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Leonard Williams: "We Have The Talent To Get The Job Done" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: What's that. No, I'm not I retired that in New York.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: I don't like hosting anymore. Yeah, exactly. Let the young
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: guys handle that. When you watch this team, your team,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: what are the indicators that the defense is just about
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: to turn the corner? I mean, to me, the indicators
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: are that we showed that we can do it. You know,
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: we showed that we can stop the run. We showed
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: that we can stand up in the red zone. We
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: showed that we can pass rush when it's third down.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: To me, it's all about just making it consistent. And Uh,
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  Speaker 1: I think that comes with just the mindset. We can't
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: have too many highs and lows throughout a game, throughout
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: a season. I think we just have to understand as
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: players and as a team that there's you know, the
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: other team is gonna make plays, We're gonna make mistakes,
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: You're gonna have wins and losses throughout a game and
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: throughout a season, and I think we just have to
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: be consistently ourselves and and not ride the waves of emotion.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: What do you make of.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: The inconsistency and run defense?
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  Speaker 1: Uh? To me, as partly, I think in times when
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: you're trying to correct something for a few weeks in
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  Speaker 1: a row. You know, there's a lot of competitors on
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: this team, so you know there's there's guys who feel like,
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: you know, they want to put it on their shoulders,
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: which is respectable. You know, everyone's competitors. They want to
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  Speaker 1: feel like they can be the guy to make the play.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: But I think in times like that, we end up
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: doing trying to do other people's jobs, and uh, that
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  Speaker 1: kind of affects the rest of the defense. So I
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: think in these times it's like like goes back to
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: that consistency of just like just consistently do your job
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: and eventually we'll all come together as eleven.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: That feeling kind of happening in the moment where a
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: guy will abandon his responsibility to try to.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Make a point. Yeah, Like I'll use myself as an example, like, say,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: my gap is the B gap, and I feel like
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: they're zoning to the right but trying to cut back
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: every time. So instead of me just staying in my
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: B gap because I feel like they were running it
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: on us, now I'm going to try to play the
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  Speaker 1: B gap and the A gap instead of just dominating
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: the B gap. I'm now trying to do two things
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  Speaker 1: at once, and I think sometimes things like that start
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: to happen once you kind of have the stress of
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: things happening over and over. So uh, you know, I
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: think it's just more about us getting back to the basics,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: trusting our teammate that they're going to do their job,
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: and everyone keep it ruining.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: You mentioned earlier, how important is it for you guys
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  Speaker 2: could do the early dawn stuff so you can get
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  Speaker 2: a chance to get those third downs where you can
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  Speaker 2: get after it.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, that's the most important thing, you know. I've
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: been trying to talk to ad about that, trying to
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: talk to the rest of the pass rushers on the
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: team about that. And you know, we always talk about
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: earning the right to rush the passer, and that's really
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: what it is. It's like you have to earn that right.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: It's like, if we're not stopping the run and if
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: we're not putting them in situations where we can rust
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: the passion, it's hard to get to the quarterback. I
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: think we showed it early in the season we had
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: like a high pressure rating team and things like that
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: because we're putting ourselves in situations. But the last few
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: weeks that they've been allowed to run the ball, it's
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: been harder for us to get to the quarterback.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: Going back to the idea of guys who need to
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: trust in each other, how much of that do you
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: think is a product of you're installing a new scheme
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: right now, and is there some maybe uncertainty in that
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  Speaker 2: as well?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I think there's definitely like some growing pains
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: whenever you're on a new scheme, new staff, a lot
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: of new guys. Even in these seats, you know, like
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: the player wise, we're all kind of getting to know
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: each other, getting to know the system, and you know,
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  Speaker 1: I think that takes a lot of leadership on the
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  Speaker 1: players to try to have everyone just keep coming together
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: when you're three and oh, it's easy for new players
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  Speaker 1: to believe the system. Do you see belief in the
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: system for losing for losses in five games? Is that
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: in the ship? I don't think so. I think the
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: way the guys approach every week, I feel like that's
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  Speaker 1: one thing that has been consistent that I've been proud of,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: is you know, even after a loss, like guys are
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: coming in here like heads held high, pretty optimistic that
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  Speaker 1: we still have a good team and and I believe
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: we do. You know, I try to talk to some
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: of the guys about that the other day that you know,
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  Speaker 1: the hard part is getting the guys in the building
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  Speaker 1: to get the job done. And I feel like we
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: got that, Like we we I believe we have the
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  Speaker 1: talent to get the job done. And uh, I think
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  Speaker 1: you know, it takes the players to keep the unity
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: and just that leadership.
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  Speaker 2: How much is good run defense about talent on the field.
