Latest / Seahawks Press Pass / Laken Tomlinson: "The Culture Here Is Awesome"

Transcript

Laken Tomlinson: "The Culture Here Is Awesome" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: How y'all doing today?
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Good?
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Good, Thanks for let's send your question. I mean, it's amazing.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: You see this weather, It's awesome, man, Sunny, No, it's
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: been great, you know, obviously working h with coach Huff
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: and with Mike and Grubb.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: It's been great.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Guys here have been all amazing, all great team teammates
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: that you know, I heard a lot about the culture here,
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: and it just goes to show that, you know, you know,
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: all those things I've heard over the years, I mean,
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: they're they're true.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Man.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: The culture here is awesome. The fan base is awesome,
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: and uh, you know, I'm excited to get this season rolling.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: And I know it's really early in the process in
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: order to do playbook and stuff, but how does this
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: system compare to what you've played in previously? With oh Man,
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: the offense coming in learning a new offense, you know,
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: with the guys here, with the old line, with quarterbacks
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: and running backs, Titans and receivers.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: You know, it's it's great.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: You know, it gives us a lot of weapons and
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: a lot of tools to go out there secuted at
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: a high level. So you know, I'm really excited to
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: get going, especially in training camp. You know, when the
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: bullet starts sliging with helmets and shoulder pads and don't
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: get into real football. But you know, it's been great
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: to learning process has been awesome. The coach has been awesome,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: extremely efficient in the meetings and uh, you know, I
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: mean I for me as being a veteran, and I
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: love that because that makes it easier for the young
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: guys to learn the offense.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: You didn't decide until a little later in the process.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Kind of kind of had that all unfold coming.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: You know. I did come out here for a visit.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: You know, I met the coaching staff and everyone. They're
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: all all pretty new as well, so they're you know,
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: getting situated and I'm just talking to everyone here, and
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: you know, I had some old teammates of mine, you know,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: George George Fans was the old teammate of the mine
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: as well, and you know, talking to him, and you know,
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: I just really, you know, I feel like it was
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: a great fit for me, you know, and I was
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: really excited to come and be a part of the
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: culture here.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: So I was easily able to be a good career.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: I mean, I.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Would say, you know, first I knock on wood, thank God,
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: and you know, I've been extremely lucky to be playing
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: this long with with good health, and but I also
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: put a lot of work into it as well, you know.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: And you know a lot of people, you know, you
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: don't really see guys work in the off season, but
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: I'm I see myself as a player that's extremely dedicated
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: in the off season. And I put a lot of
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: work into my body, and my body is my job.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: So I've been blessed. But I also work really hard.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Other players ask for tips.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: I mean, I try to be a really good teammate,
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: you know, especially to the young guys, especially in the
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: offensive line room as well. You know, Uh, man, it's
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: crazy to say, but going in my tenth year and uh,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: you know, I've been blessed to playing X amount of games.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: I don't even know how much, how many, but some
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: young guys would come out to me and was like, hey,
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: what does it take to you know, play through those
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: sixteen game season, seventeen game seasons? How do you take
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: your body, you know, throughout the week. And I try
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: to educate him as much as much as possible, because
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: you know, everyone is uh themselves are individuals, but you
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: have to figure out what works for you, what works
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: for you, you can put your best self on the
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: field every Sunday.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: How important pride is that? I mean extremely prideful, you know.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: For offensive lineman, you want to be, you know, the
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: guy that can count on the guys accountable. You know,
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: So I take a lot of pride in that, just
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: as much as as I take pride in my work.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: You know, it's it's my job. You know, my job
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: is to be there for the team. You've been around
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: the apartments. What's what's unique or what's the time Martin?
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Oh man, it's coached off. It's awesome. He gets along
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: with the guys really well. But he's also extremely efficient.
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: You know, they got they got News in there, they
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: got Queu in there in the offensive line room, and
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: those guys have just been awesome, you know, just going
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: just through the installs and you know how they communicate
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: to the players, and you know how quickly guys are
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: able to grab on to the schemes that are being taught.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: You know, it's it's really cool to be a part
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: of something like that. And then but it starts with them.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: They you know, they set the tempo and the players
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: they take off from there you.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: Mentioned you mentioned the young players, the young players coming
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: to you.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: You've gotten Charles Cross in year three on your left side,
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: ol Timmy right now getting the ups to the first team.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: What have you been what have been your im questions
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: early of those two guys.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: And getting to know them, getting a word with that,
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: It's it's been great to be honest, and those are
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: two guys have been here every day. You're they're busting
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: their tails and you know, extremely respectful guys. Uh, they
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: come up to me, ask me questions and you know,
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: how how you feel on this, how you feel on that?
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: And uh, and even just doing like the little stuff,
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: you know, like saying after these practices and uh, just
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: going through thought things that can happen in the game,
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: certain scenarios.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: It's been great working with them.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: And uh, I truly appreciate that from both those guys
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: because you know, building that chemistry, especially this part, this
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: time of the year, it's extremely important for our offensive
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: line room. If you did enjoyed practices anywhere before, there
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: a day today they're gonna do practices.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm no stranger to that. Yeah, you like him
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: or practice, it's a it's another tool of sharpend iron man.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: You know. So it's great what's been yours Mike McDonald's
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: in the scot.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: South Man Mike when I was is awesome man. Uh,
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: obviously you know that's watching him especially last year. You
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: know how he coaches the defense and it's it's it's
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: really cool. You know, I have a guy like that
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: as a head coach and coaching the defense as well.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: It's it makes these practices extremely competitive. And but that's
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: you know, what it takes to build a great team
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: like against is.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: A defense of his defense, and they can couple years against. Yeah, yes,
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: he'd like to face that a player.
