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Michael Jerrell: "I Play Nasty And Gritty" - Seahawks Draft Conference Call · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Congratulations, Michael, Thank you.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: I guess were.
• 0:05
  Speaker 3: Getting used to your name.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah. What was the.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Level of excitement when the Seahawks called you today?
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: It was a bit of a bit of a shock,
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  Speaker 2: you know. Uh it was. I mean I felt like
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  Speaker 2: I felt like I had a good, you know, good
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  Speaker 2: visit and everything. I didn't you know, I was wonder
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  Speaker 2: what was gonna happen. But it was, man, it was
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  Speaker 2: it was. Yeah. It was something that always it was.
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  Speaker 2: It was crazy. I would say it was crazy. It
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  Speaker 2: was a crazy experience.
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  Speaker 3: Sorry. Were you expecting to be drafted at some point?
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, uh yeah, I definitely thought. I know I
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: was gonna get drafted. Just did nowhere Michael.
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: Michael, I've got to ask you, this is odd.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: I coached against you from Franklin Central when you were
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  Speaker 1: at Pike.
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  Speaker 3: I believe it was during scrimmage, so it's kind of
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: it's crazy.
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  Speaker 1: But Tom, what does it mean to you to come
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  Speaker 1: from Pike and then be a non Division one player
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  Speaker 1: and to get the phone call as one of the
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: select for you that gets drafted.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Man, I mean it means everything, you know, coming from
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  Speaker 2: my uh from my high school, we've only had one
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  Speaker 2: NFL player get drafted and you make it into the league.
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  Speaker 2: And I'm just excited to be the next one I
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  Speaker 2: can show and show guys that case that's going to
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: small schools. You can make it from a small school.
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  Speaker 2: You don't got to transfer to and Chase n I
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  Speaker 2: L or Chase Power five to make it to the NFL.
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  Speaker 2: You can go from whatever. And I'm glad I show
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: the kids in the community that they can do too.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: You know, don't sell yourself short.
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  Speaker 3: Who is the player?
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  Speaker 2: The player? Uh? He drafted by the Texans. Man forgot
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  Speaker 2: his name, but he was drafted by the Texans in
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  Speaker 2: two thousand and eight in the sixth in the sixth
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  Speaker 2: or fourth round. Want to uh, No Titans? That by
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  Speaker 2: the Titans. Titans? You want to Kickler? Think Keckler played
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  Speaker 2: for Purdue. He was He was the first person from
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  Speaker 2: my high school drafted and I'm and I'm just fortunate
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  Speaker 2: enough to be the second.
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  Speaker 1: So how did you get to Finland Cindlely?
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  Speaker 2: Out of high school? I was only I was two
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  Speaker 2: hundred and forty five pounds under recruited, only played one
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  Speaker 2: year varsity, only started, then played one year, well started
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  Speaker 2: started one year varsity. I played football all four years,
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  Speaker 2: but only started one year, made the transition to offensive line.
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  Speaker 2: Siddenly came in. They said the vision. They told me
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  Speaker 2: I was gonna play in the NFL one day. I
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  Speaker 2: just need to put them away. Decided to go there.
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  Speaker 2: They and I invested to me. I invested to them,
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  Speaker 2: and the rest is history.
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: You said you visited with the Seahawks.
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  Speaker 1: Did you have a visit out here or was that
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  Speaker 1: virtual or no?
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  Speaker 2: I was on a thirty visit to the Seahawks.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: How did how did you gain house quickly? Did you
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: gain sixty five.
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  Speaker 2: Pounds gradual over I did ten years. I did ten
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  Speaker 2: pounds at the end of my twenty pounds again, twenty
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  Speaker 2: pounds going into my freshman year, and then every year
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  Speaker 2: after that, leading up until my last year, I gained
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  Speaker 2: ten pounds so and it was just eating, eating more,
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: working out more. Yeah, I actually got bigger. The bigger
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: I got the faster I got so eating the clean diet,
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  Speaker 2: you know, making sure I puting good stuff in my
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  Speaker 2: body and gain the way a lot of proteins, little carbs,
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  Speaker 2: and just making sure you know I'm in I'm in
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  Speaker 2: the best best shape ever.
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  Speaker 3: What positions did you play family or just.
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  Speaker 2: Right, I played right tackle for Finland. We were you
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  Speaker 2: were you ever tempted at all to try to move
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  Speaker 2: up to the Division one or anything like that or yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I got posted by a few Division one, some power
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  Speaker 2: fox schools to come and come and play. But I'm
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  Speaker 2: a loyal guy and I stick with those and stick
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  Speaker 2: with me. And that was and that's what that's why
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  Speaker 2: I stayed at Finland.
