lot of
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: great like details outside of just you know, between the
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: whistle that really please with them. We're gonna keep attacking.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: So it's taking us a while to get to this
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: point this early in camp, and so that's it's good
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: to see evaluate the running back. What do you look for? Uh,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: it's hard to right now. I mean right now we're
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: focused on execution, and there's things that you can see
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: in this type of environment. You're gonna be relying on
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: our coaches a lot, our personnel folks things that they see.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: And I think I think it's one of those things
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: where kind of just plays itself out, you know, and
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: and I don't And I think you've seen the way
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: we've operated. It's not we're making cut and dry final
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: decisions on like going into the first game. Those things
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: are always a discussion on how we want to move
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: and shake throughout the season too, So we're in a
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: good spot right now and we've got guys coming back,
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: which is a positive. So what we'll see how it goes.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: That might be blessed in an atmosphere, just just how
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: special is this place here, Seahawks, that's all. You're always
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: reminded of it when you come back and how awesome
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: it is. But there's so many folks that haven't been
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: here yet, and so to hear their perspective of how
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: cool it is, that that's a quick reminder about how
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: awesome it is, you know, so not I guess it's
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: easy to remember, not hard to forget. I guess that's
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: that's the right English behind it. But it's a second
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: to none. So we're really blessed.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: The new owners when you met with them and you
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: could get any sign of how they might run a team.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Well, we haven't had much interaction yet, and uh really
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: everything is about the same as it's been. I mean,
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: there really hasn't. Nothing's really changed on our front, nor
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: will it for the foreseeable future. So that's really how
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: we're approaching everything. We had great, great visits with all
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: the folks that were here. I think the best way
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: to describe min gonna tell I'm just really excited to
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: get going. I think this is I think we're really
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: thankful for for Jody and the things that you know,
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: her and the rest of the ownership group did while
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: you know, especially since I've been here, it's been it's
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: been fantastic, and hopefully the rest of the twelves feel
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: the same way as they should. And and then you know,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: now we're endering a new chapter in our organization's history,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: and so I think that's a cause for excitement as well.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: It's true you met with them just with a cursory
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: of introductions or is there anything that you've got.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, yeah, it's it wasn't a long meeting.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: It's just but it was. It was it was great,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: it was fruitful, and it's just an awesome opportun unity
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: to you know, said, you can always talking on the
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: phone and do zooms and stuff, but to be in
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: person is is a different experience, which I definitely appreciated.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Leman Maury and how long you think fill me out wary?
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Uh yeah, So next situation like that. So it's the
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: ankle from the super Bowl, and uh, I think I
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: think the best way to describe it is. We we
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: it was something that we that he's been dealing with
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: since the Super Bowl. Has was able to perform, you know,
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: like was able to train and do some things in
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: the off season program, but just got to the point
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: where it was the best for him and really really
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: just for him in the long like for like for
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: the long term, just to go ahead and and and
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: get it fixed and and so that's what we all
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: decided to do. So it was really the it's really
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: the best thing for him for the really for now
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: and the foreseeable future, you know, for the rest of
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: his career. So you know, he's he's doing a great job.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: We don't have necessarily a timetable. It's not like we
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: lost him for the season or anything. He's I don't
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: want to put you know, I don't you know me,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: I don't want to put like time on it. But
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: it's not a it's not a serious thing where you're
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: you're looking at like any long term consideration. See Tory
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Burton was back today and like Aja as well, but
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: just kind of those guys that were, yeah, that's great.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: I mean i'd say, you know, I know, Nick's getting
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: a lot of attention as it probably should. But but
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: you know, the guys that we had to kind of
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: return to the play, return to play programs since the
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: end of the season, all those guys are participating right now.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: They're all on their individual programs as they kind of
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: rant back into full full go. But uh, they're all
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: they're all doing great, you know, in great spirits, and
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: you know, it's just it's great to see Tory back
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: out there. You know, he's haven't seen fifteen doing this
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: thing in a minute, so that's great.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: You always talk about improving and you just went through
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: this offseason. When you think about moments you haven't coached
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: up to your standard, do you think.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: About plenty of those play.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: Calling, is the game planning, is it in the meeting room?
