Latest / Unicorn Football Talk / Reaction: Hard Knocks Ep 4
Transcript
- Emily: Hello, we are back to talk about Hard Knocks episode four. Hi, Hillary. Hilary: Hey Emily, how are you? Emily: I'm good. what'd you think? Hilary: overall impression, I thought that this episode focused a lot on some of the leadership they're trying to build. some personal stories, of course. And I think the overall takeaway concept for me is like, it's getting real, guys. We need to elevate our game. We need to increase the intensity. I know everyone's tired, but we gotta dig deep and you know, one one week ish. left before the roster cuts. So make it real. Emily: I know. It's so exciting. I I enjoyed the episode. if I wasn't a fan of the Seahawks, I'm not sure that Hard Knocks would be super compelling or interesting this season. but as a fan of the Seahawks, I'm really happy that we have some glimpses into the team that we wouldn't have. I thought we could start and get the injury talk out of the way. I am used to seeing players go down on TV and in the stadium, but when they're mic'd up and you're kind of on the field with them, it hits a little different and it feels different. It was kind of gut wrenching to watch both Bobo and Bud Clark, but let's talk Bobo first. Hilary: Okay, let's talk Bobo first. This is not his first time dealing with a major injury. Emily: Correct. Yeah, it wasn't. And it's not surprising they decided to highlight him before the injury because they knew what was going to happen. But we see him talking one on one with his wide receiver coach, and the coach is pushing him to get his edge back and get his juice back. And Bobo was talking about how he knows his place on the team. He said something like, I'm a fourth wide receiver and special teams guy. and then in the exchange he said, Turn me loose when they were trying to get him hyped up. So it was just a little foreshadowing there. And then he gets injured at the joint practice with the Titans, and seeing him scream in pain was really hard. Hilary: That was really hard. And I backing up just a little bit, there was a comment made by I think the narrator when Seahawks were still in the practice clips there that Bobo had also been nursing a little bit of a hamstring issue, which I was not aware that he had any injury issues at all. So that was a little bit new information for me. I also the irony there that He was taking all those reps because Coach McDonald decided to rest Cooper Cup was a little tough to see also. Emily: Yep, you're just always one play away of potential harm. So it was hard. It was hard to see. and another one that was hard to see was Bud Clark. They focused on him early. And we see him after practice, I assume, at the Seahawks facility with his kid and his fiancee. And it was just a really sweet moment. And when he and his ankle broke during the game, right? The preseason game. Hilary: Yes. Emily: And it was so hard to see him go down and hear him screaming in pain and he knew immediately what happened. Hilary: That was brutal. That was a tougher one for me to watch. And as much as it gave us a little insight into what actually happens when the trainer and then the medic team runs out onto the field and then what happens in the locker room afterwards, that that was really tough to watch. Emily: Yeah, when they were in the the the room after and the trainer was yeah, Hilary: The d the training room. Yeah. Emily: and they were getting that boot on him and he was on the phone with his fiance and son and he was in such pain and to hear his son go, Daddy, are you okay? That was really hard. But he had as positive an attitude as you can have and then after the game you see Julian Love giving him a pep talk. Saying lots of words of wisdom. It's a marathon. This is part of your story. I thought that was pretty cool. Hilary: Yeah, he did get a lot of support and personal comments from his teammates, which I thought was really great. Emily: All right. Well, we got the injury talk out of the way. We also got a glimpse into the leadership council meetings. So I've heard coaches talk about this, I think most teams, I don't know that all teams, but I assume they do, they have senior members of their team on a leadership council. I've never gotten a glimpse into the room. So it was just kind of cool to see Mike McDonald talking with the players. I didn't write down all of the names that were in the room. And it was kind of a brief cut, but I saw Cooper Cup, Sam Darnold, Leonard Williams, talking about how we need to do better. right. Hilary: Yeah, I think Ernest Jones was in there. Maybe maybe AJ Barner. I I was trying to like scribble as they went through that section too. I I'm wondering, is that one rep from each position group? Emily: It could be. I didn't I didn't connect the dots there, but that would make sense. I think then the rest of the show you kind of saw the impact of that conversation, you saw Sam saying, Mike McDonald he's two in the weeds. That's my fault. We all need to do our jobs and do better. And they kind of showed Sam pushing people to pick up. Pace later. They also showed all the position coaches talking to each area of the team, which was interesting. Hilary: Yeah. And then of course Leonard Williams is always there at the forefront. what can I do? How how do I motivate my group? encouraging and actively demonstrating also what it takes to have that next edge. Emily: Yeah, good dude. Lucky to have him. the other player they highlighted again, Montori Foster, he was highlighted last week and we talked about him wide receiver. Looks like he has a shot of making the team and probably I'm sorry to say, maybe more likely now that Bobo is down But I think his parents are gonna be the stars of Arnox by the end of this. See, they got a lot of screen time. Hilary: Yeah, I really like that they're highlighting Foster. I think he does make the team. And I think he's showed a lot of potential and I think he's showing up every day at his best at practices and at the preseason game here. And I think at the first preseason game too, maybe he was flying a little under the radar in that he hadn't been featured on hard knocks yet. But I do remember reading that he's had an outstanding training camp from the very beginning. Emily: Yeah, I had been hearing that listening to sports radio and then I get to see it for myself on hard knocks. So I'm excited he does seem like a good dude. It's always nice when there are people that you want to root for. So I'm excited to see what he does this season. also they had it was pretty brief, but they showed a little bit about the signing of Trayvon Diggs. And I think just what made me laugh is that They showed him going into John Schneider's office and John Schneider closes the door. I'm like, this whole thing is gonna be on hard