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Jaxon Smith-Njigba: "The Best Is Yet To Come" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: It's been going great, learning the offense, you know, get
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: to finally play football, put some pads on. It's been
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: a minute for me. So it's it's been feeling good
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: to be out here.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Didn't feel weird back on, No.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: I felt normal. I felt you know, like I you know,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: I love to play this game. I love to do it, so,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: you know, my feelings towards it was just, you know,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: happy to be back out there.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: He gets on getting more physical where he's talking to Witherspoon.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: He's a guy who's obviously been physical out here. What's
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: been like going in to see you guys? Seem like
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: he has some good battle.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: With Yeah, it's been great, you know, battling with him.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: You know, he's a guy who's really smart, play smart
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: on the field and uh and real physical, like you said,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: So it's been awesome to you know, get better and
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: you know to learn, you know, learn from him and
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: you know, give him looks that he needs.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: What's the biggest thing about the NFL game you're.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Playing in the morn you could really uh just you
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: know a lot of formations, play calls, moving fast, just
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: really getting the playbook. You know, the playbook is way
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: bigger than it is in college. So just getting getting
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: that part down. But the rest, you know, football's football,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: not really just you know, they like they like to
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: take your money. They'll find you, you know, whatever whatever happens,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: you know, they will find you.
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: That's it. What if you learned or absorb from Tyler
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: Lockett and also DK and two different people.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Obviously, but right I'll start with Tyler. Tyler, you know,
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: you know, a veteran obviously, you know, knows when to
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: conservative energy and knows when you know to you know,
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: go all out. Just you know, a real smart guy
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: on the field, knows how to recoverage this. That's something
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: that you know, I've been learning from him. And you
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: know also the slick and the slick moves. You know,
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: he can put defenders asleep and you know how to
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: you know, change pace in his routes and dkay just
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: seeing him, you know, come out here and uh just
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: be dominant, you know, every day, going after dbs, going
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: after the ball, being physical. It's something that you know,
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: I really admire from him.
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: What have you been fine for?
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: I haven't been fine yet. You know, I'm sure maybe
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: something's coming down the road. But you know, I've been.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: I've been good so far, just you know, just being
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: a professional. You know, you know, I'm a rookie, so
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: you know, being on time, you know, doing the little
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: things and you know, you know, just doing things right,
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: I guess.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: But cool. So where you found you have to be more.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Precise in what you do right, you know, when you
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: can't just you know, go out there and make some
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: some routes up. You know, you gotta, you know, stick
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: to the game plan, you know, because your your qbs
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: count on you. And you know, something I learned from Tyler,
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: you know, the things you do help the next man
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: get open. And you know, you see that a lot
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: in the NFL, and that's something I've taken, you know,
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: from him.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Two of your college teammates obviously in a great years
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: in the NFL. Last year's rookies. What about that for
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: Ram you think as receivers coming to me?
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: Serious? Yeah, I mean, first, I just it starts with
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: the development, of course, with coach mcmaraty and coach Brian
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Hartline him being you know, in the league for a
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: number of years and you know, recruiting you know, big
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: time guys who love to play ball and love to
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: compete to be the best. You know, all those big
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: time names in one room, and we all want to
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: be the best and push each other. But we all
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: love the game. So going out there, you know and
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: battling every day, not just with the defense, but you know,
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: kind of competing with each other in the room. I
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: think that has definitely helped me to come out here
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: and achieved some success here early at camp.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: Casts the other day. Is that just kind of instinct
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: or I guess take a certain like hell cats like
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: that happen.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean a lot of work, I would say instincts,
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: a lot of things combined. I guess, uh, you know,
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: I feel like my hand eye coordination is you know, good.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: So I've been able to make you know, those type
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: of catches throughout my career. I think the one in
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: the back of the end zone was was better.
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah, how do you build that chemistry? As I'm looking
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: with like, you know, the gino like it's the reps obviously,
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: but to be able to make the two catches they're referencing,
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: how do you build that chemistry?
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Early? I think for me, just you know, him building
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: you know, us, building confidences. You know, every time he
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: throws the ball. My way is you know, to catch it,
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: to do my job first and foremost, and you know,
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: just building that bond, you know, not just on the field,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: by outside, you know, the practice feeld. You know, we
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: were able to get together, you know through throughout this
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: time that we had off, you know, which I think
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: was good. And you know, just being there for him.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: You know, of course, I know that the quarterback position
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: is very hard, so and you know, whatever I can
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: do to make his job easier, you know, it's better
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: for the team. And I know that. So you know,
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: whatever he asked, whatever he needs me to do, you know,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: I'm willing to do it.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: Well, I've been like battling with dev and I here,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: like I think, Kay three, you had that tough catch
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: over the middle with him coming over the back side yea,
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: and his reaction to every think, what's kind of been
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: going through this type of battles.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's good. It's not easy. You know, it's not easy.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: But you know, since the first day we step on
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: the field, I knew what it wasn't going to be easy,
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: you know, battling him. But we've only made each other better.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: So you know, I'm grateful that you know, we we
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: have those battles and you know, you know the best
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: is yet to come from both of us.
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: With you up said, are you to get your first
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: chance to play in front of the fans the fans
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: have a little bit tomorrow.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Super excited, super excited. I've been looking forward to it,
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: you know, since my name was called in April. And
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: you know, I hear a lot of good things about
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: the twelves out there, and I love playing in big
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: stadiums and having the crowd you know on our side,
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: being loud and stuff like that. And you know, I
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: hear that we're the best, you know, in the NFL.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: So I'm excited to you know, get a little taste
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: of that tomorrow.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: Obviously he sat out, since he's missed last year, we
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: haven't seen a whole lot. But what kind of player
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: was he? And you know, I guess just you know,
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: close within him.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Tarry Smith, you know, very aggressive. Been able
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: to watch him of course at Ohio State for a
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: number of years and uh, you know, he just goes
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: after it goes, you know, goes and you know gets
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: the quarterback and real aggressive, real fast plays, fast, smart players.
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: So I'm excited you know, happy that we're on the
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: same team again.
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: How was it having been starting all of the throwback.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: That, Yeah, it was cool, It was cool. You know,
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: I know how much you know that stuff means to
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: the fans, and you know us too, So you know,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: I appreciate the media team, you know, having me, you
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: know on there, your spot is one of the year
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: He's been trying to build for a couple of years.
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: How was it lean that they have faith and believe
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: in you to feel that VODs was even the best team.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: Okay, I think it's you know, I think you got
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: to give credit to Pete and you know all the
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: guys you know on the third floor who made that decision.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: You know, I just want to prove those guys right
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: and come out here and do my job. When we
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: met during Pro Day and I've seen the position that
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: you know I would play on this offense, I thought,
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: you know, it could be lethal, you know, us me
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: being in that position, that's being out there, you know,
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: stretching the field. So you know, definitely looking forward to
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: the opportunity and ready for the challenge.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: You told us something new, David. I want you to
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: see it kind of help you back through the stream
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: and maybe that was frustrating. And now that you're doing
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: here in the camp, how beneficial looking at how the
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: stream we have.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: You know, I think that was the smartest route to go,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: h because you know, right now, you know, as of today,
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: I feel great. I feel fresh, you know, one hundred
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: percent better than I ever felt. And you know, I
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: give credit to them, you know, for doing that. I
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: appreciate it, but you know I ain't. I ain't no
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: holding back now, so we're all good. Good.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: Thanks, great,