Latest / Seahawks Press Pass / Jaxon Smith-Njigba On Sam Darnold's Impact "I Wouldn't Be In This Position Without Him"

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba On Sam Darnold's Impact "I Wouldn't Be In This Position Without Him" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Yo yo, walk up song.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Lil Wayne, Uh, some some by Lil Wayne, probably in
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: a hotel like sixty three. Honestly, yeah, I need a
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: I need a cold cold more than.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: The media. Mm hm.
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  Speaker 2: That's a good question. Something I really haven't you know,
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  Speaker 2: thought about. Honestly, just right now in the position, I
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  Speaker 2: am just focusing on what you know I have to do.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: But you know, I'll think about that maybe an off season.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Get back to you and Jackson real quick right in
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  Speaker 2: there talking about faith in football. He talked about your
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  Speaker 2: faith in Christ, what it means to you.
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  Speaker 1: How do you play that anywise?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I am a believer, believe in Christ. I you know,
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  Speaker 2: my walking and my faith is is big for me.
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  Speaker 2: And I give that credit to my parents and how
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  Speaker 2: they raised me and my family, and uh, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I believe I'm here to serve others and to serve
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  Speaker 2: the Lord. So you know that's my calling in you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's it's beautiful and I love to do it every
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  Speaker 2: single day.
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  Speaker 3: Jackson Jackson.
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  Speaker 2: Time, Chris Carter, Marvin Harrison Junior, David Boston, what question
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  Speaker 2: for you as far as.
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  Speaker 3: Your breakout season?
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  Speaker 2: Congratulations?
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  Speaker 3: Wind up? What is the lad of that season?
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  Speaker 2: Here that to kill the best receiver. Yeah, I'll give
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  Speaker 2: credit to my teammates honestly, so, Uh, football's ultimate team sport.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, having Sam back there doing this thing,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I wouldn't be in a position without him,
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  Speaker 2: and coach Kobiak put him in position. Mike McDonald and
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  Speaker 2: how he you know, just brought all of us together
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  Speaker 2: defense and uh, it's a collective thing. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: I would give credit to that in many ways. You know,
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  Speaker 2: he is a hall of famer in my eyes and
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  Speaker 2: a lot of people's eyes future hall of famer. And
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  Speaker 2: just to see him every day and ask questions and
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  Speaker 2: for him to be available for me, you know, it's
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  Speaker 2: it's been great and I've learned numerous numerous of things. Uh,
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  Speaker 2: it's been good. Uh, a little hectic, but you know,
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  Speaker 2: eyes on the prize, you know, staying focused, staying ready
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  Speaker 2: and ready to get to practice tomorrow and play some ball.
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  Speaker 2: Talk about about.
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  Speaker 3: How do you get.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, that's that was always my mindset, even as
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  Speaker 2: a young player, Like what do I have to do
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  Speaker 2: to be well rounded? You know, especially like you know
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  Speaker 2: the body type that I have, you know, not the
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  Speaker 2: biggest or the fastest but you know, what can I
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  Speaker 2: do to be able to still take those deep shots
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  Speaker 2: you know, short game, medium, medium routes, and you know
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  Speaker 2: that's that was always a thought process going into a season.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, still got some work to do. I
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  Speaker 2: feel like my ceiling is still you know, high, and
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  Speaker 2: you know, I just want to go get it in
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  Speaker 2: a wide receiver. Say it again that yeah, I think
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  Speaker 2: it's just opportunity, you know, opportunity, and I think the
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  Speaker 2: coaching staff have entrusted me to take on that role
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  Speaker 2: and give give me those opportunities. So I just want
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  Speaker 2: to take full advantage of everything that I everything that
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  Speaker 2: I'm is given to me. And you know, my mindset is,
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  Speaker 2: you know, to catch every ball you know that comes
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  Speaker 2: my way and make the most of every opportunity.
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  Speaker 3: Sports cart sell at forty eight thousand dollars at your
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  Speaker 3: most expensive art to ever sell. What about till ten
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  Speaker 3: year old Jackson that one day with.
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  Speaker 2: Your face on it, that would almost fifty That's that's
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  Speaker 2: that's crazy, that's amazing. That ten year old kid would
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  Speaker 2: you know, probably run off and go play some balls,
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  Speaker 2: wouldn't even care. But you know, now looking back looking
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  Speaker 2: at it, now, it's it is a pretty cool thing.
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  Speaker 2: Oh nice, nice Jackson. Who has helped you the most
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  Speaker 2: of your football journey?
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  Speaker 3: What did they do to get you here?
