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Sam Darnold: "OTAs Have Been Amazing" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: All right, were doing guys.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Be Yeah, I thought, you know, all the OTAs has
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: been amazing. Phase three, getting too practice with the guys.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Has been great.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, it's just been amazing to be able to
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  Speaker 2: you know, come here, compete, continue to learn the offense,
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  Speaker 2: build with.
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  Speaker 1: The guys, and be able to hang with the guys
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: off the field too.
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: It's been great your first chance to get to play.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: With Cooper on the field and.
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  Speaker 1: Gets greased that we'll touch up pass the Joe.
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  Speaker 3: How do you feel about the connection to there and
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  Speaker 3: what are some things that maybe stand out definitely now
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  Speaker 3: that you've.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Actually gotten to play with them.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I think that's just hit with any receiver.
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  Speaker 2: It's it's getting to know kind of their body language
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  Speaker 2: and uh kind of how they're how they're running routes,
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  Speaker 2: and then being able to talk to him, you know,
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  Speaker 2: on and off the field, be able to you know,
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  Speaker 2: know what he's thinking in a route or versus you know,
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  Speaker 2: a certain coverage, you know, trying to get behind the linebacker.
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  Speaker 2: Maybe he's gonna throttle it down, like just little details
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  Speaker 2: like that. You know, It's been great not only talk
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  Speaker 2: to Coop about that kind of stuff, but all the
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  Speaker 2: guys in this base.
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  Speaker 4: Part, Sam, how familiar is this or com do is this?
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: Just there's some familiar things you know that obviously we
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: did in San Francisco and then but uh yeah, just
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: learning a ton, learning a ton right now and just
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: like I mentioned kind of before, just building with the
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: guys and you know, taking it one day at a
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: time or three.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: In the league.
• 1:16
  Speaker 4: Isn't similar refreshing to learn the systems and restore.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think, uh, you know, it's fun to learn.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: It's fun to learn new systems. I think at the
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: end of the day, like you know, a lot of
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: teams do some similar things but just call it different
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: different names, And so I think that's the that's the
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: part that you got to learn, is learning kind of
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: you know, how Clint calls it in what we're calling
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  Speaker 2: it in general, and learning just the terminology and all
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  Speaker 2: the things that come along with that.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: You're talking about.
• 1:48
  Speaker 4: Cooper Cup and he's known for having a lot of
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  Speaker 4: his routes look the same, and he also is once
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  Speaker 4: you guys will break against leverage. So how do you
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  Speaker 4: like get to understand what he's gonna do and what's
• 2:00
  Speaker 4: situations here in the same page.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, just talking, you know, just the dialogue between me
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  Speaker 2: and him, getting to know him, and you know, talking
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  Speaker 2: through the things, you know, whenever he does have a
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  Speaker 2: you know, an option route or what have you.
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  Speaker 3: How much you like it? You do a lot of
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  Speaker 3: rolling out and stuff like that in this office. How
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  Speaker 3: much you like that?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: I think it's great, you know, to be able to
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  Speaker 2: first and foremost run the ball. When we're running the ball.
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  Speaker 2: That the way that we know we will be able to.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: I think when we you know, be able to put
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: in uh keepers and do all those things on the perimeter,
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  Speaker 2: I think will really stress the defense for sure.
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: Clinton has might been the whole quarterbacker have been like
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  Speaker 4: all three of you.
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  Speaker 3: Guys, how's that process been? All three you, me and
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: you here kind of aaring together together.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: It's been great. You know, Drew and Jay have been
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  Speaker 1: amazing to share the room with.
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  Speaker 2: Obviously with Coachinoko and then uh you know Tyson as well.
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  Speaker 2: Clint pops in every now and then too, which is
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  Speaker 2: always great. But uh yeah, it's just amazing to be
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  Speaker 2: able to you know, share that room and you know,
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  Speaker 2: have some great guys that are you know, not only
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: eager to learn, but also guys that you know are
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: great dudes that can also hang.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: Out tight ends.