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  Speaker 3: Why was that so important to you?
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  Speaker 2: While those are guys in my family, you know, they
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  Speaker 2: believed in me, and they believed in me from the start,
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  Speaker 2: and I couldn't see myself, you know, leaving to go
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  Speaker 2: to another team that you know, and they get the
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  Speaker 2: credit for what my coach and with the University of
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  Speaker 2: Friendly helped build and I and I wanted to stay
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  Speaker 2: there and give them the credit. And you know it
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  Speaker 2: means everything. Need to see Mike Drell University of Findley
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  Speaker 2: on on the screen rather than another school.
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  Speaker 3: How did you describe your game to fans?
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  Speaker 1: Obviously not play Division one, that's somebody that's going to
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  Speaker 1: be on the radar for fans, But how would you
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  Speaker 1: describe the way that you play?
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  Speaker 2: I say, I say, I can mix it up between However,
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  Speaker 2: I had to play. I can play with power. I
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  Speaker 2: played with the mess I can play with speed, you
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  Speaker 2: know I can. I can play however offensive line needs
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  Speaker 2: to play. But at the end of the day, I
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  Speaker 2: play play nasty, play gritty. You know I'm a gritty person.
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  Speaker 2: You know we're our workers. So I'm willing to get after,
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: get after. Guys.
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  Speaker 3: What did you feel like you showed a Pro day.
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  Speaker 2: I feel like I showed my athleticism. Always been told
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  Speaker 2: I'm athletic, and I got to show my athleticism, and
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  Speaker 2: I got to show my strength. I guess I think
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  Speaker 2: people start coming from a small school that I will
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  Speaker 2: be a little bit weaker, not that strong, not that fast.
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  Speaker 2: But I had one of the fastest times there's an
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  Speaker 2: offensive lineman, the fastest, I mean, the highest pitch out
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  Speaker 2: of everybody who attended to Pro Dad. So I wanted
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  Speaker 2: to show my strength Ohio State.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: So when you got to Finley and your coaches said, hey, look,
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  Speaker 1: we think that you can play in the NFL, what
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  Speaker 1: was it that they saw initially? What did they tell
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  Speaker 1: you about that skill set or your size.
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  Speaker 2: My athleticism, my athleticism and lifts. They thought they saw
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  Speaker 2: my lift and they saw how fast I was, and
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  Speaker 2: how naturally natural I was at the position. They just
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  Speaker 2: told me all I need to do was put on
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  Speaker 2: weight and stick with it and continue to work on
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  Speaker 2: it and game perfect my craft and you know, gain
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  Speaker 2: more football knowledge and dis guy's the limit for me.
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: Hey, Mike, what did you run at the prode and
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  Speaker 3: what did you do? How many thanks reports did you get?
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  Speaker 2: I ran a four nine to four at my pro
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  Speaker 2: day and officially I benched twenty six. Unofficially I benched
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  Speaker 2: twenty seven, so they marked them down. I was kind
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  Speaker 2: of bad and I jumped at thirty two in the
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  Speaker 2: inch thirty two and a half ins vertical.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: Did you play Did you play other sports outside.
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: Of football in high?
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: Yes? I played? Yes, I played basketball.
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: Cool m What do you wave like?
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  Speaker 2: Uh? Currently three ten three nine three ten? See the
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  Speaker 2: big man? Yeah?
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  Speaker 3: Did you see mention? Anything about their plans for you
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: where you might play, what weight they want you, or
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: anything like that.
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: I think they I think they come in. I think
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  Speaker 2: they see me as a place person that can uh
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  Speaker 2: could be a swing maybe swing tackle, uh swing tackle
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  Speaker 2: or maybe guard. But I think that's what they see
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  Speaker 2: me as, uh more so, probably more so tackle than guard.
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: Did you mention guard to you?
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  Speaker 2: Though they did mention guard. They said they were looking
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  Speaker 2: for interior guys. And I'm willing to come in and
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  Speaker 2: you know, put my head down and do whatever. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's it's not it's not no, no, no. Challenge is
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  Speaker 2: too too hot hot hot for me.
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  Speaker 3: Have you ever played at the guard spot at any
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  Speaker 3: spoty in high school or find uh?
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  Speaker 2: Now? I played, I didn't play. I didn't play any
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  Speaker 2: guard spot at UH at Findley. I had a few
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  Speaker 2: guard reps like individual at the Hula Bowl. Other than that,
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think I did pretty well.