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  Speaker 2: I would to give credit to either my father or
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  Speaker 2: my brother, just them seeing the potential at a very
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  Speaker 2: young age and seeing the love that I have for
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  Speaker 2: the sport and pushing me to my limits, you know,
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  Speaker 2: up early mornings, you know, sacrificing My dad's sacrificing time,
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  Speaker 2: you know, at his job, so I'm able to you know,
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  Speaker 2: travel and play some ball and visit schools. So a
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  Speaker 2: lot of sacrifice, you know that my family has made.
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  Speaker 2: So I give credit to that. What's financial flex? I
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  Speaker 2: did this last year? Chris Jones on the Chief says
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  Speaker 2: he's got the tip me a tackle. Other guys a
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  Speaker 2: little more savvy. But if I asked you something creative,
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  Speaker 2: what's your biggest fight? That's a good question. Uh, I
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  Speaker 2: don't know. I I try to get everything for free,
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  Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying, Like this chain on my neck,
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  Speaker 2: you know it's free. You know that's gotta be a
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  Speaker 2: financial That's got to be a financial flex right there.
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  Speaker 2: This is probably gone for like at least twenty five bands.
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  Speaker 2: Team you grew up in fan. I grew up in
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  Speaker 2: in Dallas, Texas, so I would say the Cowboys rock Wall.
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  Speaker 2: Yet go to college Mississippi State State, love the Jersey game.
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  Speaker 2: But you mentioned how early on in your career there
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  Speaker 2: was a matter of opportunity.
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  Speaker 3: It's gone as many stamp As Moore now especially.
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  Speaker 1: A little bit more.
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  Speaker 2: Did you feel like you should have been, you know,
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  Speaker 2: getting all these experts from the outside of your game
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  Speaker 2: that you had to develop leading.
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  Speaker 3: Into the first three years.
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  Speaker 2: It's a good question. I think a little bit of both.
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  Speaker 2: I think, you know, me coming in as a young guy,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I was ready for it. I was ready,
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  Speaker 2: you know how I envisioned myself kind of like how
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  Speaker 2: it is now, like lining up everywhere. And that's something
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  Speaker 2: I said pre draft before you know, uh, the Seahawks
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  Speaker 2: drafted me and teams were, you know, asking questions. I
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  Speaker 2: told him, you know, I'm well rounded and I can
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  Speaker 2: play anywhere, and that's always been my mindset. And like
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  Speaker 2: I said, it's just about opportunities and and you know
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  Speaker 2: that's it. Between you and your former teammate Anderson. I
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  Speaker 2: wanted to ask him this how to get to but
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  Speaker 2: who's winning between you? I don't know, we gotta line
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  Speaker 2: it up. We gotta line it up. I think his
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  Speaker 2: forty time maybe faster. But I'm a you know, toe
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  Speaker 2: to toe guy. Let's race on the field. I think
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  Speaker 2: you know, we'll see possibly Jack, Yeah, with them, I did.
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  Speaker 2: I grew up playing a lot of sports, Baseball included basketball.
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  Speaker 2: I was big in basketball. That took me away kind
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  Speaker 2: of from baseball season, but growing up kind of east
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  Speaker 2: of Dallas, East Texas. Uh born in Nacadoc's, moved to Tarot, Texas, Forny, Texas.
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  Speaker 2: Ended up going to score at Rockwall, Texas where I
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  Speaker 2: grew up. And you know, football is it's huge. There
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  Speaker 2: was was playing you know, football since I was three
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  Speaker 2: years old. And you know, it's a blessing. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's a blessing from where I came from and definitely
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  Speaker 2: got me here today. Say it again. Yeah, I just
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  Speaker 2: have an unwavering faith. You know, results are one game,
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  Speaker 2: bad game, good game. It doesn't you know move me.
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  Speaker 2: And Uh, I think just being able to stand on
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  Speaker 2: that has brought a lot of peace in my life.
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  Speaker 2: What do you think I think, you know, just problem solving,
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  Speaker 2: being out there, understanding defenses, manner zone and you know,
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  Speaker 2: getting funky looks that we're not used to. I think
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  Speaker 2: being able to problem solve and and still connect with
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  Speaker 2: my quarterback is something that I would says is pretty
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  Speaker 2: good about my game.
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  Speaker 1: If they're a.
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  Speaker 2: Receiver in the league, reminds you of you in the
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  Speaker 2: league right now. I wouldn't say fully. No other team built.
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  Speaker 3: Like There's been a lot of discussions about how much
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  Speaker 3: was gained to the first take, but it's the third
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  Speaker 3: youngest team.
