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Mike Macdonald: "We Saw A Lot Of Improvement At A Lot Of Position Groups" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: All right, great to see everybody. You know, you have
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: a lot of questions about our roster and all the
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: things kind of going on right now, but I hope
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: you understand we're just gonna keep it tight right now
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: and we'll announce everything tomorrow. And we're still working through
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: the process of these transactions. But like and John said this,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: and I love how we do it here. It's, you know,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: what we're looking at through the lens of Hey, we're
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: this is this is the seventy. This is not the
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: final fifty three. We need everybody in our building. All
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: these guys have been awesome and uh, you know this
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  Speaker 1: is this is the crew that we're building for the
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: long haul. And and so it's a big day for
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: these guys. I understand that big couple of days, but
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  Speaker 1: hopefully we have a kind of a little bit longer
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: term view of of their careers. And we really appreciate
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: the guys that that have been here the whole time.
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  Speaker 2: They've done it. They've done a great job. Mike, it's
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  Speaker 2: kind of the goal this week.
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  Speaker 3: He's a transition from the preseason mode and then a game.
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  Speaker 2: In a couple of weeks.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's to me, it's just hey, how we go
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: about our business on the field in terms of what
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: we're trying to get done. That varies, Like today, you know,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: it was a shorter, quicker, faster practice. We're doing some
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: extra conditioning, But anytime we take the field, it's always
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: the same intent of what we're trying to create. Uh
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  Speaker 1: So we're trying to play our brand of ball every
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: time we get out there and keep that going all
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  Speaker 1: the way into next week. But you know, having you're
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: gonna have a long, long weekend, so staying sharp is
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  Speaker 1: really important.
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  Speaker 2: Stacking great reps, keeping our win keeping our conditioning is
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: going to be really important as well.
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  Speaker 3: You're talking about all the competitions you're looking forward to
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  Speaker 3: coming into camp. Now you're looking back at it. Are
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  Speaker 3: there anyones that stick out as you pleased with how
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  Speaker 3: those competitions went?
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  Speaker 1: Well, It's funny, it's easy to under underestimate how well
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  Speaker 1: competition works in terms.
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  Speaker 2: Of getting the best out of people.
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  Speaker 1: So I think the coolest thing out of the whole
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  Speaker 1: thing where was we had we sought a lot of
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  Speaker 1: improvement at a lot of position groups and guys develop
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  Speaker 1: and players got better, and I think our team improved
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  Speaker 1: because of it. So I think that it's a cool
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  Speaker 1: aspect of of how training camp works and how and
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  Speaker 1: how we do business.
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  Speaker 3: When you look at the preseason as a whole, like
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  Speaker 3: the three games, I mean, do you have any real
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  Speaker 3: takeaways of things you kind of saw that you liked.
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  Speaker 2: Or well, yeah, our guys.
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  Speaker 1: Our guys show up to play and we have great
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  Speaker 1: intent in all the things and that's what we're shooting for. Again,
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  Speaker 1: whether it's today a lighter practice, tomorrow's gonna be a
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  Speaker 1: lighter practice, but it doesn't mean, you know, the mental
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  Speaker 1: intensity is not there and what we're trying to achieve. So, Uh,
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  Speaker 1: the guys, the guys are ready to play. I think
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  Speaker 1: they're getting used to our game process, which is really great. Uh,
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  Speaker 1: things that we wanted to improve on from game to game,
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  Speaker 1: I felt like we did and that's important.
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  Speaker 3: Competing with an older player at a position, do you
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  Speaker 3: have a philosophy on when you go with the youth
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  Speaker 3: versus when do you.
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  Speaker 2: Want to stick with experience. It's a good question.
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  Speaker 1: I think they're all independent observations. Sometimes you're going to
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  Speaker 1: go with how how the team is going to help
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  Speaker 1: you right now.
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  Speaker 2: Sometimes you're looking at the long.
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  Speaker 1: Long haul that's that's where that's where like being having
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  Speaker 1: a great partnership with personnel and have an idea of like,
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  Speaker 1: hey we're working it's.
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  Speaker 2: Now and a long term.
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  Speaker 1: Uh, if you are come a little myopic and and
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  Speaker 1: how you see the team, I think that's where guys
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  Speaker 1: like John the rest of our guys up there can
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: give you some perspective on stuff.
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  Speaker 2: But I think I think it varies to answer your question,
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  Speaker 2: my few second year, how much clear is that now?
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  Speaker 1: Given that you can see the overall picture with the
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  Speaker 1: front office and the coaches and your second year, how
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  Speaker 1: much is that it is? And and it helps messaging
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  Speaker 1: with It's very it's a lot clearer, and it's uh,
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  Speaker 1: it helps with the messaging with the guys of what
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  Speaker 1: we're trying to create and having gone through how you know,
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  Speaker 1: how we how we build our team throughout the entire year,
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  Speaker 1: having lived that now, uh, it gives you a great
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  Speaker 1: perspective on where we are right now in this process.