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  Speaker 3: And it wasn't that.
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  Speaker 2: I'm just, you know, I'm ready for transition. I don't
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  Speaker 2: think it'll be too hard of a transition for me.
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  Speaker 3: What was your experience like at the hulab.
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  Speaker 2: Of my Strength? Now?
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: What was your experience like at the Hula Bow?
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: Oh, it was a good experience. You know, I got
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  Speaker 2: to see a lot of guys. Uh. You know, I
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  Speaker 2: got to see how I measured up against guys that
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: played at power five, and it was a good experience.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: And also just being with the players who were being
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  Speaker 2: with the offensive side of the players, meeting those guys
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  Speaker 2: and uh, Yeah, I've met some lifelong friends. Uh, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I'm still connected with some of those guys. Unfortunately, one
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  Speaker 2: of the one of the guys that I hadn't had
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  Speaker 2: met and I had a good relationship with, passed away, A. J.
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  Speaker 3: Simon.
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  Speaker 2: It was a pleasure, you know, going up against him.
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  Speaker 2: He was a hard worker, and I you know, I
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  Speaker 2: cherished that moment, you know, cherished those moments with those
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  Speaker 2: guys and including help because you know, he passed away unfortunately.
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  Speaker 2: And it was but it was a great experience overall.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: Mike, your offense was rushing for one hundred and seven
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: one hundred and seventy seven yards a game. How does
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: that play into the nastiness and the physicality that you
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  Speaker 1: developed or just brought to the game.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: How does it How did it play into it?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it just shows that you know, we
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: we're gonna we we wanna open up holes, you know, uh,
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: you know, put put put them in the move bodies,
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: we know, being be a moving company to be professional
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: movers out there. Yeah.
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: So yeah, those that haven't been in Northwest Ohio and Finley,
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: what was your college experience.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: Grown after as a young man?
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: Experience in Finland? The University of Finland.
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: It was it was a great experience. Uh. It turned
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  Speaker 2: me in. It turned me into a man. I came
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: in a little boy, unless I was a grown man,
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: so much mature. The people around, the people in the
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: city and people in the town. You know, friend Lee
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  Speaker 2: always rooted for us. The support was was unbelievable. The
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  Speaker 2: teachers at the school were were like family as well.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: They wanted to see you succeed. They were willing to
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  Speaker 2: help you, put you in position to help you succeed.
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  Speaker 2: It just it just felt like a real big family
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  Speaker 2: environment there.
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: Where are you talking to us from today?
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: Uh? Indianapolis? At your hometown, at your home yep, yes, yes, yes, sir.
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: How many folks you have there?
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  Speaker 2: Uh, it's about a good twenty of us, twenty of us.
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  Speaker 3: What what did you major in there?
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: Uh?
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  Speaker 2: I'm majoring in I got my I got my my
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: bachelor's degree in business management with the emphasis in management
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: and also have my master's degree in business administration.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: Do you have an MBA? You said yes, you were
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: a family four years, five years.
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: I was a family for six years, six years. Yep, yep.
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: How old are you like.
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: You? How am I from twenty four else.
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: Hey, what do you know about Seattle or the Seahawks.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: What's your impression of them or what do you know
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: about it?
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Man? I Well, my person about Seattle is that it's
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: very green. I noticed that when I was there. That
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: was my first time actually being there on my visit.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: Very green, very beautiful city. It's like to me, it's
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: kind of like reminds me of like like not remind
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: me anything, but it's kind of amazing to see where
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: see the mountains and see the Trees' is like God
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: and man met and the buildings and stuff like God
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: and Man met together and just made a beautiful city. Uh.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: The Seahawks, you know, I grew up watching watching y'all
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: beat up on my old favorite quarterback, pay Manny so
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: leading a boom marsh beismo.
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: Uh, I don't know if I'm allowed to speak about
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: the other guy that the old quarterbacks just left, uh,
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: but watching watching him, uh, you know, just you know
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: Pete Carrol days all that, So I thought I used
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: to I grew up watching that, you know, Uh, playing
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: with them on Madden Uh, it was a I used
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: to always put my guy on the franchise there. I
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: used to sound like like the colors and stuff and
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: the lime green jerseys. Those was my favorite, uh play
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: with on Madden.
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so I like you until you just said that.
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: The lime Green I like.
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: I like you got you got me in your corner.
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: Don't worry about it.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I like I like Michael.
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: Do you go by Mike or Michael?
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: He's the one that's fine.
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: Congratulations, congratulations, thank you
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: Thank you, appreciate you.