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Mike Macdonald: "Connor Williams Decided To Retire" · Seahawks Press Pass

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  Speaker 1: Well, we got what's going on with Connor Williams might
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: uh Connor. So Connor early this week decided to retire
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: so personal reasons and we respect that, so uh wishing
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  Speaker 1: the best and you know we've got to move forward.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Is there any chance that he comes back? You haven't
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  Speaker 1: changes your life. I don't believe. So, don't believe so,
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  Speaker 1: So we are honorous wishes and keep you know, keep
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  Speaker 1: all those reasons and conversations private for for obvious reasons
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  Speaker 1: and and wishing the best. And uh Ola will play
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  Speaker 1: center for us right now, and we're excited for his
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  Speaker 1: opportunity like all these other guys that have had, these
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  Speaker 1: young guys that have had opportunities, and uh OL's right there.
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  Speaker 1: He's been working his tail off and he's got a
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  Speaker 1: great opportunity. We're excited to see him play. When did
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  Speaker 1: Connor tell you that? Uh? It was. It's been a
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  Speaker 1: process throughout the week. So we'll make the necessary like
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  Speaker 1: roster moves. I believe that happens tomorrow with all the
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  Speaker 1: designations and things like that. That'll happen officially tomorrow. I believe.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: And did you start having inklings he was thinking this week? Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: you start getting too, timetables and all that. I just
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  Speaker 1: I'd rather keep it private with between Connor and the
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  Speaker 1: things that he's working through. So but it was this week,
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  Speaker 1: but it is because of the family reasons. It's yeah,
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  Speaker 1: personal reasons. That's right.
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  Speaker 2: When you said you probably will start what what do
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  Speaker 2: you kind of see out of him?
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  Speaker 1: How confident? I guess? Let well, he's a he's a
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  Speaker 1: guy who's been knocking on the door for for a while,
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  Speaker 1: so you know, you're you know, obviously it's an unforeseen
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  Speaker 1: circumstance that you kind of gotta take on head on.
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  Speaker 1: And and uh, but you know, the silver lining and
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  Speaker 1: the whole thing is that we get to see all
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  Speaker 1: go do his thing. This guy's been working really hard,
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  Speaker 1: basically played started at center for US the whole off
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  Speaker 1: season until we signed Connor. So I've had a really
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  Speaker 1: good week of practice with with Connor not here and armored,
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  Speaker 1: we go.
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  Speaker 2: What are your options at center?
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  Speaker 1: Well, Jalen Jalen Sundell would would back him up, and
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  Speaker 1: then uh, from then, I mean, like all the you know,
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  Speaker 1: interior guys have been uh you know, cross training throughout
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  Speaker 1: they just you know, lack reps this week, so you know,
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  Speaker 1: we're going with two centers and rock and roll.
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  Speaker 2: Christian Plane's got some snaps at center and senior bowls.
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  Speaker 2: That's something you guys have ever looked at with him?
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  Speaker 1: Well, I mean again, he's one of those guys that
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  Speaker 1: you know snapped and you know could get us out
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  Speaker 1: of a game. But right now it would be Oulu
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  Speaker 1: and then Jalen.
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  Speaker 2: I'd care about this week and it would be a
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  Speaker 2: full week of practice.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Excited to have DK back. I'm not sure how
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  Speaker 1: we're designated, but he's ready to go. And uh yeah,
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  Speaker 1: of course, I mean we're fired up to see DK
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  Speaker 1: out there and it's practicing great. Yeah, excited to see
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  Speaker 1: him go do his thing back to Connor. Just what
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  Speaker 1: can you say about how he's doing a little of
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  Speaker 1: this wit this state right now? Yeah, we wish him well.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, you know, this guy's come in and worked
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  Speaker 1: really hard for us and and uh, obviously he made
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  Speaker 1: the decision that he made and we're still here to
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  Speaker 1: support him and everything that he needs.
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  Speaker 2: Which can you say with with his knee a factor
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  Speaker 2: in any other or no, what you expect to gave
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: Lucas to start on his on Sunday.
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  Speaker 1: We're anticipating to see him, you know, right now in
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  Speaker 1: a pretty significant manner. These things are still we're still
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  Speaker 1: on a progression here, So the amount of reps that
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  Speaker 1: he's gonna get, uh, we'll see as the game kind
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  Speaker 1: of unfolds. We have a plan, we have you know,
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  Speaker 1: a target rep count. We'll kind of leave that in
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  Speaker 1: house right now. But uh, ye're excited to see him
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  Speaker 1: go do his thing.
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  Speaker 2: What you see from him this week in practice.
