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Leonard Williams: "We Have A Next Man Up Mentality" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: What's up good?
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: How do you feel about humidity in Florida? How that
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: effect that you're playing.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: I mean I lived down there during the off season.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Now train in that weather all the time, which makes
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: it actually easier to come here and play. But you know,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: the heat obviously affects you know, teams and players, but
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: it's something we just have to deal with. Folks there,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Uh yeah, i'm'a have a lot of family there. I
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: think about ten family members.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Jackson been a.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: While, I can't remember, honestly, but it has it has
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: been a while. Yeah.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: What were the conversations among the defense in the last couple.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: Of days, because you could sense the disappointment coming out
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: of Sunny Scape.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean to me, you know, it wasn't up
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: to our standard, and we all agree that it wasn't
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: up to our standards. So we're just trying to hold
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: each other accountable, not really point fingers at specific players,
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: but just point fingers at the problem. You know, we
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: felt like we didn't tackle well enough. We feel like
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: we didn't pursue the ball well enough. We see that,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: you know, offense of the attack on the swiscreen plays, and
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: that's something that we're going to have to get better
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: at when.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: You have so many injuries going into a game where
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: ones that happened during the game. Do you have to
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: change that messaging at all based on the experience level
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: of the guys coming in.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: I don't think so. You know, we definitely want to
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: try to have a next man up type of mentality.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: You know, as soon as the guy's brought into this building,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: we want to let them know the type of standard
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: that we play on defense right away, and before they
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: even get their first nap on Sunday, you know, they
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: know what type of mentality and and the way we
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: play football around here, you know, their first day they're here.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: So I don't think that we should change our messaging
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: when it comes game day.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: How do you how do you get better tackling? I
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: guess during the season when obviously you're not going to
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: do it, you know, live to the ground tackling and practice.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: I mean, I think a lot of it is just effort,
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: just run into the ball. And then you know, we
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: have coaches that you know, we talk about like effort
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: and angles and tackling. I feel like the effort and
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: angles is a big part of tackling. If you don't
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: cover those two parts of getting to the football, then
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: I think the tackling part is kind of hard to
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: catch up to.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Coach with Kin mentioned that you can miss some tackles
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: and there's gonna be more guys around and it doesn't
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: get seen as much. But that wasn't as much the case.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: Is that what you say as an effort thing, is
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: that something you're holding each other accountable for.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, I mean that's something that we talk about
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: as a defense that effort erases mistakes. So if you know,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: one guy is trying to set the edge and he
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: misses the tackle, we should have a pursuit of you know,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: nine to ten other guys pursuing to the ball inside
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: out that when he misses the ball, it should be
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: stopped opportun as he cuts back inside. So I think
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: that's like part of our defense is that we we
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: play with hustle, we play with energy, and we we
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: help each other out by you know, how hard we play.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: How much you think that it's about coaches getting things
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: different from players and how much is it about players
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: getting things different from each other?
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: What do you mean by that?
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: Like, how much do you feel like it's about the
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: players holding each other accountable, versus coaches holding you guys accountable.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's I mean, I think that's huge. I mean,
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: at the end of the day, the players are the
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: ones that are on the field. Players are the ones.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: We're next to each other, we're communicating with each other.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: The best teams, in my opinion, are the player led.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: You know, in the end of the day, we should
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: be having the keys to the team. You know, coaches
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: do a good job of facilitating and kind of setting
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: the example and things like that, but a good team
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: is when the players, you know, take it and run
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: with it.
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: When you look at Jacksonville, what do they challenge you with? Offensively?
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: I think they just run a similar offense to the
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: one that we just seen. So, you know, in my opinion,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: it's a good thing that you know, we're gonna see
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: two back to back offenses like this. We've seen what
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: we're kind of deficient and lacking in in this last
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: game against that type of scheme. So we've seen that.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: You know, that's something that we have to work on,
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: and that's what something we're gonna get better at throughout
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: the week.
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: I think you've talked about before being able to pick
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: up on what's come and run past direction. They based
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: on tails you've picked up on over your career other ways.