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  Speaker 2: In the league and Adams and yeah, I think John
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  Speaker 2: and all the guys have done a great job building
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  Speaker 2: this roster. And you know, I think there's a certain
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  Speaker 2: type of guy they look for. And you know, you
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  Speaker 2: gotta love football, you gotta love competing, and you gotta be,
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  Speaker 2: you know, a good guy. I would give credit to
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  Speaker 2: everyone in our locker room we got. We got a
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  Speaker 2: bunch of great guys who you know, really love each
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  Speaker 2: other and love, you know, to play for each other
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  Speaker 2: and love the love ball and love to win. So
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  Speaker 2: I think, just have an idea, it is something special
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  Speaker 2: that's in the locker room. And if you cover over
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  Speaker 2: this cowboy, nah nah, I don't. I don't. I don't
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  Speaker 2: think I cover it up. I don't know. I don't know. Oh, definitely.
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  Speaker 2: I think just seeing just seeing this thing grow, just
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  Speaker 2: seeing this thing grow and what he what he's built,
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  Speaker 2: kind of his his vision on what this team is
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  Speaker 2: supposed to look like and how he wants it to
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  Speaker 2: look like. I think has a big impact on, you know,
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  Speaker 2: how we move and and our belief and our culture.
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  Speaker 2: So I give credit to that, him just putting into
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  Speaker 2: words and really standing on that every single day, and
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  Speaker 2: like I said, finding the right group of guys to
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  Speaker 2: get it done. We saw. Yeah, I like the Mavericks
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: and I like the Lakers. I'm a Lebron fan. I'm
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: a Kyrie fan, you know, so I watched a lot
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  Speaker 2: of Kyrie highlights. I love his creativity with the rock.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's special. So I say Kyrie, I would say, Kyrie.
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  Speaker 3: Like, what were your thoughts?
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I remember it. It was shocking. Honestly, me
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  Speaker 2: being a Dallas native, it was shocking. Couldn't believe it.
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  Speaker 2: Was a little happy he went to the Lakers that
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  Speaker 2: I'm a Lebron fan. But yeah, so it was kind
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  Speaker 2: of bittersweet. Wow getting drafted, man, Good to see you again.
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: Any Oh, no, I usually work on that stuff on Friday,
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  Speaker 2: So I am okay, yeah, so okay, look that okay, okay,
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  Speaker 2: all right brother.
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  Speaker 3: Quickly, is that something that like its natural your ability
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  Speaker 3: or something that you've trained.
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  Speaker 2: And focused on? I do, Yeah, I think it is natural.
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  Speaker 2: You know, it's something I've been doing for a very
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  Speaker 2: long time. So you know, I definitely work on it.
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  Speaker 2: But I think, you know, I think basketball. You know,
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  Speaker 2: I give credit to basketball. I'll get credit to playing
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  Speaker 2: short stop back in the day. Just being in the
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  Speaker 2: right position, the right body position to be explosive and
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: to get in out of my cuts. Yeah, he's an
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  Speaker 2: elite cornerback, well rounded cornerback, can really do it all.
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  Speaker 2: And you know it's gonna be a fun matchup. Great player.
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: You have a feeling that day but you were playing.
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  Speaker 2: With Oh yeah, definitely definitely, you know, clinching that first
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: seat is huge, honestly and definitely felt, you know, kind
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: of the momentum and kind of the spirit of you know,
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: we'll be back here messages. I don't know, We'll have
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: to wait and see. You take it from him show. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: really really like I've been saying, and what Coop brought
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  Speaker 2: to this team, you know, in his words, is you know,
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  Speaker 2: process over results, and you know it's not about you know,
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  Speaker 2: the game is the game, and we're gonna be forward
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  Speaker 2: and I'm gonna give it all each and every single game.
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  Speaker 2: You know, for us, it's about process, making sure we're ready,
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  Speaker 2: making sure we know exactly where we need to be
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: run game in past game. And you know, I think
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  Speaker 2: he's brought that to the to me and the team
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  Speaker 2: and and it's excelled us. Lie in your development, huge, huge,
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  Speaker 2: you know, him having a big career, a great career
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  Speaker 2: in the NFL, you know, helping young kids like myself
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  Speaker 2: understand the game and and especially coming out of high
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  Speaker 2: school that's a big learning a big learning curve high
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: school to college. So just to have him his support
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  Speaker 2: has been great. One more time. Yeah, a lot, a lot,
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  Speaker 2: a lot Like when to bring energy in the route,
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  Speaker 2: you know, you know, at the top of the route,
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: bringing energy and playing fast.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: Really did you think.
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  Speaker 2: At that time? Yeah? I thought it was possible.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: What was your reaction else?
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  Speaker 2: I was just like they chose somebody else. I wonder
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: who's gonna get me?
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: Pretty good meetings, telling teams that you saw yourself where
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: through your career on college if you felt like ever
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  Speaker 2: like cast.