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  Speaker 1: He's practiced, he's he's I mean, I know it's you're
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  Speaker 1: talking about only X amount of practice that he's had
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  Speaker 1: in a year. But again, I think this is a
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  Speaker 1: great opportunity to give him a shout out of Hey,
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  Speaker 1: at some point, I mean, you're taking a leap of
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  Speaker 1: faith here about going and playing NFL football game. And
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  Speaker 1: we're talking about a guy it's tough as nails and
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  Speaker 1: has really gone through this whole process about uh really
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  Speaker 1: for a couple of years now. It is something he's
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  Speaker 1: been dealing with for a while, and uh just proud
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  Speaker 1: of like that his mentality and and putting himself in
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  Speaker 1: this position where he can go help us, help us win.
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  Speaker 2: But the tight spot, I guess what Dylan for he
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: kind of had his appen for some way.
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  Speaker 1: Uh you know, we'll kind of leave the personnel decisions
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  Speaker 1: up in the air right now until we have to.
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  Speaker 1: But just like the guys that have been playing same roles,
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  Speaker 1: just on how however the game plan unfolds.
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  Speaker 2: Know his situation is that is that something back a
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  Speaker 2: couple of weeks or saying.
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  Speaker 1: No, we won't put him on, ir won't put them
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  Speaker 1: are He's making progress, looking good, just not ready yet.
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  Speaker 1: How was rache on Jenkins going? And he is working
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  Speaker 1: back from I believe he's eligible to come back next week,
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  Speaker 1: so uh, you know, we'll we'll see next week. But
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  Speaker 1: excited to have him back when we get the opportunity.
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  Speaker 1: Respecting the personal nature of the situation with Williams, was
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  Speaker 1: it football? Was it anything that was beyond your control? Was?
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  Speaker 2: I guess the way to put it.
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  Speaker 1: It's out of everybody's control. It's just it's is, it's
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  Speaker 1: the what the situation is. So we got to honor
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  Speaker 1: the situation and and respect where he's coming from and
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  Speaker 1: and move forward.
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  Speaker 2: You know this and uh uh Tyrel Dodson. You get
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  Speaker 2: some guys coming back, some guys leaving.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly how we planned it too. Yeah, we drew
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  Speaker 1: it up just like this.
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  Speaker 2: Keep the locker room focused on on field and getting
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  Speaker 2: this game this weekend.
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  Speaker 1: I thought we've had an excellent week week of preparation.
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  Speaker 1: Our guys are doing a phenomenal job. I mean, this
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  Speaker 1: is the NFL. Things are like that's part of the
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  Speaker 1: messaging too. When things happen, it's like, hey, this is
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: this is Uh, this is kind of more of the
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  Speaker 1: norm than not is. Things are gonna kind of move
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  Speaker 1: and shake and there's gonna be storylines, and which is good.
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  Speaker 1: It means people are interested in what we're doing and
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  Speaker 1: all that sort of stuff. But uh, our guys know,
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  Speaker 1: I mean we're this is noise, man, Like, we got
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  Speaker 1: to ignore the noise, you know, stay forward, let's rock
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  Speaker 1: and roll. Let's focus on what we can control, which
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  Speaker 1: is having a great week of practice, our attitudes every
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  Speaker 1: day and uh and they've done that to their credit,
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  Speaker 1: so they deserve a lot of credit. But this week
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: have fluid or for the rest, I mean, that's that's
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  Speaker 1: the plan. Is He's he's gonna start for us, so
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  Speaker 1: we're excited for him. What did you see from Tyre's
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  Speaker 1: and this this week kind of been putting that role
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  Speaker 1: same things we've been seeing. Uh, you wouldn't know that
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  Speaker 1: anything's different. I mean this guy, it's like you said,
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  Speaker 1: I mean he just kind of gets stuff and applies
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  Speaker 1: what you know, the stuff we learned talk about in
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  Speaker 1: the classroom, takes it to walk through. He's been really consistent.
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  Speaker 1: So you know, all the guys, you know, Drake Thomas,
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  Speaker 1: Josh Ross, those guys are doing a great job. What
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  Speaker 1: have you seen from Olu over the last bit?
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  Speaker 2: As he's kind of frown with.
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  Speaker 1: You guys, do know, well he's you know, he's putting
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  Speaker 1: a tough spot you I wouldn't say loser, you sign
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  Speaker 1: a sign a center. And he ends up playing and
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  Speaker 1: played good football for us, And uh that was his
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  Speaker 1: that was his position that he was playing. So you
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  Speaker 1: know how how you're gonna handle that adversity. And I
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  Speaker 1: think it speaks to the type of person Olu is.
