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Mike Macdonald: "The Guys Are Ready To Go" · Seahawks Press Pass

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  Speaker 1: All right, I feel like it's been a minute. It's
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: good to see everybody good practice today. I had a
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: great week. Uh you know, going into a few days
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  Speaker 1: off here, so get refreshed and clear our minds and
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  Speaker 1: get ready to go play an NFL football game. So
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  Speaker 1: exciting times. No questions, how do you do?
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  Speaker 2: How do you do captains?
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  Speaker 1: And you know, yeah, we'll do We'll do game captains
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  Speaker 1: week by week, so you'll see a bunch of different guys,
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  Speaker 1: just like we did in the preseason.
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  Speaker 3: So might kind of put this question that you had
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  Speaker 3: a moment to think about the time you got the
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  Speaker 3: phone call and where you're at now.
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  Speaker 2: I know you're focused on again with just this whole
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  Speaker 2: kind of whirlwind your line.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I appreciate the question, but not really. You know,
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  Speaker 1: it's just uh what the team needs, what needs to
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  Speaker 1: be next. I think you kind of learned that from
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  Speaker 1: me right now, just what our mentality is. But I mean,
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  Speaker 1: just like John were we work somebody out today and
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  Speaker 1: John was just saying, like, I mean, look at this place,
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  Speaker 1: the weather, it's just surreal every day. So blessed to
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  Speaker 1: be here.
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  Speaker 2: Connor Williams progressing.
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  Speaker 1: Well, he looks good. We'll see you know, we'll see,
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  Speaker 1: we'll see next week where we're at bet with John
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  Speaker 1: Boston about Yeah, it's you know, the first time is
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  Speaker 1: your first time with everything. So h we work through it,
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  Speaker 1: you know, and we'll move forward from here. We have
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  Speaker 1: a little better understanding of how everything goes. So that's
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  Speaker 1: kind of been part of the course with just about
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  Speaker 1: everything we've done every day from from February first till now,
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  Speaker 1: so kind of getting used to doing the first things.
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  Speaker 1: And but it was smooth, you know, open communication thorough.
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  Speaker 1: We're on the same page the whole whole way through,
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  Speaker 1: so it was a good process. Hey, coach.
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  Speaker 3: They talked about the Mike McDonald's scheme going around the NFL,
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  Speaker 3: but there's only one Mike McDonald play caller. Can you
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  Speaker 3: talk about the different relative importance of play calling versus
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  Speaker 3: the scheme?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I think the x's and o's, man,
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  Speaker 1: they're overrated. It's it's about how you play. It's about
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  Speaker 1: how the eleven people on the field can work. You know,
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  Speaker 1: as one, there's only so many things you can do
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  Speaker 1: with eleven guys out there. You know, there's only so
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  Speaker 1: many the music you can put on the field, there's
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  Speaker 1: only so many people get it on a scrimmage. There's
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  Speaker 1: only so many covered structures. So we're not reinventing anything new.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, you'll watch people that watch their tape, they're
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  Speaker 1: not you know, we didn't reinvent defense. It's just it's
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  Speaker 1: just it's a style of play that hopefully that we
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  Speaker 1: can recreate here, and that's that's our plan.
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  Speaker 2: Might got it up.
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  Speaker 3: But look at Trevis Gipson yet kind of guess.
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  Speaker 1: It's catching on fast. You know, we'll see how it
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  Speaker 1: shakes out next week. But he's doing a great job.
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  Speaker 2: Like what have you seen out of Ken Walker's preseason?
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  Speaker 2: I don't even play any games for you. I don't
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  Speaker 2: think I asked you about a ton It's kind of
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  Speaker 2: how its three seas, kind of like a spen.
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  Speaker 1: Ken's in a great spot. I think just picked the
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  Speaker 1: offense up really quickly. Everybody, everybody's excited him, coaches, players,
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  Speaker 1: I think he's in a great spot mentally. It's been
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  Speaker 1: a fun guy. He's just been a joy to be around,
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  Speaker 1: so I'm excited for him. He's worked his tail off,
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  Speaker 1: so he's got a great opportunity in front of him.
