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Ernest Jones IV: "The Goal Is To Put Up Another Banner" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What was What was the player's reaction to mini camp
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: being moved up by a week?
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: You got a right, man, We're we're ecstatic.
• 0:06
  Speaker 3: That's I mean, we we've we were always always gonna
• 0:09
  Speaker 3: work hard, but you know that that adds a little
• 0:11
  Speaker 3: extra motivation there, get a little chance to get some
• 0:14
  Speaker 3: work in and get off for another break before the
• 0:16
  Speaker 3: real bullets start flying.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: You think, a chance to join your team in Ogson
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: seven from good way through?
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Did you look them war to this maybe more than
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: the other years because of them?
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: Oh, one hundred percent.
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: I mean I said a uh, you know, a good,
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: good little bit last year. I mean, this place fits me.
• 0:32
  Speaker 3: I love this team, I love this defense. I love
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: those players in that locker room. So having a chance
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: to be around them and build something you know that
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: we weren't able to build, you know later in the
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: year early now and get that camaraderie and everyone closer.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: You can't beat that. What what did it mean to they?
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: They made you contractionally and all that.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: Oh meant everything to me one. Uh, you know, opportunity
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: to continue playing football, and I think for me, the
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: opportunities that it's done for my family, being able to
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: do certain stuff for my mom, my wife, my son,
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: and you know, make sure they're good.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: So that was big for me. You know, I owe.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: This organization a lot, and I'm excited and looking forward
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: to doing that.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: You have to be traded twice in a year.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: Just how nice is know.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: You have that stability of like I'm gonna be able
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: to place for a little bit.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: That's good.
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: I'm expecting to know to for for for the mental
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: to be clear and you know, get out there and
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: go play my best football yet because I haven't done
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: that thus far.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: So I'm excited.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: How special was that when you bought your mom car
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: and her reaction.
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: It was the best something I dripped about since I
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: was six years old.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: Man like being able to do that.
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: And once you know, we got the news that the
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: contract was you know, everything was good. I flew back
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: the next day and went on and you know, got
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: it done for so it was it was perfect And
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: you can have.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: Alluded to it like the fokad of last year, but looking.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Back on it, I haven't get moved with your family.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: Twice since spent up a couple of months and.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Then you know, trying to make the playoffs and everything,
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: learning the defense. How stress almost just the almost.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it was so stressful.
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: I'll tell you this, like maybe uh maybe around April,
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: me and my wife finally like we were you know,
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: laying down and we looked at each other and we're like, dang,
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: I finally feel like clear headed with everything that was
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: going on, you know, we couldn't focus on our situation.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: We just had to attack what was next.
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: And having this time off to really truly you know,
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: think about and punder on what happened. It's a blessing
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: to be where I am now. But like I said earlier,
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: I'm I'm more focused on now playing my best football
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: and and going out here and being the best linebacker
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: that this team seen.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: So you feel fully settled that though?
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Yeah, for sure, definitely settled in playbooks coming.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: And I just feel great.
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: I'm excited about the opportunities that we have, Excited about
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: where we're.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: At and where we could be. So what about healthwives,
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: how you doing after the me whatever you had it.
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: Was, I'm feeling really good getting back in the mix
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: right now with the guys.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: So I'm excited. Like I said earlier, haven't.
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: Been able to you know, play my best ball and
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: whether it be the knee or whether it be you know,
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: other circumstances.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: But I'm excited for this year truly.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: Is that kind of nagging you all of last season
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: at all?
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: Or Yeah, it's been nagging me for two seasons, just
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: been playing through it. Was able to finally get it,
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: you know, fixed and corrected this offseason. So I'm excited
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: now for like I said, for what we got and
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: how I can potentially push us a little bit more
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: with that clear.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Mind that you've learning to play book, you got thrown
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: into the mix to be a season.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: What everything else that's going on? And how much do.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: You feel like you're ahead of the curve right now
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: from a metal standpoint and learning this complexity and text
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: shags and stuff that you.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: Didn't learn last year? Yeah, I mean one hundred percent.
