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Mike Macdonald: "We Feel Really Strongly About Our Locker Room And Our Team" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: All right, great to see everybody.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: Uh, I guess this is the last official day of
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: of fans here on the patio, which was really great.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: And then we had we had several several young people
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: from Make a Wish here, which is really special. You know,
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: it's I'm just one of It is just a great
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: opportunity to meet these to meet these kids and their
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: families and give them a great opportunity. And too, I'm
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: really proud of our players just they really went out
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: of their way to make it a really special trip
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: for these.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Guys, and uh, it's just really special. So I'm really
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: proud of our team.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: And uh, hopefully the hopefully they had a they had
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: a great visit and looking forward to playing our game.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: So we're kind of on a kind of a comboat
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: platter pre game type of schedule and we'll be at
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: the hotel to night and walk through tomorrow morning and
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: go play the game.
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: Went ended the decision side Terry on our.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: I think I think it was an opportunity to bring
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: on a player that we felt strongly about during the
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: draft process, and we also understand that it's a serious
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: situation with a legal matter that's you know, there's a
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: process behind it, so we respect that and uh that's
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: how we'll operate too, and just letting that process play
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: out and let the league decide, uh if and when,
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: you know, his return to play.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: Is, and we'll just kind of understand that that's at play.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: But there's also an opportunity to bring him in and
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: give him an opportunity to earn a position here. But uh,
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: you know, we really we feel, we feel really strongly
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: about our locker room and our team, and we had
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: a great visit with Terry on obviously we knew him
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: going throughout the process, and a reference to the folks
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: that have been in his corner throughout the whole process
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: as well, and you know, we respect those people and
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: you know, we're not going to ignore those folks that
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: that we really respect and have a strong opinion about
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: it as well.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: So kind of when you put all those.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Things together, it felt like it was a good opportunity
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: for the team.
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: Would he be here when he'll ever played?
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, the timetable right now is being worked out,
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: so he's he's visited, to my to my understanding, he's
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: visited quite a few teams, eight plus maybe ten plus teams,
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: So we're working through that on when's the best time
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: for him to come in, But we have an agreement
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: with him.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: And uh, we'll see. But I just really don't know what,
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: you know, how we're gonna do it.
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: What did you learn about the legal process?
• 2:24
  Speaker 4: Might just make think now is the time to sign
• 2:25
  Speaker 4: him and with the available to play.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: I I'm I do not have like the specifics on
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: the dates and things like that.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: All I know is that.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: He has he's a there's an availability if if the
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: league lets him happen that he could play. So in
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: terms of when that happens and how that goes down,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: it's just kind of to me, it's like it's just
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: it's part of that process, you know, So like what
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: the facts of the case, all those things about the
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: comments of what happened, it's it's not, uh, it's not
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: our responsibility to have a comment on that, nor can we.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: So I think we just have to understand that there's
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: a process of play and we're gonna let it play out.
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: But how much did you look into the criminal allegations
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: you feel comfortable of any critics sign well.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: For us to comment on that right now is not
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: our place, nor should we so again, it's a it's
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: a serious situation.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: We understand that. But to make any comment further is
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: is uh, not the not the time or place right now.
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: But you did you wouldn't sign him, if you didn't
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: take you you don't play for what indication did you get?
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: Well, again, I respect the question, it's just you know,
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: if if if you start to give your opinion on it,
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: then now we're kind of getting to the spot where
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: we really shouldn't be answering those questions, but just trying
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: to be as clear as possible that we felt like
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: we've done our due diligence and it's just something that
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: we in terms of the legal situation, we just can't
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: can't make a comment on right now.
• 3:51
  Speaker 5: A football player, what would he.
• 3:53
  Speaker 4: Add to you?
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: Well, you know it's as a football player of course
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: that that's that's why we're we're trying to bring him on,
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: is there's a really really great opportunity that we think
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: his skill set fits in our in our secondary plays
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: a lot of energy, physicality, you know, some of the
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: pattern match stuff that we do is more up his
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: alley that he did at Alabama. And then personal just
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: as you know, the personality wise, I think, you know,
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: there's an opportunity there if he's the best version of
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: himself that he could be a fit for us. So
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: you know, we'll see when when he gets in the building.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: We'll go about our business like we normally do, and
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: and uh and go try to be the best version
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: of us that we can possibly be in that and
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: that includes him. Like that, that's the message to our
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: team on the daily is we want our players to
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: come in and be the best version of themselves and
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: we believe that if you do that, then the team
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: is going to be better for it as well. So
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: Taraum will be be the same, you know, the same
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: process with him when if and when he gets here.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: What if we tell you about it's I just I mean,
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: you can you can get in this cifix.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: But it's it's overwhelmingly positive, it really is. And again.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: It's a serious situation that like there's there's allegations there
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: that like are are serious and and but if you
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: separate that from the person that these that they talk
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: about on on the daily on a daily basis, in
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: their history with him, it's it's been it's been really
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: overwhelmingly positive.