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  Speaker 4: Tight End is important part of this offense. But I'm
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  Speaker 4: talking about the guys in the tight end room and
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  Speaker 4: anyone that's good to jumped out to you.
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  Speaker 1: I think they've all done a really good job. You know.
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  Speaker 2: I think you know, just Sobert, you know, I think
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  Speaker 2: being kind of the older guy in the room, and
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  Speaker 2: he was in San Francisco last year, so he kind
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  Speaker 2: of has a good understanding of what we're doing here
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  Speaker 2: and what we're trying to get done. So him pushing
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  Speaker 2: those guys to to get things dialed because as you
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  Speaker 2: guys know tight ends, you know they're they're dialed in
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: the run game.
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  Speaker 1: They're in the past game as well, so that they.
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  Speaker 2: Got a lot of things that they got to understand
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  Speaker 2: and and learn before the season comes around. So I
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  Speaker 2: think to have a guy like that is crucial. But yeah,
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  Speaker 2: a j Elijah, all those guys in there have been
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  Speaker 2: doing a great job.
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  Speaker 4: And what does an offense like to.
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  Speaker 1: What is it about having that element in the offense? Think?
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  Speaker 1: What is what is it you here? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: I think it creates a lot of stress for defense
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  Speaker 2: because you know, you can line up and you can
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  Speaker 2: run the football and I formations and in different formations with.
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  Speaker 1: Him in the backfield.
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  Speaker 2: And then you can also get you know, a fullback
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  Speaker 2: out wide and he can run certain routes and you
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  Speaker 2: can spread the field out well. While at defense is
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  Speaker 2: you know, caught in in base personnel with bigger guys
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  Speaker 2: on the field.
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  Speaker 1: So there's a ton of different ways.
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  Speaker 2: And then like I mentioned, if they want to play
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  Speaker 2: you know, sub personnel and get that nickel out there,
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  Speaker 2: then you know it lends itself to some running advantages there.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, it's it's great to be able to
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  Speaker 2: have a good fullback out there that you see that
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  Speaker 2: impacting the type of coverage your teams play too, because yeah,
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  Speaker 2: you can't have the too.
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  Speaker 4: Deep if you're able to run the football and.
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  Speaker 2: You see that, you know, shortening what they can run
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  Speaker 2: against your pass coverage.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, you're spot on.
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  Speaker 2: I think you know, when when you when you get
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  Speaker 2: a team uh you know, uh.
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  Speaker 1: Afraid of of you know, pass passes.
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  Speaker 2: You get him more in two show covers and we're
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  Speaker 2: gonna be able to run the football. And then if
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  Speaker 2: if they're afraid of of us running the ball, then
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  Speaker 2: they're going to be obviously more U single safety type
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: defenses and and that's when you can kind of, you know,
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  Speaker 2: have a have a ton of one on one opportunities
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: for Jack's coop, MBS, all these guys outside.
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: And Mike, Mike Postmark A.
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  Speaker 4: Donalds say he called you on draft night prior to
• 5:13
  Speaker 4: just let game given, Well, what.
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  Speaker 2: Did that mean?
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  Speaker 1: They do that he need?
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: Definitely yeah, I think just at the end of the day,
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  Speaker 2: communications key, you know, but you know, for for him
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: to be able to call and communicate about that, yeah, it.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Was it was cool. What did what do you think
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: of take? Do I love Jet? You know?
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: I think, uh, you know, I see why they took him.
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  Speaker 2: Just a great dude who can sling the rock and
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  Speaker 2: he's a great athlete as well.
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: You've been in a lot of high profile situations obviously,
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  Speaker 3: does does dealing with the spotlight of everything that comes
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  Speaker 3: with being a quarterback in the NFL and all that
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  Speaker 3: get easier.
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  Speaker 1: Over time for you at all or one more time sorry.
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  Speaker 3: Well just just there's such a big spotlight on on
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  Speaker 3: the quarterback and here you're coming to another situation. There's
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  Speaker 3: gonna be such a good spotlight on you. But obviously
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  Speaker 3: you've gotten through this with USC and the Jets and
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: stuff like that. Does that does any of that get
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  Speaker 3: any easier? Kind of deal with that?