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: I'm able to kind of make make things easier for
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: everyone else, So make you know, make calls ahead of
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: one they're supposed to be called, get the D line
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: lined up, and like I'm still learning it, still learning
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: the tune details of it.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: But as far as.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: A mental space and where I'm at, I'm clear and
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: ready to go.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: What do you feel about your other South Carolina Gang.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: On the roster. I love it. I love it. It
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: was good.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: You know, it was able to he came in for
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: his visit. I was able to see him sit there,
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: talk with him for a little bit, and I was like, yeah,
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: trying to tell Mike, hey, he's a South Carolina guy.
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: You know you've had some success with those, so it's
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: good to have him here. He's picking up everything. He's
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: really mature, he's learning, and we're excited.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: To have him, and you're gonna get him with the guys.
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: When you came, they were warming up and then you
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: came on and that full doing.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: Everybody else was giving you a hard time. What did that?
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: What was that moment like for you?
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: No, honestly, those are the moments that you know you
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: kind of in a sense play this game for just
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: you know, seeing your teammates excited about, you know, the
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: progress you've made after having a surgery, and just seeing
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: him excited to have you out there. That's kind of
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: for me, That's what I live for. I love my teammates.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: I love making them come, making him happy. So it
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: was great for me.
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: Do you see yourself or do you work on me?
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: Just talking like the leadership and see for me, my
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: leadership is it's vocal and I and I try to
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: go by action. I'm one too.
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: If there's a problem, I'm want to, you know, respectfully,
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: let's address it and let's move forward. Nobody's bigger than
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: the program. Nobody's bigger than At the end of the day,
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: the end goal is to win, So that's all I'm
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: here for.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: It sounded like Mike, can I evault you in the visit,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: but he made it was dope.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: It was super cool.
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: I was there meeting with Mike, just chatting, and then
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: Nick walked in and we had a bet right before
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: Nick walked in. He bet me with Nick know who
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: I am, And of course he gladly. I'm glad he did.
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: He did know who I was, and so I won
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: that bet with him. But it was good seeing it
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: from that aspect, seeing how coach handles did and you know,
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: after football, I have dreams to you know, being.
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: The being this and do certain things like that. So
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: for me, that was super cool. I want you in coninuity.
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: Helpless defense.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: I g it's ten of the guys who were ten
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: of eleven starters from the end of last season.
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: Her back. I think it's gonna be special. I'm excited.
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: I don't want to, you know, give too much because
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: we got to go of course, put the work in.
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: But if if the vision lives up to what I
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: think it's gonna be something crazy.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Was there a story behind the car that you got
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: your mom.
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: Story behind it? I mean other than we've been talking
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: about this for years. Uh, you know what's her favorite
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: brand of cars? And of course I went out there
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: and I knew she loved Mercedes. She's had an old
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: Mercedes for a while. So seeing that one knew what
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: color she wanted, gray with red seats, and it was
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: match made in heaven.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: She actually winned anything on that fact if you're gonna
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: be actually no, I'm still waiting for that mic.
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: By the way, So what we we had something on it?
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: I can't remember, but there's gotta be something. Maybe a
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: blitz he can throw in for me when the season starts.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: That that'll work.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: You get to start a bunch of games and the
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: tyres after the game here did you how much communications
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: did you have with him during the off season and.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: How much you see from that position.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Standpoint, the continuity and linebacker helping you guys right.
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: Out the gall Yeah.
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: I mean for me, when I first got here, he
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: was a guy that was kind of already talking to me.
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: A lot of guys addressed him as rook, but he was.
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: He had me being in year four. He was helping
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: me out learn the playbook and stuff. So we've had
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: that relationship. And just to see how our relationship off
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: the field has grown since you know, I got here,
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: I think that's only gonna make us when we're on
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: the field play like with the same person, you know,
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: just be connected.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: How did you've been here? And man, what do you
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: like about Seattle?
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: Honestly, I'm a simple guy, so it's really simple living
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: out here. It rains a lot so and I don't
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: like to go anywhere, so it works out perfectly for me.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: So, I mean, I love it. The people here are nice.
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: My family's comfortable, met some nice neighbors, so I'm excited.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: It's it's it's fun for me.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: People know you and Tyreee. So obviously the starters at linebacker,
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: what about the rest of the guys in that linebacker room,
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: and also Jamie Sheriff kind of making the move to
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: that spot.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: I say that to all them a bunch of ballers.
