Latest / Seahawks Press Pass / Sam Darnold: "The Offensive Line Sets The Tone For Our Offense"

Transcript

Sam Darnold: "The Offensive Line Sets The Tone For Our Offense" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Back.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: I feel like this is the most practices I've gone
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: without talking to the media, So it has been I've
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: been itching to talk to you guys. No, I think,
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: you know, first of all, it's great to be back,
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: you know, just with the guys on the grass.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Uh, it's always great.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: You know, it's it's great to have a couple of
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: months off, but but to be back, and you know
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: in this building, not only with the coaches and my teammates,
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: but everyone that works in the building, it's it's so
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: great to be back, and uh, in this beautiful city.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: So we're all enjoying our time here. But we know
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: it's at stay right. We got a lot to work on,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: some new faces and obviously a new coach and Brian Fleury,
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: so we're all just trying to learn the best we
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: can to playbook and just continue to learn each other
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: and build consistency with each other and grow from there.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: The first title like five years that it could bet
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: in a camp with the team who played with the
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: year before that.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: This year, yeah, yeah, for sure, I think, you know,
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: having that stability and understanding kind of what you're coming
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: back to. Also with Flurry, you know, the offense not
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: really changing a ton. There's some tweaks here and there,
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: but it's nice to be back with the same guys.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Now you've had a little bit more time with coach
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: Flury or some things that stand out, you know, you
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: see how he operates in the training camp for Yeah,
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: you know, I think with Flurry, just his mentality, like
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: whether it's a good player or bad play. You know,
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: his mentality never really changes out there on the field,
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: which I already kind of knew about being in San
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Francisco with him, but he was always very even keel.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: But now getting to spend a little bit more time
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: or a lot more time with him as the offensive coordinator,
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: it's really fun to be able to watch him work
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: every single day and just see his mentality out there.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: You know, he wants our offensive line to attack and
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: take control and and I think that's a really good
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: mindset for an offensive coordinator to have. And he's just
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: gonna continue to be that driving force behind our offense,
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: and you know, it's gonna be fun to figure out
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: what our identity is here in camp and going into
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: the season with him. Yeah, I mean I think with Flurry,
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: like you kind of you think he's very or he
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: is very stoic and he's very even keeled, but he's
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: got a very dry sense of humor. Uh, and he's
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: very you know, funny at times. So we got to
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: continue to get that out of him a little bit.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: But no, he's been he's been great. And yeah, Sabby,
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Sabby has just told us that he's just very consistent.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: And I think, you know, the guys, the players can
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: really appreciate that when a coach is very consistent, you know,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: you know what to expect day in and day out.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: We've got a lot of great targets out there.
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: Chance in particular, what what makes him so special and
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: so easy to work with?
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Hi, Yeah, I think his his route running special first
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: and foremost. I think, you know, his consistency with how
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: he runs routes. But you know, he's never gonna tip
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: anything off to the defense. You know, all of his
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: routes look the same. But for me as a quarterback,
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: I kind of know what to expect.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: In terms of the timing.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: And and that's the other thing too, Like he can
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: run a route different, Like he's not gonna run one
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: route the exact same every single time, but he knows
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: the timing.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: You know, he knows the timing and.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: The rhythm with our feet is really important, and he's
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: always gonna come out of his break at the right time.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: So I think that's something that kind of separates in
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: And then another thing is just his football IQ, you know,
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: just his his awareness of space, spatial awareness and understanding
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: defenses and coverages so that you know, if the route
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: allows him to kind of sit in a window, he
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: can he can do that and feel the space.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Away looking at with saddleback. What did you take away
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: from that experience?
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's great. It's great to be able to throw
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: at the guys obviously in the off season. I think
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: more than anything, it's just really fun to be able
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: to talk with them more because obviously out here we're
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: meetings and stuff.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: We talk all the time, but it's a lot of
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: it's football.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: So to be able to spend time with him off
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: the field and kind of chat about what's been going
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: on this offseason and kind of gets another person a
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: little bit more was awesome.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: Do your best to try to working I got off
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: season run up? Can what kind of the video?
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think it's just more more time
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: on task, you know, Uh, getting a guy in mid season,
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: especially the receiver, it can be tough to build chemistry
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: and build that timing, which again I don't think we
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: really struggled with that much. Maybe early on the first
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: couple of weeks, but again, kind of like Jax, he's
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: a really friendly receiver to throw to.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: He's really fast.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: So if you know he's got a post or a
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: go ball, I know, I got to get the ball
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: up and down or up in a hurry. But yeah,
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: he's just again he's he's very easy got to throw to.
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: And and we're looking forward. I know he is, but
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: I am as well. I'm looking forward to him continuing
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: to get more reps and kind of build that chemistry
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: so that we can see him, you know, just more often,
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: you know, getting catches and doing his thing at the
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: receiver position. Sam, if you guys finished thirty first last year,
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: any targets for running backs in the passing game, But
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: it seems like here early in training camp.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: That's more of an emphasis.
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: A lot of opportunities for Jadari and and George and
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: there's the running backs. How do does that help you
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: as a quarterback when you have more of that threat there?
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: How does it make things difficult in the defense and
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: maybe open up some other things for you when to
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: hand that out. Yeah, I think you know, it helps
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: the quarterback a ton, because, like you said it, it
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: does present a different problem for the defense. I think
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: sometimes the defense assumes, especially on third down, that the
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: running back's going to stay in and protect, so they
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: can kind.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Of build their pressures off of that.