knocks. I'm not sure you need to close the door. So besides that Hilary: Noticed that too. I thought that was kind of funny. But I have to say, I am really excited about this signing. I think that he brings some veteran leadership So he's bringing some knowledge into the building from outside that might be a little bit different take on the position and going up against different opponents. Emily: Yeah, one of the things they highlighted or they talked about was that this was one of the few off seasons where he maybe had the full off season of being healthy to train. If I think that's what they were saying. but yeah, we'll see. I think we need the depth and the help. So I'm hoping it works out. Hilary: I'd like to see him have a fresh start. I know that he has quite a few people on the team that he's familiar with from particularly from Dallas, coaches and players. Emily: Okay, then let's talk about something really fun. I enjoyed the rookie talent show, did you? Hilary: I did too. Those guys all gave it their best shot and some were better than others, but it's a fun tradition that I didn't know existed. And I really like that they wrapped it up with the Hawaiian player Uso with his guitar and actually playing, not using a karaoke style backup. Emily: he was great. He was my favorite by far. He's really talented. I enjoyed that. Hilary: Yeah, and you know, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but in the moment I was surprised that the music the rookies individually chose to highlight, whether it was a country song or a rap song or whatever. Obviously it's stuff that all of the players are familiar with because they were singing along to all of it, which was great. Emily: okay, the other thing, maybe I thought it was interesting, maybe you did or didn't. There was a scene showing one of the Seahawk staff members giving them detailed instructions on fueling up for their travel from a food and hydration perspective. And it gives you a little insight into how orchestrated this engine is. they're talking about what to eat before the flight, during the flight, when they land, what kind of snacks to have, carbs, more Hilary: More carbs, more carbs. Emily: carbs. Nobody's ever said that to me. Hilary: Me either. Hydrate. More carbs. Emily: Yeah. So that was interesting. I mean it makes sense. They're athletes and need to be at their best. And clearly, I mean we're we're we'll go straight in now to talk about the practice with the Titans, but the weather in Nashville is quite different than Seattle, and they were definitely showing that how much harder it is to Hilary: The yeah, the heat and humidity there was really brutal. a different experience for our players for sure. I it's been warm here in Seattle for the last couple of weeks, but not excruciatingly hot and certainly not the humidity like they experienced there. Emily: No, no. And it made me think. most of the country has weather like that, except for maybe California. and I was just wondering if it makes them more prepared somehow for games in September. I don't know. Hilary: that is definitely a new experience for our players to have the humidity like that. Emily: Okay, so going to practice with the Titans, joint practices. we saw Sam Darnold talking about the importance of these practices for their development and prep for the season. I listen to a lot of sports radio and they talk about this too. some people like these because some people don't. I know there's a lot usually a lot of fights in these joint practices, but it is an opportunity for the ones to play against another team in a more controlled environment. Where I mean we did see an injury, but in general they don't let them hit like they do in a game. Hilary: Okay. jury's out for me about how I feel about whether these practices are super valuable or not. But I did do a little digging and I have a little bit of a quick fact for you. The NFL guidelines allow for four joint practice sessions. And this year there are four teams who opted to do none. And that includes the Broncos, the Lions, the Chiefs, and the Steelers. Which I found interesting, those teams. and then there are a couple of teams, the Titans included, who have chosen to utilize at least three joint practices. Emily: That's fun fact. I did not know that. Hilary: That's a fun fact. Right. Most most teams are doing two because if you do three, then that's a joint practice before every single preseason game. I think there is also the caveat that the joint practice cannot be the day before the preseason game. There has to be a gap in there of one day. Emily: the other thing that made me laugh is Mike McDonald showing up to that practice, and he was chatting with Sala, the head coach, and he's like, every other team looks bigger to me. I I don't know. Hilary: I caught that too. That was funny. Emily: I also, this wasn't a joint practice thing, but I did like the scene in Nashville when They were shopping for hats, cowboy hats and They were featuring the quarterbacks and they looked great. They looked great in their custom hats. Hilary: They did look good. I really liked the one that Milro chose, which was a kind of a creamy one with like a burnished edges and a brushed texture into there and stuff. That was great. I think there were some jokes too about Drew Locke having a moderate to large sized head, which I thought was funny too. Emily: That's right. That's right. Hilary: And actually, one more humor thing that we go back on Mike McDonald. I love the little scene with him and Leonard Williams on the sideline when the veterans got the penalty for running down to celebrate the good play. And I think Leonard Williams says cost of doing business. I I thought it was really cute. Emily: think he would have been happy about it if it was a real game, but yeah, I don't think he Hilary: no. Emily: had a problem with it in the preseason. Hilary: Well, I think didn't they last episode wasn't there a call out about, hey, how come we didn't get a penalty or we want a celebration penalty or something like that? Emily: I don't remember. Hilary: Yeah. anyway, I it'll be interesting to see where they head into next week because next week will be the wrap up episode for hard knocks, right? Emily: Correct. Yeah. Well that was all that caught my eye on this episode. Anything else for you? Hilary: Think so. I think obviously HBO is putting together a good presentation. Again, Seattle shone brightly and the training facility shots looked great, weather looks good. And I do like the camaraderie and positive attitude across the locker room and just within the building in general. I think that's positive. Emily: Okay then, well I guess I'll see you next week where we'll talk about episode five. Hilary: Okay, episode five, Hard Knocks wrap up. Looking forward to it, Emily.