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  Speaker 2: You know, to be honest, I don't spend much time
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  Speaker 2: thinking about it. Uh you know, I think for me,
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  Speaker 2: like I put you know, a ton of time and
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  Speaker 2: effort into you know, learning the playbook and getting another
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  Speaker 2: guys in the locker room and spending time as much
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  Speaker 2: as I can with you know, Clint Jenoko all those
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  Speaker 2: guys getting ready for for what we got to.
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  Speaker 1: Do on the field.
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  Speaker 2: And uh so that's kind of where my focus is
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  Speaker 2: right now.
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  Speaker 1: Kind of similar to that. What kind of a lead
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  Speaker 1: are you?
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  Speaker 4: And do you think about that or you just lead
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  Speaker 4: by exactly?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: I think, you know, I think for me, I've always
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: just kind of been myself whatever that is. I don't know,
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  Speaker 2: I think that might be a better question for one
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  Speaker 2: of my teammates. But you know, I just really like
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  Speaker 2: to just do my job every day. And yeah, I'm
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  Speaker 2: not going to be super vocal unless I have to
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  Speaker 2: be on the field, which of course the quarterback, you know,
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  Speaker 2: you're you're leading the offense at the end of the day,
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  Speaker 2: and sometimes you need to you know, be vocal and
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: you know, if it calls for that, I will be,
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  Speaker 2: but definitely not a guy to to force myself into
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  Speaker 2: talking much.
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  Speaker 1: Receivers at the center position. You got you guys, snap
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  Speaker 1: of the ball to you.
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  Speaker 3: What have you learned so far about Goulu and Jalen
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  Speaker 3: and how does the chemistry developing with those guys.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's been great.
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  Speaker 2: I think both guys have been doing a really good job,
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  Speaker 2: especially you know, learning this system as well being able
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  Speaker 2: to make some of the run points and and get
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: some of the protections sorted out against obviously a really
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  Speaker 2: good defense that we have.
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  Speaker 1: So they've been doing a really good job so far.
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  Speaker 3: You mentioned that defense, Mike so very writes a competitiveness,
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  Speaker 3: back and forth defense.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: How is back group pushing?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, man, I mean they're they're flying around. It's super
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  Speaker 2: fun to compete against. And uh yeah, I think just
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  Speaker 2: all the all the variations of coverages too, the way
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  Speaker 2: that you know, the guys in the back end disguis
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  Speaker 2: coverages and even the nickels you know, you got Spoon,
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  Speaker 2: you know, disguising certain leverages.
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  Speaker 1: You know.
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  Speaker 2: So I don't know whether he's you know, gonna be
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  Speaker 2: a hook defender. Or if he's gonna be in the flat.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, I think those guys on the back end
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  Speaker 2: are doing a really good job. And uh yeah, I
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  Speaker 2: know they're gonna continue to do that and push push
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: us as we're gonna continue to push them.
• 8:04
  Speaker 4: You've got a lot of young players, first, the second
• 8:06
  Speaker 4: year players on offense, new coaching staff, and even the
• 8:09
  Speaker 4: older players a lot of them are.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: New to the offense.
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  Speaker 4: Do you feel like a responsibility at all to ay
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: talk to any of the other guys about kind of
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: creating an identity.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: On that offensive side?
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  Speaker 1: For sure.
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  Speaker 2: I think, you know, just kind of understanding the offense
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  Speaker 2: a little bit coming from you know, San Francisco, what
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  Speaker 2: we did in twenty three and with Clint. You know,
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  Speaker 2: just I think just the questions, you know, guys, I
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: told the guys, you know, any questions that you've got,
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: come up to me, ask me anything, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: I think that's the biggest thing, is just continuing to
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  Speaker 2: talk back and forth with the guys about the certain
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: routes and the details.