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: What what situations do you feel like you look at it.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: I think you just have to have a spirit of
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: like you're always evaluating your process and what you're doing
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: to you know, best generate how you put your team
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: in position to be successful. Like eighty and Ice had
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: a converstation in the last period. I was like, you
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: know what, I didn't describe what we're trying to get
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: out of this period as well as we should. So
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: we'll go back and either changed something about the period
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: or how we talk about it with the guys, and
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: if we do something again and you know, we think
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: of a similar one again tomorrow, so you know, we'll
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: go make it right and just kind of move forward.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: And so I think that's the mentality you have to have.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: That's those little marginal games. Nothing too big, too small.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: It's just we're just trying to get better and just
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: trying to make it better for our guys. It's really
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: the really the spirit we're doing. Sorry, sorry, we're a
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: little rusted.
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: Oh Now, rookies from draft day to today, not all
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: of them. What similar is have you seen them take?
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: What traits have you seen them embrace? Yeah? This has
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: been a great rookie class. They're different than last year.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: It's a little bit smaller, smaller group, but in different
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: different personality, but you know, those those common threads that
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: we want in our program, respect, honest work. They're very
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: talented in their own right. They have all those things,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: you know, So I think I think their personality is
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: coming out. One of the messages of the team right
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: now is you know this this is a new team.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: You know, and even though you are a rookie, there
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: is a responsibility to add to who we're gonna become,
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: and we don't know what that's gonna be yet, so uh,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: we're trying to create that space for them to be
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: themselves and and uh and add to our team so
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: we can become the best version of ourself. But that's
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: where we're at. But it's been a great group so far,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: and and uh, you know, we we're gonna need them
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: this year. So you know, our bets are doing a
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: great job of foster from as well. And that process
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: is really gonna be ongoing really for the rest of
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: the season and into camp too, so we'll see you
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: notice the hard knocks, the cameras and stuff. I kind
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: of in the field a little bit, Yeah, a little bit.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: I'm miked up right now. You know, I gotta get
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: used to that. Uh. I just it's just I told
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: the guys like they're they're gonna capture what we do,
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: and they do a great job of doing that. Let's
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: let's be us, you know, let's let's let's we want
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: them to capture us. We're proud of who we are
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: and how we do things, and so there's really no
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: reason to try to change anything or you know, try
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: to be something we're not. So that's it. I probably
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: by tomorrow the next day, they'll just probably probably won't
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: notice it. Honestly, the praise.
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: Were a new team and talking to some players test right,
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: it seems like they'd want to praise returning the page.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: Were you seen that process, you know, from the last
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: February to now to get guys, Yeah, guys have been awesome.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: They've they've really done a great job of, uh setting
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: the mindset. And I think it's one of those things
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: like we put emphasis on it, but like we're not
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: We're not extra here. We're just kind of is what
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: it is. We just tell each other the way we
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: want to do things, and then we did go attack it.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: And uh, I think just like is I don't know
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: if you just if you just boil it down to
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: the lowest count of honorary, it's like, look, I'm different
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: than I was this time of last year. I'm different
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: than I was at the end of the season. We
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: got I don't know what thirty percent of our roster
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: is probably different. We got change. We had to carry
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: your own changes at our coaching staff. We got a
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: guys with with new perspectives and a lot of like
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: life things that have happened. So we're all kind of
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: new people here in this situation, which by definition makes
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: us a new team too. So it's pretty simple when
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: you kind of like bought down like that you are
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: the most intact super Bowl team.
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: We are what you are the most intact super Bowl
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: breaking super Bowl championship set right.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: Now, We're all different and that's where I'm enjoying with it.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: So is it even more impressive that.
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: The guys are willing to turn the page where hasn't
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: been as much turnover?
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: Well, I think yeah, Well I think it speaks like
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: the connection to the guys. And you know, it's not
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: like you're starting a message with you know, three your
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: veteran guides and then expecting that to kind of trickle
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: down to the rest of the roster or the rest
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: of the coaching staff. Uh, there's a lot of there's
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: a lot of alignment, and so you know, it feels
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: like when we've decided that we want to set our
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: minds on something, it's uh, the transition costs is probably
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: not as high as if you were to have a
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: lot of care. You know, a lot of turnover, you're.