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  Speaker 1: Just can't wait them suit up for the first time.
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  Speaker 3: Be fun coach, if you picked your starter at right guard,
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  Speaker 3: and do you think that that's going to be stable
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  Speaker 3: or could actually be a competition throughout the year.
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  Speaker 1: You know, we have a we have a pretty good
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  Speaker 1: feel for how we're gonna line up next week this point,
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  Speaker 1: you know, just kind of keep it under wraps and
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  Speaker 1: let them figure it out first snap of the game.
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  Speaker 1: How much faith do you have in Gino? For a
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  Speaker 1: tremendous amount of faith. I mean, the whole whole thing
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  Speaker 1: revolves around the QB and he's our quarterback, and we're
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  Speaker 1: excited that he is. So quarterback obviously the most important position.
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  Speaker 1: But just like any anybody that's gonna go out there,
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  Speaker 1: I don't I don't see how you could put someone
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  Speaker 1: out there that you don't you don't have one hundred
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  Speaker 1: percent faith in and they've earned this opportunity. But Gino,
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  Speaker 1: most importantly, he's he's right there leading the charge.
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  Speaker 2: Michael came down.
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  Speaker 1: Man, how much it matters to him. He's a great competitor,
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  Speaker 1: so detailed, works tremendously hard. It's not easy to learn
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  Speaker 1: a new scheme, no matter how many years you've been
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  Speaker 1: in the league, how many schemes you've been in and
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  Speaker 1: they're totally, totally master they're happy because we canceled meetings,
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  Speaker 1: not because they like me, but all those things. I
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  Speaker 1: kind of forgot the question, honestly. But Gino's doing a
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  Speaker 1: great job. You know, he's picked up at the offense.
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  Speaker 3: We've heard you use the phrase chasing edges. Where did
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  Speaker 3: you start?
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  Speaker 2: Where do you get that from?
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  Speaker 1: Where do you start using that? Or well, it's something
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  Speaker 1: that was John didn't use that, uh, saying per se
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  Speaker 1: in Baltimore. But it was kind of a combination of
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  Speaker 1: chasing perfection and then having an idea of just we
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  Speaker 1: want we want people here here. We're looking for anything,
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  Speaker 1: any little marginal thing it's gonna help us, help us win.
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  Speaker 1: We're always trying to push the envelope. We feel like,
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  Speaker 1: you know, we want people chasing us. So kind of
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  Speaker 1: gets you the mentality of you know, we're not copying anybody.
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  Speaker 1: It's gonna be our style play, it's gonna be our team,
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  Speaker 1: our way of doing things. Never satisfied with where we're at, uh,
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  Speaker 1: you know, no complacency, but like kind of a relentless
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  Speaker 1: pursuit of creating the vision that we want to create.
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  Speaker 1: So I think that that kind of paints a nice
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  Speaker 1: picture for.
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  Speaker 2: You might speaking of me and nothing.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe you're not satisfied at this point, like tug game,
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  Speaker 1: if you have to play the game, maybe like this Sunday,
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  Speaker 1: do you feel like you're ready to do like you'd
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  Speaker 1: like to.
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  Speaker 2: Practice like ten more times after I feel any more times?
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  Speaker 1: Where do you feel you guys are, Yeah, we could,
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  Speaker 1: we could go play. We'd have a really crappy plan
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  Speaker 1: on defense, so but we'd be able to get some
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  Speaker 1: plays off. The guys executed well today, but you know,
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  Speaker 1: we'll dial it in over the weekend it'll be really
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  Speaker 1: clear or coming back with the extra time to work.
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  Speaker 1: But yeah, the guys, guys are ready to go. But
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  Speaker 1: you know we're never gonna turn down more reps.