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: That's also mentioned on the idea that he doesn't want
• 8:45
  Speaker 3: you guys playing some tight right now or not worry
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: about taking the sticks. How does that benefit and put our.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: Conversations about the coach.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think, you know, at the end of the day,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I want to go out there and play
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  Speaker 2: clean football, but also I want to go through through
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: progressions and be aggressive, and you know, especially kind of
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: in those you those seven on seven periods, you know
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: it's there's no threat of run, so you know, those
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: linebackers are getting some depth and so trying to you know,
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: maybe push some stuff down the field that maybe I shouldn't.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: You know, I gotta learn from some mistakes there and
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: maybe just check it down. But you know, it's fun
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: to be able to, you know, push the ball down
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: the field and kind of see what what the guys
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: can do. You know, you know, in terms of our
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: receivers being able to make plays down the field, is
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: there an element.
• 9:33
  Speaker 4: Of testing situations like that out, maybe not trying to
• 9:35
  Speaker 4: make the right play in a moment like that, see
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  Speaker 4: that this guy can handle this.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: And I know Aaron Rodgers has talked about the point
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: wanted to see how his receivers can handle a jump
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: ball against this guy.
• 9:44
  Speaker 4: Kind of testing things out like that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, there is an element to it.
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  Speaker 2: But I think for me right now, I think you know,
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  Speaker 2: I need to continue to make the right play every
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: single every single time. And you know that's where my
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: head's out with that.
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  Speaker 4: Along those lines, what's it like as a part of
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: a copt the balance wanted to play on time, wanted
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: to give a play enough time to develop.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: But also don't being mindful of mass russures and not
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: wanting to take the science.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's that's a balance, right playing quarterback,
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: You know, I think that's you just said it perfectly.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: I think that's the that's sometimes the hardest part about
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: it is understanding, okay, like do I give this time
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: enough time to develop and it might be open, or
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: do I just check it down because you know the
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: rush might be coming. And that's always kind of the
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: you know, dichotomy I guess of playing quarterback in general.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: And you know, that's the fun part about our job
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: is we get to make decisions like that.
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: What a got ac Donald's mentioned that the quarterbacks you
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: can experiment with virtual reality stuff. Do you have any
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: experience with that?
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I've done it a couple of times. Yeah, how
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: does it help with quarterback? Yeah?
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: I think some guys are into it, some guys aren't.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: You know, I think for me, I've done it a
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: couple of times, and you know, I definitely think it
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: can help in terms of like seeing things in the
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: pocket and seeing different coverages and seeing move meant but
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: at the end of the day, I think there's nothing
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: like getting on the field and playing eleven on eleven football,
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: and for me, like I think watching tape for me
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: is the best way to kind of see how defenses
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: are playing.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: Oh, you know, even like Seattle where so far thanks
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: a non football question.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: I love it, Uh, not much, to be honest, been studying. No,
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: it's been great, man, just being able to you know,
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: get around. We bought a place so moving, to be honest,
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: and moving a ton of furniture in uh so that's
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: been great. Uh But you know, other than that, not much.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: Playing some golf here and there. Yeah, that's that's pretty
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: much it.
• 11:39
  Speaker 4: You you a city guy or a fixed space pickyard
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: out there guy.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: A little bit of both, A little bit of both. Yeah,
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: I can. Uh, I do love.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: I mean, I love going on hikes. Still haven't done
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: a ton of that. Like I said, we're we're moving
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: into a house, so that's kind of on the forefront
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: of our minds right now. But uh yeah, so gotta
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: gotta get the hikes going, especially in the off season
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: that won't be happening during the season.
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: Uh.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: And then just all the great restaurants, right I think
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: in Bellevue and Seattle, like I think going out and
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: try new restaurants.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: That's something I love to do. So yeah, I think a.
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: Little bit of both, I guess would be the answer
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: to that round shot.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: Since I've been here in general off.
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: Season, Uh, I'm not good, first and foremost, I'm a
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: ten handicap for everyone out there paying attention. But uh
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: I shot a seventy eighth, but that was at home
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: on my home course. But that is not the standard.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: The standard right now is like mid eighties to hides.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, all right,