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: I guess without give us specifics to Jacksonville, that you
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: can tell when a screen.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: Is coming, I don't think so. And I think you know,
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: as a defensive lineman, you never want to be playing
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: for the screen that's gonna slow off, slow your get off,
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: that's gonna make you play plays that you know you're
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: chasing players at that point. I think as a defensive lineman,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: as any front guy, any person that's pressure in the
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: quarterback screen is something that you should just react to.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: As soon as offensive lineman swims you or clubs you
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: by and you feel like you were just unblocked, you
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: should just plant your foot right away and just chase
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: the lineman. And uh, you shouldn't be trying to play
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: for those type of players.
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: Is that what makes some hard to defend because you're
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: not really anticipating them.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: Uh, yeah, it does make it harder. But it's like,
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: you know, something that we harp on on defensive effort,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: and I think that's what eliminates screens. It's not really
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: a technique type of issue. It's more of an effort.
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: So like the one I think you had a tackle
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: on the screen on Sunday, that one you just read
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: whoever let you go and react.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I just remember taking an inside move.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: As soon as I got my second foot in the ground,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: I was wide open. So I'm like, Okay, if they
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: were actually past block of me, I'm not going to
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: get in here that easily. So I think as a
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: defensive linement from playing so much, it's like you have
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: to like feel those type of things in a heartbeat,
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: you know, And I instantly, you know, I felt the
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: old lineman going that way, so I just planned and
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: followed them, and it just takes you to the play.
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: When you look at a guy like Travis Sunder who's
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: getting snaps on both sides of the ball, what impresses
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: you about that?
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: And could you.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: Imagine to me?
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: I've tried to imagine a few times. Actually, I wouldn't
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: mind playing tight end getting the rock a little bit
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: at times. But I think he's a great player. I mean,
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: he's a dynamic player, he's very athletic, and I think
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: on offense, he you know, gives us some challenges. He
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: makes guys missing space, and he's a pretty good athlete,
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: kind of tight end. Would you be like, well, red zone, Uh,
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: give me the ball, though high pointed.
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: What do you make of the fact you guys are
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: two and o on the road this year nine and one?
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: I think since the start of last season, what do
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: you make of just all the success you've had on
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: the road.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: I mean, just keep it going. You know, wherever we
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: are finding success, we want to just continue with that,
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: and then wherever we're lacking, we want to grow in that.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: You know, we obviously want to build on winning at
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: home a little better. But if we're winning on the
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: road and that's working for us, let's just make sure
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: that it's continued working.
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: I know he's talking about the next man up thing,
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: but just with Julian when he's not there, you know,
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: what are some of the things that you know he
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: does really.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: Well that you guys made it. I mean, he's a
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: big presence on our defense, for sure. He's a leader.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: I forget what years I think he's year seven now,
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: but he's he's just a smart player, regardless of his age.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: I think he's a smart player. He's good at communicating
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: to his guys, he's cool at you know, keeping everybody
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: level headed and on the same page. And you know,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: when he's not out there, we feel it. But at
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: the same time, I think he does a good job of,
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: like when someone is feeling in for his space, like
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: you know, he's making sure he's letting that coaching up
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: that guy, making sure that he's going to feel that
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: void the same way he would want to.
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: What goes into keeping guys level headed.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Just communicating. I think you know, there's a lot of
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: pressure and you know, sudden change moments in the game
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: where you know, you know, anything can happen out there,
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: and when the defense takes the field, we want to
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: make sure that we're not too high or too low.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: And he's just like, hey, we got to play football,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: we got to stop the offense. And sometimes just hearing
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: him behind me allows me to play well.
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: The guy's gotten some more reps lately, especially with some injuries.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: What have you seen him this years?
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: He's kind of grown in this.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: I mean, I think he's doing a great job of
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: just taking advantage of his opportunities, you know, starting with
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: special teams. You know, he's on kickoff, he's on punt,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: he's on all these special teams. Phases, and I think
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: he's been making plays and playing with a lot of
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: effort and intention, and I think the coaches have seen that,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: so it's motivated them to, you know, allow him to
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: play more snaps on defense.
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: Anything else.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Thank you, sir, thank you, thank you.