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  Speaker 3: Defense on board is clarity of assignment and also the
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  Speaker 3: community game.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, it's so, it's everything. It's everything. I mean, if
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  Speaker 1: you just you know, you go out there and try
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  Speaker 1: to go play, and where do you stand? Where do
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  Speaker 1: you look? How do you move? How do you pursue?
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  Speaker 1: Who are you working with? If you don't know those
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  Speaker 1: things and you don't do them over and over again,
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  Speaker 1: you can't play the right way. I just I really
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  Speaker 1: believe that. I think our guys understand that too. So
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  Speaker 1: we're not perfect, but we're making progress and it's gonna
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  Speaker 1: and we'll be doing it, you know, hopefully we're here
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  Speaker 1: for a long time and you're asking that question a
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  Speaker 1: long time from now, and I'm probably answer will be
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  Speaker 1: will be the same. You know that. But that's the mentality, Mike.
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  Speaker 2: We've seen Jerome Baker back out here a little bit
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  Speaker 2: for you, what how's he kind of doing? And then
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  Speaker 2: optimately what's the challenge for you? And just need to
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  Speaker 2: him go next week when it's a little practice time fore.
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  Speaker 1: Uh. Yeah, if you know he's bakes clear to go,
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  Speaker 1: he'll be. He'll be ready to go. Mentally he's a pro,
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  Speaker 1: he's a great player. So if if he's out there,
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  Speaker 1: we'll be excited to have him. If not, then you know,
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  Speaker 1: teen night will be rolling.
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  Speaker 2: How's already arched?
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  Speaker 1: Uh, we'll see, we'll see, we'll see next week.
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  Speaker 2: You have everything installed that you expect two fine hours
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  Speaker 2: at an ongoing count.
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  Speaker 1: You can say that again, g.
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  Speaker 2: You have everything installed that you had played with bin
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  Speaker 2: hours that I'm ongoing good.
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  Speaker 1: All the con all most I mean, the concepts that
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  Speaker 1: we need are in every game. You're doing little tweaks
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  Speaker 1: here and there, but it's not like you're introducing some
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  Speaker 1: new thing in, you know, some new language that they
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  Speaker 1: haven't heard yet. You're just saying, hey, this is the
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  Speaker 1: thing we've been doing, but with a with a twist,
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  Speaker 1: and I think they are able to. That's why you
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  Speaker 1: want to get everything in so they can kind of
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  Speaker 1: they understand those those adjustments. So we're right there. On defense.
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure Grub has some more stuff up as sleeve,
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  Speaker 1: but it seems like their install has been going smoothly.
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  Speaker 2: You had mentioned earlier in the Month of Communication piece.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean slow down a little bit on that.
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  Speaker 2: Has that gotten better or is it that still challenges.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I mean it's always gonna be a challenge, you know.
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  Speaker 1: It's when you're going up against a new offense and
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  Speaker 1: setting them throughout the week. Again, you're trying to alert
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  Speaker 1: things based off to distributions and who's in the game
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  Speaker 1: and the things that you've been studying, so it's kind
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  Speaker 1: of like you're kind of relearning what you're going against
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  Speaker 1: on a week to week basis. But the intense there
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  Speaker 1: from the guys, so that's really all we're asking for
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  Speaker 1: right now.
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  Speaker 3: Hey, coach Jim Johnson was the linebacker coach here before
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  Speaker 3: he's a DC at Philadelphia. Can you talk about how
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  Speaker 3: his influence was on your philosophy on defense?