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's just as often as a player. You know,
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: you go out there and you know, you have your
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: game plan throughout the week. But the way he runs
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: his defense is just you know, there's no holes, you know,
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: and uh, and he he forces you to play a
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: certain way and uh and sometimes I could slow some
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: offenses up, you know, and not give him the groove.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: But that's what makes it awesome to go against in
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: practice because now they're sharpening us and then we can
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: come out and sharpening them. And that's why I kind
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: of like, you know, between the defense and the offense
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: right now with Grub you know, come out with his
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: offense and you know, we're we're working together and it's
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: it's super exciting to see when we watch film like
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: to medical school. Uh yeah, you know, I've it's been
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: part of my dream. You know, it's always been my
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: dream bill a hospital in Jamaica, and I think that's
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: part of the process for for myself, you know, uh,
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: to to get that, get that done, and that's something
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: that's truly you know, uh, it's a part of me.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: So how recently we've been back to Jamaica, I haven't
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: been back since COVID traveling has been and then going
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: back and forth. You know, I have two kids now,
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: so it's been a little bit different, but I'm planning
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: on going back real soon. Do your kids know why
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: your grandfathers were you in for medicine, if any of
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: the whole background. My kids, My kids are four and
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: nineteen months, so I don't think they would be able
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: to fathom, uh you know that stuff, but they will know.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: And you know, uh, my grandfa, my grandfather is a
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: uh sorry guys, Uh, my grandfather was a uh he's
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: a very very influential man. You know in my family,
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: uh and him and my grandma. Uh sorry, guys, it's
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: just sad to say. My grandma passed recently. So both
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: of both of them have been Uh. They're the reason
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: why I'm here.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: They had a dream for our family. You know, my
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: grandma and grandpa had ten kids and they brought them
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: to the States, and they had a dream for us.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: And you know, I I want to say, you know,
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: my grand my grandpa passed a while back, and my
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: grandma passed recently. You know, my grandma was able to
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: see you know, that dream realized, you know, And I'm
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: I'm I will I will let my uh children know
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: that because that's that's that's extremely important in my heart,
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: and that's why I do what I do.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: How long did you live?
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: I lived there until I was ten. I moved uh
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: ten to eleven and moved to the States of Southern three.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: What was life like in Joy?
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: I mean, I remember, you know, uh, a lot of
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: a lot of open land, you know, a lot of
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: man it was fun.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: You know, we didn't have a lot, but.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: I had a lot of fun growing up with my
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: siblings and cousins. It's a truly tranquil experience. I mean,
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: you know, you go to visit it's and you just
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: go around the island, you know, go get away from
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: the resorts, and you you know, to see the people
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: and they have a saying in Jamaica out of many
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: one people man, and everyone there is just it's a
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: it's a really rich culture.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: Man. I I love it. I can't wait to get
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: my kids kids there. Way in Jamaica, Kingston.
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: Bay So, I lived at uh South of the Grill,
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: South Malan, uh South Suve Lamar so I's in West Marolan.
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: Can you speak, yeah of court young one, young one,
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: young one, yng one young one.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: So you know it's a little plata, you know. Yeah.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: Man, when my my folks, me and my mom, we
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: talked almost on the phone every day. I speak plots
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: with her hers. So uh yeah, I'm I'm, I'm, I'm
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: a proud Jamaican man.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: For real football only getting your life after you came here.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: Yes, Uh, I didn't know anything about football growing up
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: at all. I mean like American football. You know when
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: you say football in Jamaica, everything's soccer, you know. So
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: when I came to funny enough, I came to the states,
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: I did not look anything like this, uh small kid.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: But uh man, my first my first uh summer, I
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: gained like sixty pounds.
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: Man.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: My grandma had like everything in the fridge, man, Like
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: she took real good care of us, make sure we
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: was eating every day. I never had Hamburger before, pizza before. Man,
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: Pizza Hut was right there. So like, that's my first
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: time I geting like sixty pounds girl six inches so
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: and you know, my body just like exploded. But my mom,
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: my mom saw it, and she was like, you need
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: to got the house. You know, at the time, I'm
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: in Chicago, so you know I'm in the inner city
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: of Chicago. You can't really go out like that. So
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: my uncle at the time recommended American football and uh,
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: you know, I was like, you know, anything you know
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: made my mom happy, just want to be happy. So
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: you know, my mom brought me out for a practice.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: And man, here I am favorite music. What I mean read.
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: I saw Fall for.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: I See. It was me and my wife we went
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: to go see it.
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: Man, it was such a beautifully done movie, man, beautifully done.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: I was just talking to my mom too, like I
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: learned some stuff about that movie that I didn't even
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: know about. I grew up in the country, and when
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: I have heard my folks talking about Bob Marley, it's
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: like just how powerful he was, like how influential he
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: was to the people of Jamaica and what he brought
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: to that country, you know, and that when that movie
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: was beautifully done.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: Man, it was a fantastic movie. I recommend you. If
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: you guys haven't seen it, go go see it. Man
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: that you learned a lot for the two hours. Oh yeah, yes,
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: of course that was crazy.
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: I'm my mom. They talk about it too, but you
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: know me as a kid, I can't really, you can't.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: We couldn't really fathol him. But like growing up now
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: and seeing that movie, I'm like, man, that's what he
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: did for that country is powerful.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Powerful, powerful. Different topics, let's talk about explaining the NFL
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: regular seasons to eighteen.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Big moves or to stand up eighteen games? Man, See
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: what would it take to play out eighteen games? It
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: is the first thing to going in my head.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: That's all I can give you, though, PROBLEM appreciate you.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: G