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: Like any given Sunday, if you know, God forbid anything happens.
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: But if they if those guys have to go out
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: there and play meaningful reps, they can get the job done. Drake,
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: Patty d Jack, Sheriff, Josh. I mean, those guys, they
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: put the work in and it shows. We push each
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: other each and every day. Regardless of you know, me
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: being a starter or highest paid in there, I want
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: them to push me. It's just like I'm the guy
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: on the low low end of the total polpe.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: So we work. We go to work in that room
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: and we we lift each other up. And if they
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: had to go play, they can get it done.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: We saw on the draft this year a couple of
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: players that were inside backers that also play edge. You
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: actually were pretty productive when you were coming off the
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: edge last year.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: Is that something that you've worked.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: On at all.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: No, I've never had any work as far as like
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: you know, blitzing, especially in college South Carolina. I stood
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: there honestly just when to tackle people. So that that's
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: kind of something that's you know, natural that I could
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: work on a lot more and I can get better
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: at and that you know, That's one of the things
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: that I'm looking for going into the season, you know,
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: fixing and correcting.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: As he was the defense here, you guys look for Hoopers.
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: I like us man, I like us versus anything and anybody.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: That's how I leave it as to say, you haven't
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: played your best ball yet. What is your best ball?
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: But like Hooper, I can play better and I'm excited.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: I'm excited for what we got coming here.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: I think it was in the ninth or something within
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: the top ten and scoring deepens last year. What do
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: you feel like is the next step that's playing for
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: your group?
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: I think it's the little things.
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: I think, honestly, it's it's being on the mic now
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: for you know, some of those guys a whole year,
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: getting to know him, getting to know how he likes
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: to call the game.
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: He makes it.
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: Super easy for we prepare for it to be easy.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: But I just think just the growth that we'll have
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: as a team, connecting, being closer, defense, not allowing you know,
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: little mistakes to hinder us from you know, being where
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: we need to be. I think those where we will take
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: those steps from being you know, aid to where we
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: want to be. And that's the best in the league.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: When you look back at some of those with stakes,
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: could you attribute some of those to just, Hey, you
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: guys have a bunch of guys that haven't played together.
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: I haven't played Let's steak Tenser very well.
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you, I mean you you like to put it,
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: you know, all of it on that, but you know,
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: in certain situations it was you know, personal, it was
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: us knowing what to do just not doing it, or
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: you know, the moments just not being too big. But
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: the moments are intense and you have to be there
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: for those moments and you gotta just rise to the occasion.
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: And we didn't rise and the other teams did, so
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: I think that's what we got to.
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: You know, hone in on right now on defense.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: Seth Hooper, And I know you're talking about football, but
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: I assume you've maybe played some basketball.
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: Some of the guys get basketball.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: I like to watch it, but I know what a
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: good Hooper looks like. But me, nah, I'm a rebounding guy.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: What is tice you about your front line and what
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: they can do?
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: Just the versatility, I mean, the guy, you got guys
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: up front that can play inside, play edge. We can
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: do so many different things, adding in d law. I
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: I they're just a bunch of beast up front. You
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: gotta you know, you have to worry about him. The
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: the D line, you have to worry about those guys,
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: and you as an offense, you have to at first
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: protect against those guys first. And I think that just
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: gives the linebackers more opportunities and secondary the ability to
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: make more players.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: The attendance here that the shot, it's pretty much damn
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: one hundred percent thirty year old, yeah freed Yeff Williams Hankins.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: What's that tell you about what you guys got?
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: I think, I think for for this team, I think
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: we were bought into the goal and the mission and
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: the goal is to put another banner up in here.
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: And I think you know, everyone you know believes in that,
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: and we're gonna.
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: Show up the work and do what we have to
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: do to make sure we get it done.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: Did you guys talk Eternave, that's all show if you
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: just all did it.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: I think it was.
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: It wasn't something that we just sat there and said, hey,
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: make sure you're here. But if we want to be
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: who we say we're gonna be, if we want to
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: do what we want to do, and that's when the
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: best teams I've been around OTAs were really good. So
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: I think that's just a direct reflection of what the
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: work you get in here and what carries you into
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: the season.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: Anything else