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: On to your second kid. Congratulations by the way, thank
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: you are you giving being fatherly advice to all the
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: new dads And I.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: Don't know if they need that yet from me. Jackson
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: are somewhere, so I'm looking forward to see him in
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: here after this. But we have had some guys that
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: have had kids over the off season, so you do
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: feel like you're a little bit more of the elder
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: statements now rather than me asking the old guys. But
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: that's uh again, Like I mean, we're having like we
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: have growing our family. Just get any better than that.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: You have healthy kids and people are having me it's
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: just the best since last year. This time of days. Well,
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: I think I think uh, I think it's answered like
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: answering the question earlier. It's just there's always things where
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: you feel like I could, Yeah, like the vision I
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: have for like myself and who I want to become
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: and what type of team we want to become is
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: that it just doesn't it doesn't match. And so I
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: think it's I think it's like little growths you know
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: throughout your life that you're just always chasing. Uh. You
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: probably Tree could ask all these folks. They can tell
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: you how I've changed. I don't know, get a good
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: feel for for who we are. But yeah, it's probably
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: not Probably not a great answer. Honestly, could be better. Good.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: You can get better at answering those questions. I don't know. Yeah,
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: I mean, like, uh, could he play in the opener?
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Could sure you could play in the opener? You expect?
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: I don't know what I knew You're gonna have something great.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: I was I was trying to be. That was good.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: That was a good angle. That was a good angle.
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: That was good. That's fair monogamy. Bring what does he add? Yeah,
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: uh no, he's doing a great jobs right in the
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: thick of things. Got a great opportunity, you know, like
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: we're again, it's a new team, it's a new secondary.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: We've got some we got some some changes back there,
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: some new guys, new faces, and so it's gonna be
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: fun to see how things shake out with the competition there,
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: and and and how we allocate everybody to You know,
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: we don't have to live in the same personnel groups
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: that we did last year. We just gotta let them
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: kind of let the play speak to us and tell
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: us what's best for us. Mike Dante Pallor and I
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: kind of kids and help look him and beyond that,
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: what is what are you kind of thought in the Amazon? No,
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: well you can tell Dante's he's really he's worked hard
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: to save stays and he's in really good shape. Today
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: was a little more precautionary thing that. Uh, but he'll
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: be back out tomorrow and we got a plan for him,
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: so he'll be he'll be practicing sooner than later. I
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: know this is John's world, but is there anything you
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: can tell usself, Witherspoon, where anythings stand on the podcast? Yeah,
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: well you're right, that's that's uh John's John's area. But
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: I can tell you this, like I couldn't have any
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: more confidence in like our process and all the people
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: involved in the whole you know operation. So I think
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: that's the best way to describe him, Just like really
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: confident right now and and where we are and and
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: spooning all his people and the way that we do business.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: So I'm just it's confident, you know, and Spoo's doing
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: a great job. It's just it's practicing his tail off.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: He's same guy, nothing's changed, so uh, really we're just
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: operating as usual right now. Zach man, any opportunity to
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: get a chance to talk about Zach, I'm gonna take
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: advantage of it. He's done a phenomenal job. He's just
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: uh attacked the heck out of the out of the
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: out of the off season and his rehab as you'd expect,
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: and the returns have been what he's deserved. You know,
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: he's really put in that work. So I'm really excited
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: about where he is. No timetable right now, but man,
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: he's just uh he's kicking butt and he deserves a
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: shout out because he's he's a special guy, a leader.
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: Right now.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. He can feel Zach from a
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: mile away his influence on our team. But you're not
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: gonna hear him. I can tell you that Kenny mc
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: kay's doing a great job too. No timetable. You know,
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: that's a tough injury. I know we're going on almost
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: a year now, but uh uh, that that was that
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: was he was a really unfortunate injury for for Kenny Max.
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: So but he's right there, he's rehabbning, he's working hard.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: Anything else, Okay, all right, thank you m HM.