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  Speaker 2: How much of it's about discipline, assignment correctness, how much
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  Speaker 2: of it's about to play call?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I think the majority of it is discipline.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: To be honest, play calling is like how many defensive
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: coaches like, there's only so much defensive schemes you could run.
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  Speaker 1: So after a while, it's like, you know, it's the
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: joke about being a copycat league. It's like, in the
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: end of the day, everyone kind of runs the same
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: run plays, Everyone runs the same run defenses and stuff
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  Speaker 1: like that. You see guys, you see teams with less
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  Speaker 1: talent sometimes stop the run versus teams with great talent.
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  Speaker 1: So to me, it's all about discipline.
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  Speaker 2: Have you seen have you been on a defense that's
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: had this kind of struggle against one part of the
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: faceted defense and then been able to turn it around.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, It's definitely happened multiple times in my career, to
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  Speaker 1: be honest, and and you know, I've been a part
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  Speaker 1: of great defensive lines and we've allowed too much rushing
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  Speaker 1: yards and you know that same defensive line later down
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  Speaker 1: the week, or front seven defense, whatever it is, we
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: eventually figured it out and stop the issue. So I
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: think that's one thing that we've been trying to address
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: the team about this year. I mean right now, we've
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: been trying to address the team that, like, you know,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: it's still all ahead of us, and uh, I believe
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  Speaker 1: everyone believes that as well. What have you seen from
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: marce Jones so far? I know it's only been here
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: a week, but what's he's showing? You just want to
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: a great mindset of just attacking, which I love that
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: from a linebacker. You know, he came in right away,
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: just showed a lot of good hard work, and uh,
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  Speaker 1: I feel like he also knows football pretty well. So
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: he's also starting to get more comfortable and speaking up.
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  Speaker 1: So I've been learning him as a player as a
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: person more outside of just a player. But I think
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: he's gonna he's a great pick up for us.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: I think it's been.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: About a year, almost exactly a year since you have
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: arrived in Seattle. Yeah, how would you look the same outside?
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: How would you reflect all the year? Uh? I say,
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: it went by really fast. It's like crazy that we're
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: already at this point in the season. I feel like
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: it went by really fast. But I'm happy with the
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: direction that we're heading. You know, I believe in this organization.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: I believe in the players that we have, and like
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: I said, I believe we have what it takes and
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  Speaker 1: it's not too late to just keep going for.
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  Speaker 2: It and let them.
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  Speaker 1: Just to circle back when you said good run defense
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  Speaker 1: is predicated on discipline, you're talking about discipline in your assignment. Yes, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: Just to follow up on that important of communication between
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: the players in that Yeah, I do say. That's where
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: this defense varies versus other defenses, is like we're a
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: type of defense that likes to whole the pen last.
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  Speaker 1: So with that being said, it's like we're making a
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: lot of checks based off of, you know, offensive motions
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  Speaker 1: and like the way the offensive set whether they're into
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: the boundary or formation to the field and things like that.
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  Speaker 1: So I think this defense does require a lot more
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  Speaker 1: communication than others who would just say, you know, this
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  Speaker 1: is the call, get in it. We have like two
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: or three calls in one that can change depending on
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: what the offense is given us. So I think that
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  Speaker 1: requires a lot more discipline and communication amongst the players,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: especially in lumenfield when it's loud out there. You know,
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  Speaker 1: we have to figure out uh nonverbal ways of communication.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: You got your vote shirt on?
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: Why is that important you?
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  Speaker 1: I mean it's obviously right around the corner, got my
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: vote shirt. I think it's important. Every vote matters, honestly,
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: don't feel like it doesn't matter, and you know it's important.
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  Speaker 1: That's all I gotta say. Communication with the three plays
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  Speaker 1: in one, where do you think some of the problems
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: on defense are stemming from? That? Could be, but you know,
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  Speaker 1: I think it's, like I said, based on discipline. But
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  Speaker 1: I think the coaches that have been doing a good
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: job of feeling like if it is too much on
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: our plate too can communicate that much and change that much.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: Then you know, they try to pull back in certain
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: areas where they give us a little less on our
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: plate so we can play fast and that you know,
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: like I said, that takes leadership from the players as
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: well to give feedback to the coaches if we feel
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: like it's too much, you know by Friday Saturday, if
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: we're not feeling high speed on any call, we need
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: to communicate that with the coaches. And you know, with
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: this coaching staff, knowing that this is you know, we
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: have a younger coaching staff. I feel they've been very
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: open and not just open, but they've been wanting that
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: feedback from the players. So I think, you know, I'm
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: always big on like this is a player's team in
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: the end of the day, and it's always on us
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  Speaker 1: to take it where we want to. Yeah,