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  Speaker 3: That.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I would see it in the media
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: and stuff like that. It's understandable. It's understandable seeing my
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: sophomore season, I lined up in the slot a lot,
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: having Chrystal Lovey and Garrett Wilson. But the belief in
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: myself has always been I could line up anywhere, and
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: you know, I think you would have saw that a
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  Speaker 2: lot during my third season, but I wasn't given the opportunity,
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  Speaker 2: so you know, that was that label was kind of
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: put on me. But I never really, you know, believed
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  Speaker 2: in it. Incredible season and we've seen a lot of
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  Speaker 2: superstars in what we're doing. What are you looking forward
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  Speaker 2: to the game? I'm just looking to let it loose, man.
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  Speaker 2: I'm looking looking forward to the ball getting hiked and
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  Speaker 2: me giving my full effort to do whatever I need
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: to do to get the job done. Sam has such
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: a journey how it started to where he has just
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: now getting you guys to the Super Bowl. How impressed
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: have you been? Very impressed man, From the day he
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: got here, from the day we met. Uh, just his determination,
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: his will, his his evenness has been has been great.
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  Speaker 2: You know, for myself and this team. And you know
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  Speaker 2: he's the leader of our team and we're riding with him,
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  Speaker 2: and you know we believe in him. And yeah, that's
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: about it. My favorite probably Larry Fitzgerald. Never Siper has
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: his own style. That would your character. Your style just
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: an all around threat, you know, can line up anywhere
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: on the field and really get the job done. Jackson,
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: Do you have any nicknames in the locker room? If not,
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: may I recommend you can recommend one. Nice. That's that's
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: pretty nice. It's long, but it's nice. Yeah, there we
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: go that you're the defensive player of the year winter.
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: Are you paying.
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  Speaker 2: Attention in all to the No, I'm not paying attention
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: to that, Like I said before the season, like I'm
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: really just focused on winning a ring and everything else
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  Speaker 2: falls behind that. But that would be, you know, pretty cool.
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: What's your best right now?
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: Investment advice?
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: Really?
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: You know right now as a young guy, for me,
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: it's just really investing in myself and getting for me
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: to get to where I want to get. What did
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: you learn from a.
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: Guy like Cooper when he came to Seattle? He said
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: so much success with the Rams. Did you learn anything
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: about him when he first got to the Seattle Seahawks,
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: and now there's arguably one of the top two and
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: not the best waters you would do in the NFL.
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: And he and Cooper, So what do you learn from
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: when he came to definitely really just how to carry
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: yourself like a Hall of Fame receiver and how to
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: approach the game and you know everything life. So you know,
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: to have him has been an extreme help. And I've
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: learned a lot, you know, asked a lot of questions,
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: watched them a lot, and how he how he does things,
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: and he just does he does he do He does
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: things the right way, so it's easy to follow and
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: easy to see and and for me to propel my.
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: Game the same normal when he came to Seattle, when
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: you first met him and he got signed to be
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: your quarterback, what was the moment you realize this guy
• 19:05
  Speaker 3: is going to do and get us to this level.
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: To al When did I really I really thought he
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: was an elite competitor and picking his brain I thought,
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: you know, you know, I think it. I just thought
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: he was an elite, you know guy and going out
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: to practice every day against our defense is no joke.
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: And you know, for us to see success and to
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: see improvement. Really each and every day was something you
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: know that stuck with me. Thank you. Yeah, I mean, uh,
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: single me up, one on one, uh, double team, triple team, zone,
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: you know, a bunch of different ways to counteract that.
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: Really just locking in every single play and understanding, you
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  Speaker 2: know this m might not be my play, but four
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: plays later might be my play. So really just just
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: staying locked in and understanding you know, anything can happen
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  Speaker 2: at any given moment, you know, for me to help
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: my team. So really just staying ready and staying in
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: the game. Jackson jackuarly amazing. How did you guys beat
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: you were still? Oh yeah, he used to beat me up,
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: beat me up on the court, on the field a lot.
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: You know, I'm definitely getting my get back as of now,
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: but you know, just took a lot of losses, and uh,
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: I think that definitely helped me to be the type
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: of player I am today. Exactly Jacksons.
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: Trading dream before you were actually.
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, first, I mean it was hard to see those
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: guys leave. You know, I give a lot of credit
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: to them, you know, on how they approach the game
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: and help me, you know, as a player and getting
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: settled in Seattle great two great, three great players, a
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: lot of great players you know that left. So it
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: was it was definitely hard for the moment, but you know,
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: just understanding it's a business, and you know that, you
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: know I would probably probably be given, you know, some
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: more stuff on my plate, and so I just had
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: to be