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: Was the leadership council or the veterans to be on
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: board assaulted.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: This this decision.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: We we talked to the players, but it was a
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: little bit more informally, like on more of one on
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: one conversations, whether it be me and a player or
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: some of other folks. And uh and certain players.
• 5:43
  Speaker 6: He played a lot of pressed man in Detroit, and
• 5:47
  Speaker 6: you guys play.
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: A different scheme.
• 5:49
  Speaker 5: How does he fit here better.
• 5:51
  Speaker 6: Or differently than he did maybe over there?
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: Well, it's it's tough to tough to comment on what
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: they're asking the player to do. I think you see
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: the movement skills. I think you see the physical and
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: that's the stuff that we saw coming out of school,
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: and that's what made me. That's what made us think
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: that he could be a good fit in our defense.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: And so similar to really every other player that you're
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: interested in acquiring, is you see the potential, you see
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: the vision for how they could play, and then when
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: they get here, you kind of go through the process
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: and see how he competes and how he stacks up
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: against everybody else and see if there's a.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Role for him.
• 6:22
  Speaker 5: Mike, speaking of players, what are you looking for tomorrow?
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Now, look, I understand the situation. So I'm glad that
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: we had the opportunity to talk about it. But I'm
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: really excited to see our guys play tomorrow. They've been
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: working incredibly hard and it's just like this is we
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: talk about like layering training camp, right, you know, we
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: start with the the ramp process, you go into this,
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: you know, the stadium practice, get ones on ones, you trade,
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: you know, all these different types of periods. Now we're
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: layering it again with another team, you know, in our stadium.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: So there's you know, more conditions I guess that you
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: add to the whole like training process, and so I'm
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: eager for us, for our team to be us in
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: those in those situations. So our players have earned the right,
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: in my opinion, that throughout this process to go to
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: go let it rip, you know, and just trust their
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: training and uh and go have fun, you know, go
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: play football that they know how then our brand of
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: ball and hopefully it comes to life and hopefully we
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: have some cost of doing busying business celebration penalties.
• 7:22
  Speaker 6: You guys have a fair amount of injuries in the
• 7:24
  Speaker 6: running back room.
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: Is George Lani gonna get any reps?
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: How do you plan on handling George.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: George should get some work tomorrow. A lot of our
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: established starters won't be playing, they'll be going through the
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: warm up and everything, but George should be Uh. George
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: would see some action to some degree, and we'll go
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: from there. The quarterbacks we're going to rotate in some
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: former former fashion.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: We have an idea how we wanted to work, but
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: don't want to be uh put in a corner there.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: So it'll be great.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: Both guys will get great experience with you know, playing
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: with different different units, and it'd.
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: Be good the other day to maybe doing what from.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: Lasting way, like the quarterback goes until he doesn't go
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: and then the next guy goes until and closes the
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: game out. But this game, I think we're going to
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: rotate him to some to some extent thought that Sam's
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: Sam's not gonna play, it'll be it'll be uh, Drew
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: will start the game and then Jail will come in
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: and they'll rotate to some to some degree.
• 8:20
  Speaker 5: One more a Terry just you mentioned you had a
• 8:22
  Speaker 5: great visit with him when you talked to him.
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: What what was that.
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: Law for with it?
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: We had we had a great visit. We had a
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: great discussion. It was a real discussion, and we just
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: kept it real. You know, just I have a responsibility
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: coming from the from the coach, from from the organization
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: about what we expect and also what our vision would
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: be for him and how it would operate and so
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: and uh and he was great.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: He was great.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: The just I appreciated his honesty in those moments. And
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: that's really all you could ask for.
• 8:53
  Speaker 4: What made you comfortable as an organization? You knew you
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: were a good questions like this today about us, John,
• 8:58
  Speaker 4: What what made you comfortable? Isn't organization to take off
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: this this kind of controversial sign.
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: Well, I think I think it's the same same thing
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: I said earlier. It's it's an opportunity to take to
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: acquire a player that we felt strong about early in
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: the process. And we also understand that there's a legal
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: you know, legal system, that's a legal process that's underway
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: and that takes that's under a certain amount.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Of time, and so we'll respect that in that manner.
• 9:24
  Speaker 6: Yeah, is there a little bit of a bittersweet aspect
• 9:27
  Speaker 6: of preseason where guys can shine but then maybe play
• 9:30
  Speaker 6: themselves off the roster.
