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John Schneider: "We Want To Be A Championship Level Team" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Uh, folks, welcome to the ballpark. How are we doing
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: all right?
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Well, excited to get going, Uh, the real deal this week.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Kind of fun with the coaches this morning and you
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: know we had a tryout and it feels like a
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: just a regular week. Uh you know, it's labor day.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: But you know, see you guys are you're working your
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: tails off, so awesome stuff.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, ready to get going.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: So to quote my good friend Andy Reid, the time
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: is yours and Chris Ballard uses it all the time too.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: I noticed that. Yeah, Uh, John to move going on?
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: What's his? Then he answer three voices situation.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he had surgery in Philadelphia about a week and
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: a half ago.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: You know, we just wanted to uh you know, use
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: the e R to return designation to be able to
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: uh you know, let him uh rehab and you know,
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: be able to have him down down the line as
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: quickly as we can get him back. Timelines are all
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: all different, but that sort of thing. But uh, yeah,
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: once we went to philadelph Philadelphia, it seemed like we
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: were probably gonna he was probably gonna have surgery.
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: John, I know I had a few years ago.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: You talked to us and you were changing your whole
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: scouting and everything like that.
• 1:16
  Speaker 4: Is this depordinate and is this does this feel like
• 1:20
  Speaker 4: the cul relation of that.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Just this season? I don't know.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: I'm not sure about the changing the whole scouting part.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: I'm sorry.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: You were talking about how you evaluate Are you evaluating talent? Okay?
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Maybe yeah for the draft? Yes, yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah,
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: we used to have more players. We got to a
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: point there for several years where we had more players
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: on our board, and you know, it was a really
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: talented football team. Uh, we're you know, maybe drafting a
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: little bit for need and who you know or whose
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: contracts might be coming up, and you know, we fell
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: into a little bit of rut.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: There a couple of times.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: In general, our acquisition is the philosophy has always been
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: the same, ever since we walked through the door in
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: twenty ten. And you know, I think I've talked about
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: the whole building and whether that's you know, people in
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: you know, the equipment room, or and ticketing and however,
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: you know, marketing, whoever's affecting the team is always going
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: to be contributing to the development of our of our team,
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: so of our players and how they how they fit
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: into this building, whether it's Dave helping guys out with
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: with in his group of social media and you know,
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: their press conferences and and.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Just all their messaging and everything.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: So I think the it's a it's a good point
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: on the draft acquisition, but in terms of the person
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: and how we can help them in our building, that's
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: never changed.
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: So writing that narrative are exciting?
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: That is this week for you to create something new
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: this season?
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: You mean going from ninety to fifty three? Is that
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: what you're saying. I'm not sure I understand the question.
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: I'm so how exciting is it with the narrative of excitement?
• 3:04
  Speaker 5: Oh? The excitement part. Sure, we've been talking about the
• 3:09
  Speaker 5: last you know what month now about you know, having
• 3:12
  Speaker 5: the ninety players and having sixty nine players and what
• 3:15
  Speaker 5: that looks like, and you know, it's a it's a
• 3:18
  Speaker 5: game of attrition when you're talking about November, December, January,
• 3:23
  Speaker 5: so really trying to accentuate all the other guys' strengths
• 3:27
  Speaker 5: and they have the coaches really really feel really good
• 3:29
  Speaker 5: about their development with those players and being able to
• 3:33
  Speaker 5: concentrate on a development plan for the practice squad players
• 3:37
  Speaker 5: and it's really not just sixty nine.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: You know, it's it's really still you know, the about
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: ninety we average. I think it's uh, you know, it's
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: about one hundred and twenty transactions a year. So there's
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: there's guys constantly coming to this building. And you know,
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: we talked.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: About this before.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: We want to be a you know, championship level team
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: when we get to the latter part of the season.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Turned over.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: Where you guys have had in the last couple of
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: years been the change your quarterback? You say, in the NFL,
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: there's a bigger dip. What do you think the key
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: has been to sustaining you were a playoff team last year?
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: A minute, great question, I think, Uh, I think you
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: have to start with coach Carroll and and his staff
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: and you know, having confidence in in the players and
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: uh really biting into their strengths, trying to help them
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: compensate for their deficiencies, and uh, you know, create that
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: that level of like I said that that I've said
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: this a bunch of times, that level of confidence and
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: guys and that we can go play you know, we
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: can go play anybody and be competitive, whether it's home
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: or away. Uh.
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Obviously we'd like to be playing primetime games here at home.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: But I'm not sure that's for some reason they've changed
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: that a little bit lately.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: But he's start.