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  Speaker 1: You know, there's a lot, there's a lot to do
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  Speaker 1: about you know, the fifty three and it's kind of
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  Speaker 1: the sacred number, but I mean, what is it gonna last?
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  Speaker 2: Maybe a week?
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  Speaker 1: And then you know, here bring guys up from the
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  Speaker 1: practice squad. You're you know, there's transactionals all over the place,
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  Speaker 1: so we're trying to build it for the long haul.
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  Speaker 3: When you looked at the film, what do you think
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  Speaker 3: of Jalen Miro.
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  Speaker 1: Just kind of have to assess that when he did it,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I thought, I thought there was a lot
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  Speaker 1: of good stuff. I mean, he made some really good
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  Speaker 1: throws on time went through his progressions. You know, there's
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  Speaker 1: some there's some you know that we go back to
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  Speaker 1: the ball. I mean, I think that that's pretty obvious
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  Speaker 1: leaving the field. But I thought the guy made some
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  Speaker 1: really cool plays throughout the game, stuff that we can
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  Speaker 1: build on moving forward. So yeah, of course, you know
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  Speaker 1: there's things that we want to get better out of
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  Speaker 1: and put up more points and all that type of stuff.
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  Speaker 1: But definitely definitely a good foundation to move forward.
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  Speaker 3: It seems like he was pretty much in the pocket
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  Speaker 3: for most of the first half and then he kind
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  Speaker 3: of got outside in the second half.
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  Speaker 2: Was that by design or just how plays went? I
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  Speaker 2: think it's more how plays went.
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  Speaker 1: There's a couple of believe the quarterback design run, the
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  Speaker 1: one that he got out around end, I think that
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  Speaker 1: was just something we had in the game plan that
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  Speaker 1: happened to get called in the second half, But it
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  Speaker 1: wasn't a point of emphasis to any different types of plays.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, you know we're second half there. You know,
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  Speaker 1: you got to store score quickly when you're down multiple scores,
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  Speaker 1: so that that also limits your place sheet as well.
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  Speaker 3: Like he was a little more regular practicing today is
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  Speaker 3: the next step where.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, he's just he's on the progression. You know,
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  Speaker 1: you think about China's He's always to me, he's like,
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  Speaker 1: we're going to be the ones that have to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that we're being responsible here in handling it because
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  Speaker 1: he's always going to be.
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  Speaker 2: Mentally ready to do more. And that's that's just the
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  Speaker 2: type of guy.
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  Speaker 3: He is putting a lot of work into building the
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  Speaker 3: culture and the identity of the team here, and there's
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  Speaker 3: a connection in the long room. How much do you
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: think about, you know, when you're talking about adding new
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: players personality, like disrupting that versus talents.
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  Speaker 1: How much does that It's a great question, but it's
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  Speaker 1: a great question and it matters since definitely at the
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  Speaker 1: forefront of the conversations, it's, uh, this is this is
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  Speaker 1: our is our team and so the people that we
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: bring in, whether it's off the field, their players or
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  Speaker 1: staff or what I mean, that really really matters. Uh
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  Speaker 1: there's a sliding scale to a certain extent, but you know,
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  Speaker 1: we we want Seahawks, you know, and as our coaches, staff, Uh,
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  Speaker 1: players obviously, but that's really important. Uh No, I don't
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  Speaker 1: it just it's just let's see how it goes. You know,
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  Speaker 1: we still we still had We're still two weeks away.
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  Speaker 1: He looks great, he's in great spirits. We're on the progression,
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  Speaker 1: but we got to kind of play it day by
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  Speaker 1: day at this point.
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  Speaker 2: How about.
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  Speaker 1: Uh, tyresee, let's see him practice a full practice first
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  Speaker 1: before we start kind of making projections towards a game.
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  Speaker 1: But he's projected to practice next week in full and uh,
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  Speaker 1: we'll see how that goes.
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  Speaker 4: On that note, what was it like to see him
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  Speaker 4: a little bit more for you and he kind of
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  Speaker 4: startin back?
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  Speaker 1: It's great, he needs look good. You need reps, especially
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  Speaker 1: at linebacker. Uh. So he's gonna do everything he possibly
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  Speaker 1: can to get the most out of those mental reps
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  Speaker 1: before he can go full speed. And we're gonna have
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: to have a plan for it, you know, it's it's
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: not it's not ideal, but uh, we're we're fortunate that
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  Speaker 1: it's nothing more, it's not more serious, and he's available
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  Speaker 1: to us. So in a way, we're blessed that, you know,
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  Speaker 1: we're gonna possibly have him next week and then and
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  Speaker 1: it's nothing that we're not gonna be losing him long term,
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  Speaker 1: which is which would have been scary.
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  Speaker 2: Whah.
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  Speaker 1: I'd say, like everything's on Tay everything from me. He
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  Speaker 1: might not be ready to could possibly play the whole game,
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  Speaker 1: or maybe we're subbing it out a little bit to
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  Speaker 1: get Drake.
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  Speaker 2: Both film and linebacker guys out. What do you see
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  Speaker 2: how those two those opportunities.