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  Speaker 1: Well, I mean you can connect the dots pretty easily
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  Speaker 1: going from him to coach Harbaugh and then back to Baltimore,
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  Speaker 1: and a lot of our zone pressure schemes are rooted
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  Speaker 1: in Coach Johnson's schemes. And I mean he's probably I mean,
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  Speaker 1: I don't want to start ranking zone blitz guys, but
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  Speaker 1: I mean his stuff is his stuff has stood the
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  Speaker 1: test of time and done it at a high level
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  Speaker 1: and just as so much respect. I mean as someone
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  Speaker 1: that you just just have so much respect for going
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  Speaker 1: through the process and developing as a young coach. And
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  Speaker 1: I mean his defense were special. Man. So it's cool
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  Speaker 1: that it kind of all comes full circle back here
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  Speaker 1: in Seattle. I'll todd luck, it don't interesting. Yeah, he's
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  Speaker 1: doing good. He played, he is dead with I mean,
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  Speaker 1: I hope. So we haven't seen him time. Yeah, I
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  Speaker 1: mean I don't want to. I don't want to be
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  Speaker 1: like took X amount of reps or whatever. But he's
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  Speaker 1: we're looking optimistic again. You'll you'll know I've been lightened
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: next week with kind of his practice status and all that. Yeah, another, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: I know, guys, the injuries ones are tough for me.
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  Speaker 1: It's like, hey, we're we're in the game week now.
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  Speaker 1: It's we'll give you as much as we can, but
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  Speaker 1: right now it's just you know, we'll see you next week.
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  Speaker 2: We haven't seen him at time. Drake Thomas, what do.
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  Speaker 1: You like about him? Uh? You know, Drake, Drake's shown
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  Speaker 1: that he's been able to pick up the system without
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  Speaker 1: having getting all the reps. So uh, he he deserves
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  Speaker 1: a lot of credit for stand up to date and moving,
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  Speaker 1: moving and shifting and and and playing fast. Uh is
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  Speaker 1: the guy would be excited to see. You know, it's
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  Speaker 1: the whole process. So it's good to see him out
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  Speaker 1: here moving and making calls and playing fast and did
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  Speaker 1: a nice job in the game the other night. So
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  Speaker 1: we're excited for him.
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  Speaker 2: From what you saw of Dean Williams in the return
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  Speaker 2: game throughout the preseason, what do you like about his
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  Speaker 2: skill setting that fit for you guys? Start more yet.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, he's a natural catcher and I like that he
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: gets north you know, punt in the punt return game
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  Speaker 1: and then hasn't had that many opportunities in the kick
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: return game. But I think I think you'll see some
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  Speaker 1: of the same things.
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  Speaker 3: Haven't seen the paying for a whole preseas, I know, do.
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  Speaker 1: You think that's gonna be a big impact that the
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  Speaker 1: ad real big change, not like, uh, you know, I'm
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: not sure. I'm not sure. I mean, it's such a
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: it's a volatile play. You know, there's there's there's the
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: distributions of the turns and the and the average start
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: start distance right now, our start yard line is I
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: think it's a little skewed because teams are trying to
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: get the ball in play in preseason to see their teams,
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: you know, for evaluation purposes. And obviously teams are definitely
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: holding some schemes back, probably that they don't want to show.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: So I'm not sure how many I'm not sure how
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  Speaker 1: many kicks you'll see in game early in the season now,
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: so weather changes and things like that. You know, you
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: might you might see some more, but it's probably not
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  Speaker 1: as many as definitely not as many as you've seen
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: in the preseason. I think teams will kick more touchbacks
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: than you've seen, but we'll be ready, you know, if
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: they kick it to us.
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  Speaker 3: Because you've got rush end and your death chart as
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  Speaker 3: a position, can you describe like a little bit of
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: the difference between that and the other end of position.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, so you know, we're we're kind of structured like
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: a like a four to three under team. So he's
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: really just a weak side defensive end that does more
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: rushing than the sam and so hence the name rush.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: It's pretty simple, don't overthink it.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: You had a couple of players playing on waiters, did
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: you think you would have a good chance to get
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: Jimmy Sherriff back on your practice club?
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  Speaker 1: Uh? I think yeah. I mean, anytime you let someone go,
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: you have to assume the risk of someone else picking
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: them up. So that was something that we had to
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: roll the dice on and wish him the best. Everybody health.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: Thank you, Okay, thanks guys,