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: Now, now we you spend you like when you're around
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: these guys and you realize the amount of work that
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: they put in, nobody is rooting more for them than
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: I think, like our coaches, because the amount of respect
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: for like what they've done every day.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: Is just really it's off the chain.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: It's just I'm just begging for them to make plays,
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: you know, because they earned it, you know. And the
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: nature of our world is that not everybody will be
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: able to.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: Be on our team.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: And so I think the one number one thing if
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: you were to ask all of our position coaches, that
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: their players would end up on some sort of roster,
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: some form of fashion. And so I think that's ultimately
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: we're working for what's best for the Seahawks, but we're
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: also you know, in like simultaneous lanes, parallel universes where
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: we're rooting for our players as well.
• 10:18
  Speaker 7: Rag Thomas talked yesterday about, especially his preseason with Oakland,
• 10:21
  Speaker 7: is why we end up here? Do you share that
• 10:23
  Speaker 7: with players like case, that's an opportunity, whether you end
• 10:26
  Speaker 7: up here or not, to show what you can do.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: I think it's understood to a certain extent. I know
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: those conversations are happening in each of the rooms we
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: haven't got to that point yet, you know, I think
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: we don't want our guys like counting. You know, it's
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: just it's just I've talked about this in prior you know,
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: media sessions, but like everybody's on different timelines, and so
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: it's like, we make such a huge deal of making
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: the initial fifty three and that's and that that's a
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: great achievement if that happens. But there's so many examples
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: of guys that have either made initial fit three or
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: made another fifty three and then came back, or now
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: maybe they're on the ready squad and then they make
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: the team, or maybe we have to.
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: Say, hey, you're on kind of a primary return to
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: the Seahawks list, and they come back and they end
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: up making a career for themselves.
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: So it's really just about like putting your best step,
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: best foot forward as many times as you can, as
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: consistently as you can, and and have faith that that
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: that eventually you're going to have an opportunity to earn
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: more time. And so I think that's just just the
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: nature of how the NFL works. So but no, to
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: answer your question, we haven't had that conversation yet.
• 11:32
  Speaker 5: Since you lost talk to you. Nick's to come off
• 11:33
  Speaker 5: the PP list kind of what's his timeline now? Going forward?
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: With no timeline hasn't changed, it's just it it became.
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: It's a great opportunity for him to start doing football
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: and so as as he, you know, becomes ready to
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: do more, well, we can do more now, which is
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: nice rather than just him watching everybody else do football.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: So he can do it now, which is cool that
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: he wasn't want.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: Well, it's all the you know right, you name it.
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's all the walkthrough stuff, it's all the
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: practice stuff. I mean he's still in meetings and everything
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: that that hasn't changed. But being able to physically do
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: football things with the team, yeah, you're not able to
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: do that while you're not uh, while you're on pup.
• 12:14
  Speaker 5: Is Derek Hall okay or we haven't seen it.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: In the last he's working through something right now. It
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: shouldn't be long.
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: Termian Price is he to get.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: To go ready to Gonerian's not gonna play in this
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: game now, but he's he's on the mend.
• 12:27
  Speaker 6: Freaking if you already answered that, did the Robbie Hoots injury?
• 12:29
  Speaker 6: Is that career threatening or is he his a chance
• 12:32
  Speaker 6: to come back next year.
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's an unfortunate situation. It's just someone you're really
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: rooting for. But to our knowledge, it's a it's a
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: there is a recovery process and he should this should
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: help his career long term.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: This is why we're doing it.
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: But like twenty twenty four, you were not as much
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: in the well you didn't go to Combine and all
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: that kind of guys, I'm just getting set of it.
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: But how much were you involved in tearon onod scouting
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: him and potentially drafting him.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: Uh, it was.
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: It was on par with the the rest of the system.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's just with any other player in that draft.
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: So as much as last year, Like as a coaching staff,
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: we were probably less than you know in that that draft,
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: but uh, that was that was just the best way
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: that we needed to do business that year.
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah did he but he did he stand down in
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: any way. Then as a college prospect.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: We thought really highly of him. We thought really high,
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: really high, great for him.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: What are you look?
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm excited to see him go rip it.
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: I mean he's he's really he's really improved his game
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: and uh and.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: Go be himself, Like I think, I.
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: Think the cool thing about our system and what we
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: want from our players, especially the quarterback position, is like
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: there's a different style, Like you have to be like
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: your own. Like Sam's great because he plays Sam's brand
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: brand of ball, Drew, you know, I want Jalen to
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: feel empowered to play his brand of football and go
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: be himself out there and like let that shine, you know,
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: which he's which he's done in practice and so it's
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: time to in a game situation. So I'm really excited
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: for that.
• 14:02
  Speaker 5: Is Emmanuel Wilson just kind of a short term thing
• 14:04
  Speaker 5: as well.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: It's yeah, it is a short term thing, sorry, Bob.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: I mean he should be back at some point. Yeah,
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: he's he's working through, working through something anything else, all right,
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: thank you, m hm