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: About the practice squad, the change of the rules, probably
• 4:58
  Speaker 4: want side more access to those guys from a roster
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: till at standpoint, does that change of guys and things
• 5:02
  Speaker 4: like all of a sudden, especially I have all those extra.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: Guys the tea, Yeah, absolutely, and then also you know balancing, uh,
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: you know, how you're gonna you know, put the best
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: group together that that best sixty nine most talented and
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: or best team fit type of players, as well as
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: you know, helping the coaches get prepared for who's gonna
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: be active for this game and who's gonna be inactive
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: for this game. You know, we've we're we're still working
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: on some roster stuff as we get through the next
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: couple of days here and then hopefully hopefully things will
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: be set you know, hopefully pretty much uh tomorrow afternoon
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: and obviously by Saturday morning. So having the benefit of
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: playing at home, maybe able to make a couple of
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: transactions that we need to on Saturday morning.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: But yeah, you know, being able to to elevate.
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: Two guys is a big deal and then having sixteen players,
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: uh several vets. Yeah, So yeah, it's it's it's it's
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: been great. It's it's it's hindered people's ability. Teams have
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: done a really good job. It's especially the last two
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: years of being really strategic with their roster development. At
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: the when we do cut from last year it was
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: seventy five, we're going from ninety to fifty three. There's
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: several teams that kept like, you know, eleven offensive linemen
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: or seven corners or you know, seven receivers, so that
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: balance by position on the fifty three man roster. You know,
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: having the practice squad has affected that. So you know,
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: we didn't see quite as many names at the heavier
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: positions or the positions that you would hope will be heavier,
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: like offensive line, defensive line, surely have right.
• 6:42
  Speaker 4: Going back to the draft, I'm sure you're well aware
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: of the debate about you know, some people on the
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: handler A side say there's a certain point where two
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: little to take a running back.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Obviously, you guys had other teams feel differently about that.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: What did What is it about that position that makes
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: you feel like they're still worthy of that matter?
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: The attrition rate. You know, it's a very very hard
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: position to play.
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: You know, they talk about you know, going back shoot,
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: I think it was probably like fifteen twenty years ago.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: There's like, you know, the study in the car crash, right,
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: these guys are literally like running into a garage door basically, Like,
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: you know, it's a very.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: Very difficult position to play.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: And you know, if you want to run the ball
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: and you want to be a physical football team, you
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: know you're gonna need more than two or three guys.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: You know, I think you know, the year we brought
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: Marshan back, we lost three running backs in a matter
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: of like ten days or something.
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: You know, so yeah, we just we just don't think
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: you have enough.
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  Speaker 2: And then also just you know, taking the best players
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: regardless of of you know, a specific need or a
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: specific value. And you know, I could see where it
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: makes sense with when people talk about you know, salary
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: cap value and you know, you know, can you replace
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: a player in a specific position, you know, do you
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: have to draft a player based on their there's there's
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: their compensation, their salary cap numbers. I could see where
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: that comes into play. But all that's really just part
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: of the equation. And whether that's in the draft or
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: free agency or you know, quite frankly claiming, guys right now,
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: do you have.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Any concern about spilling with the hamstring?
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: A concern? You know, I would say that, Yeah, I would,
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: I would, yeah, a little bit.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: You know, he had it, had a hamstring in the spring,
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: got himself ready to run.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: His forty, you know, had a little bit of a
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: setback during camp. So you know, we gotta be smart
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: with it. He's doing great. We'll see how he does
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: this week now. But you know, physically, I guess because
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: it's a hamstring. Mentally, no, because he's such a tough,
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: you know, gritty competitor, he's gonna you know, he's gonna
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: he's gonna go for it. You know, if anything, we're
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: probably gonna have to govern him a little bit. How
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: he was playing for really good, really good. He's you know,
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: he was taking reps inside and and uh, I think
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: we talked about it, you know around the draft. His
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: his his anticipation and a and awareness and you know
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: feel for uh, you know, crossers.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: And and people behind him. Is is really impressive contract.
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: How do you keep that from being unprecedent or do
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: you not mind if if it's oppressed at the next
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: year following years first.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: Rate, Well, it's b it's basically the way we've always
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: done things. So it wasn't we weren't gonna change anything
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: that we did.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: What was the whole Yeah, that's that I can talk
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: about that.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: I don't wanna get into.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: I mean, I think it's I'm not sure if it's out.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: There or not, so I don't be honest with you.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: I'm not I don't wanna get into the.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Specifics of what we've just w I would tell you.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: I would tell you that we're just very.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: Consistent with how we approach contracts, and we have to
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: be in order to stay structured and be able to to,
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: you know, continue to do business the way we want
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: to do business.
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: Well, my question was based on is it true is
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: contract was fully guaranteed?
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: Uh? Your signing bonuses are fully guaranteed? Yes or no?