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  Speaker 1: You know, puts his head back down, went to work
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  Speaker 1: every day and kept making cases for us to figure
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  Speaker 1: out a way to get them on the field. Now,
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  Speaker 1: we never we never got to that point. But now
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  Speaker 1: that we're at the position where the opportunity presents itself,
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  Speaker 1: Now you're a position of saying, hey, let's go, man,
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  Speaker 1: you earned it pretty much. You should be excited and
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  Speaker 1: uh and confident that you can go out there and
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  Speaker 1: get it done.
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  Speaker 3: Did you see anything from your leadership group in the
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  Speaker 3: individual groups different? Did they say anything? Were they just
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  Speaker 3: more leadership leading by example this week with the opportunity
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  Speaker 3: that's there for your team on Sunday.
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  Speaker 1: Time in relation to Connor situation or just how.
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  Speaker 3: Did how did your leaders respond to to bring the
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  Speaker 3: team together without the adversity and now with the opportunity
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  Speaker 3: to play.
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  Speaker 1: Our guys have been They've been, They've been great. They've
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  Speaker 1: been great the whole time they and there were were
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  Speaker 1: lockstep and how are approaching the season and when we
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  Speaker 1: face adversity, we understand what we need to do and
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  Speaker 1: what we want it to look like. We know it's
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  Speaker 1: not the area, but the only way you can do
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  Speaker 1: it is by making it right when you get the opportunities.
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  Speaker 1: So you're talking about oulu his opportunity us as a
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  Speaker 1: football team going down to San Francisco and playing you know,
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  Speaker 1: big time divisional game against a division rival. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: now we're we should we're excited about you know, the
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  Speaker 1: opportunity that's in front of us.
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  Speaker 2: You have a strong defensive game against the Rams. Did
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  Speaker 2: you see evidence this week of being able to stack
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  Speaker 2: on top of that and expand on it?
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  Speaker 1: You speak on our language. I mean, that's that's what
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  Speaker 1: we want to do, you know. I mean you talk
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  Speaker 1: about kind of trying to work through all the stuff
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  Speaker 1: and then finally having a game where you felt like
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  Speaker 1: we took some strides and then you got to do
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  Speaker 1: that every day and stack those practices, and that's been
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  Speaker 1: the focus. I think we've done that. So again, I mean,
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  Speaker 1: it's all talk until you make it go happen. But
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  Speaker 1: the guys have. The guys have earned it throughout the
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  Speaker 1: week in their prep. I think I think they're ready
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  Speaker 1: to go play. You needed to be more efficient than that.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: It was good time. Yeah, how did that manifest itself
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: this year? Well, we changed some things up and how
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: we did, you know, throughout the in the schedule. But
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: you just you know, I'm a tinker. You want to like,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: just like Steadfast, we have to do it this way.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: So I should watch my golf game. It's just atrocious.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: So I blame that on my dad, But I mean
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  Speaker 1: that that's really the thought is like Hey, I don't
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: have enough time or I want some more time here.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: I can shave off here, I could be better there.
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  Speaker 1: But I mean it's a mentality you kind of want,
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  Speaker 1: that mentality of like, let's just keep finding little edges
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  Speaker 1: that we can get to put us in a better
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  Speaker 1: spot to be more prepared. And that that's really that
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  Speaker 1: was really the thought behind it, Williams. Just when you
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  Speaker 1: heard that, I was surprising.
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  Speaker 3: Was that to hear that?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah? I mean I didn't come to work expecting it.
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  Speaker 1: You know, that would be bad if I started anticipating
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  Speaker 1: that type of stuff. But look, I mean it is.
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  Speaker 1: The situation is what it is. It's just gotta make
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  Speaker 1: the best of it and move on.
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  Speaker 3: Back.
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  Speaker 1: No, No, I mean these guys, but he's working out,
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  Speaker 1: he's doing it. I mean, he's making a lot of progress.
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: Seems like he's optimistic and where he is in his recovery.
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  Speaker 1: So I'm happy for him. I hope he bit sooner
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: than later so he gets an opportunity to go out
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: there and show off all of his work.
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: Did you see the physicality you needed to see from
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: your team this week? Uh?
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, But I mean it's hard. I mean, you had
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: we'd practice four times, so it's not like you're just
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: gonna clang and bang for you know, a million plays
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: and that's the best thing for your team. There's you
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: gotta be selective and how you're going to do it.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: But it's about the intent, the execution, the focus, the mentality.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: So in that regard and that through that Lens, I'd say, yes,
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: you mentioned Josh Ross's middle or what you play both? Yea,
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: all the guys can play both spots. Everything else, Thank you,
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: all right, thank you