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: But you know, when you're getting five guys out on
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: a route and you're in Scott protection, and you know,
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: sometimes you gotta throw hot and you know the defense
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: is going to make you hot. But if you get
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: the protections right and you're not hot and the bid
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: on a route, sometimes that's a mismatch, you know with
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: a linebacker, especially with a guy like JD.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: George.
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: You know, we got a ton of backs in the
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: backfield this year that can make people miss. Linebackers and
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: safeties miss. So it's, uh, it's it's gonna be really
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: fun to kind of see what those guys can do
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: coming out.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: Of the backfield. What's hard knocks. Uh, it's been great.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: We're loving it.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: You know, it was funny, it was it was a
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: top talk in the QB room is like, who's gonna change,
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: and who's not when the cameras are gone, you know,
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: and the in the uh you know, just in the
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: locker room, and no one's really changed, which I'm I'm
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: proud of. So uh, you know, it's been fun, though.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: I think after the first first three or four days,
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: you kind of forget the cameras are there, which might
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: be a bad thing, but no, I think, you know,
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: we're all kind of used to it at this point.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: It was nice to hear that they.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: Record I think three hundred hours of film every single
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: day and only one hour gets used throughout the day.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: So that was very Uh, that was very nice to
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: know that.
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: As the starry quarterback and you're probably gonna be a
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: big focal point of the show. You do you feel
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: like you're more prepared for that than you would have been,
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: maybe like a few years ago.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, I think, however you want to look
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: at I think I would have been prepared a few
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: years ago, but I think experience and you know, just
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: being around locker rooms and being a little bit older,
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: I guess maybe more mature. I think, you know, that
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: can help a little bit with this experience. But it's
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: been great man to be able to have the crew around.
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: The crew is awesome too, really good people, so it's
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: been awesome to have them around.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: The last one on hard dogs, who do you feel
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: like whose personality do you feel like the world is
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: going to learn about that? They didn't show about that?
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: Oh man, Honestly, I think I think the head coach,
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: the headball coach, Mike. I think I think he'll shine
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: right on hard knocks, just for people to kind of
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: see his personality and his personality come to life.
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: I think is because he's a great guy.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: Obviously, we know him, we know who he is as
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: our head coach and as a person, and I think
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: for the entire world to see that, it's gonna be
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: really cool, weird every single day they were just running
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: its tenth in the league by mattive.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: G having thoughts on no we heard from Jacks the
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: other day.
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: For everything he accomplished, he still sees the room to
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: get better and grow.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: I imagine you're wired similarly like you've done a lot these
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: last few years personally team wise.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: What's next for you? What do you how do you
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: want to involve? Yeah? I think I can always get better.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: I think.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: I think there are a lot of things, Like for
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: me especially, I think moving on to my progressions and
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: working from one field to the to the other. I
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: felt like I was thrown behind some targets, especially if
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: I was going left to right. There were a couple
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: of throws in the Super Bowl that I'd like to
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: have back. And then not only during the Super Bowl,
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: but you know before that as well, where I just
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: kind of I missed some guys going through my progressions.
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: So I think just being calm with my feet, making
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: sure my feet don't get super wide and I keep
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: you know, a lot of guys like to keep their
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: base wide, but for me, like my bass has always
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: been wide, and sometimes I get too wide. So I
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: think just making sure that I keep keep my base
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: more you know, uh hip hip width apart is gonna
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: make me a little bit more accurate. So just working
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: on little things like that, and always working on the
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: deep ball every off season as well, to feel.
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: Like when you've done a lot and feel like, hey,
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: there's still there's still more out there.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: There's always I mean, this game is so tough, it's
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: so difficult, and there's so much that goes on for
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: us as quarterbacks. You know, mentally, so I think making
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: sure when we get to the game that like everything
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: physically is just muscle memory.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: And that's why that's why you work.
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: So hard in the offseason so that you're not thinking
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: about those things when you get out there on Sunday.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: You last year and everything are kind of all gone
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: down and.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: You know, it's kind offer to super Bowl and all.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think for me, like, I've never paid attention
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: to stuff like that. You know, I've been very confident myself,
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: if I've been very confident my my teammates and the
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: coaches that I have, so I've yeah, I don't allow
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: myself to really pay attention to anything like that.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: And if I do catch.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: Wind of it, you know, I I have my process
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: process on how to you know, handle that. But yeah,
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: I think for me, it's just about again like I
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: just said, it's about handling my process and doing it
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: my way so that you know, I get out there,
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: It's not about what I've done, It's not about what
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: I'm going to do. It's about what I'm doing right now.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: And I think if I just continue to have that
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: mindset as we go on, uh, you know, we'll be
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: just fine.
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: Your old defensive the offensive line is coming back. What
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: does that do for you as a quarterback? Yeah, I
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: love them, you know, the offensive line.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: They're great guys, characters all around, just a great group. Man.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: It's it's so fun to be able to work with
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: those guys every single day. They really set the tone
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: for our offense too. I think a lot of people
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: don't realize that, or just the offensive line in general,
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: and well, I don't think gets talked about enough. There's
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: such a vital part to a team success because even shoot,
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: even you know, our offensive line setting the tone and
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: our defensive line feeling how they're coming off the ball,
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: like that sets the tone for the entire team. And
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: I don't think they, like I said, I don't really
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: think they get enough credit for how they practice and
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: how they play on game day.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: So I'm always gonna make.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: Sure they get love and and you know, all the
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: things that I feel like they deserve. But they're an
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: incredible group, a really fun group to be with, and
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: I'm just glad I get to be with them every
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: single day.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Appreciate