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: So we we've heard pet some of the players talk about.
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: But just how close this team is is that when
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: you're scouting players, obviously you're gonna watch your take. How
• 10:13
  Speaker 4: do you kind of evaluate like how the guys are.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: That's totally care Yeah, you can't truly know until you
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: get here.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: But you know, like we've talked about before, I think
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: it's it's especially when we bring guys into on thirty visits.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: So you know, we claimed Drake Thomas and he had
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: come in on a he had come in on a
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: thirty visit, so you know, being able to see him
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: the other day and you know, he had been here
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: for two days and you know it was you know,
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: excited to be here and knew the culture. And so
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: I think when you're you know, y, you know, the
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: the the area guys and how they feel about the players,
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: and how the coaches feel about the players and and
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: their development and the personality the person the competitor.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: Uh how how you know again.
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: How we feel like we can help them is a
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: big deal here. It's very important to us. And and
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: we think that you know, our culture, like we've talked
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: about a bunch like we're gonna work our tails off,
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: but guys are gonna have fun, They're gonna give each
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: other a lot of creud and and uh yeah, I
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: mean it's just gonna be I think when you spend
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: as much time, you know, evaluating those guys in the
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: spring as we do, and and you know, all the
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: zoom calls and the all the interviews that we study
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: and everything, it just it becomes it becomes clear. So
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: it stands out if a guy you know is gonna
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: be questionable whether they fit in or not, and so
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: then at that point you need to do a deeper
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: dive and and do a little bit more research on
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: them and possibly bring them in or maybe go see
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: them again at their school before it's too late, too
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: late with in the draft process.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: You know, everything you guys have done up front, how
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: well what we think you are asself is well. I
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: think our coaches are excited about our group.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: We you know as as uh you know the people
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: and you know they're trying to get a feel for
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: the landscape right now and going over the way of
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: wiring all that and you know, possible trades. We're still
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: constantly working on it. I don't think on either side
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: of the ball, the way the way the league's playing
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: out right now in the last several years, and I
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: don't think you have enough offensive lineman or enough defensive lineman.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: That's not a slight on anybody that's here or on
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: other teams.
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: It's just the reality of it.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: The numbers are down over the last several years, especially
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: on the offensive line defensive line wise. Yeah, we're constantly
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: We're constantly looking and we won't stop.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: When you guys signed Julian, how much that was for
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: like this scenario.
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: Here where like Jamal's not ready and you need Julian
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: to start next day.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd be lying to you if I told you
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: it wasn't part of our thought process.
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: You know how Jamal was doing at the time with
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: this rehab.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: But I would put a percentage on it, like about
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: maybe ten to fifteen percent. It was more about you know, uh,
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: the player and the competitor and the person, and you know,
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: we had we had uh, we had identified him as
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: one of the better, better players in free agency that
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: we want to try to add to our team, and
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: we just stayed with it.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: During our process.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: Our guys did a great job of you know, communicating
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: and then uh, you know, Matt Thomas and and uh
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: and and everybody working that weekend to to make sure
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: that we could come close to an agreement kind uh, toughness, versatility,
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: you know he's taking reps at center, uh, left guard,
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: right guard. Yeah, I don't see why he couldn't You know,
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: take reps at right tackle. I mean he's he's a
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: versatile guy. But you know, Ben's well and he's been
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: banged up a little bit. You know, he's had some injuries,
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: but uh, really good awareness, good lateral movement, and he's
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: a he's a big long guy.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: I think he's at like, you.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: Know, almost thirty six in charms, so has good length
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: and and and uses his length very efficiently.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: Uh. You know, sometimes those taller guys can let people
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: get into him a little bit and it does a
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: really nice job.
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: John, I think it's what do you won something of
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: your roster first and second year guys? Do you have
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: a target of that or that's just how it crossed.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: Uh No, not not necessarily. It's not necessarily a target.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: But you know, you have to you have to try
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: to balance, you know, your salary cap and how you're
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: paying people at different positions and and so obviously you
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: know when you have younger players, it's a it's a
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: smaller salary, So you have to try to you have
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: to be trying to. You have to try to be
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: smart so you can you know, Ted Thoms would always say,
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: you know, keep your powder dry towards the end of
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: the season, so you have enough cap room and or
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: space to in cash to work with towards the end
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: of the season for us, primarily cap space.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: UH. As we move forward here, what was the re
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: surge specifically sorry.
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: Surgery specifically.
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: H specific quicarly wouldn't be able to pronounce it. I
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: don't think no, I forget exactly what they called it,
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: but it was, UH. It was basically you went to
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: uh Philadelphia for growing surgery anything else.
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: Thanks everybody, Thank you.
• 15:15
  Speaker 5: Yes M