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  Speaker 1: I thought, I thought both guys played a really good
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  Speaker 1: game last game. Again talking about two guys that have
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  Speaker 1: been available the whole time. Uh, great intentionality, great spirit,
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  Speaker 1: play really hard. Uh yeah, I thought I thought, Uh,
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  Speaker 1: I thought they played some of their best football last game,
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  Speaker 1: which was.
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  Speaker 2: Which was great.
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  Speaker 1: Still working through the pack, it's we'll give a timetable here,
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  Speaker 1: We're not. We're still working through like how long it's
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  Speaker 1: gonna be?
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  Speaker 2: Uh? Torri Sa Tory's kind of on.
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  Speaker 1: The Tyresee timetable hasn't practiced full, ramping up into next week.
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  Speaker 1: Projected to play your practice full at some point next week.
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  Speaker 1: So we'll play it by your going into the game
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  Speaker 1: Philly's I'm not making this up. I swear it's really
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  Speaker 1: the same same amount of time.
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: Jonathan Hankins. Anything new with him? Uh No, No, I
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  Speaker 2: mean he hasn't he hasn't.
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  Speaker 1: Uh, he hasn't done like intense football workouts yet. That's
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  Speaker 1: probably the best I can give you in terms of
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  Speaker 1: a timetable. So it's not like season ending or anything
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  Speaker 1: right now.
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  Speaker 4: So another they guy Riley Mills. We obviously he's been
• 9:02
  Speaker 4: working his way back from the knee and everything, but like,
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  Speaker 4: what are you kind of seeing of this timeline and
• 9:05
  Speaker 4: how he's progressing and what you've seen from him until
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  Speaker 4: this point obviously not.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: On the field, but like, yeah, maybe it's tough to
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  Speaker 1: put a timetable on it until they start doing like
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: football stuff.
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: But I mean he's doing straight line things.
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  Speaker 1: He's doing like a like slower individual right now, So
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  Speaker 1: you kind of the next thing is start changing direction
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  Speaker 1: stuff some more intense individual.
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  Speaker 2: I mean we're talking multiple.
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  Speaker 1: Weeks and then you know he's got to play, He's
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: got to practice and go through that whole process.
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  Speaker 2: So he's doing a heck of a job. He's doing
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  Speaker 2: a heck of a job, and we're hoping that we
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  Speaker 2: get him some point during the season.
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  Speaker 4: I know there's like decisions you've got to make every
• 9:41
  Speaker 4: time you're setting the.
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: Game day roster.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: But have you guys been operating with the thought that
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: generally speaking.
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: You're gonna have three quarterbacks.
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  Speaker 1: Up on game B We've worked out both scenarios. We
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: you know, we do we do mock during preseason. We
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: do like mock who would be up? How would we
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: handle it? Uh, just over the like with the new
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: off offs of staff, making sure we understand, hey, what
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: that's gonna look like once we probably get into the
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: season and so and then you toss around certain scenarios.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: So we've worked we've worked through both scenarios.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: Bogo. Uh, Yeah, he's he's doing great, he's starting. He's
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: in the protocol right now, and uh, we'll see how
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: it goes. But it's been considering again, considering everything that.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: The way I looked, and yeah, just watching the play
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: in person, we're really fortunate in.
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: A preseason game where some starters are not playing and
• 10:32
  Speaker 4: maybe on the side of the you do you get
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: anything out of that or do they learn anything if
• 10:35
  Speaker 4: you learn anything.
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: About that animal, let's takeoon is normally.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's interesting.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: I haven't I haven't really asked them that question verbatim,
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: and I'm sure, I'm sure it does. Uh, I'm sure
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: they're eager to get out there and go play. But
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you what, our vets have been awesome this preseason.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: The guys haven't been playing this. I mean, spoon is given.
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  Speaker 1: But you can go down the list when you when
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: you watch the guy's on the sideline, especially guys like
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: the guys that are Disition group but on the other
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: side of the ball and they're making plays, it's just shoot,
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: they're more excited than than the guy making the.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: Play, which is just shows you, just shows you what
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: types of guys they are, you know. So it's been
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: a lot of fun.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: Almost got another cost of doing business this past game,
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: but it would have been worth it.
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: Mike Morris, Mike Morris any.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: Uh no, yeah, we do we say where he's at
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: right now? Mike, Yeah, okay, yeah, it's in the concussion protocol.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: So we'll see how it goes in the next week.
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: The guys you are going away, do you make a
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: point of speaking to each one of them individually?
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, what's what's the.
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: What do you do?
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: It's not like a doom and that's that's that's kind
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: of the whole point.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: The whole thing is, this isn't like a yeah, it's
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: this isn't of course where you want to be right
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: now in your career. But this isn't the end, you know,
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: this is this is another transaction we unfortunately have to
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: make at this point in the season. And uh, give
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: him some feedback on on what's going on. I mean,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: conversations very based on on the person. But all our
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: coaches and our personal they do a great job of
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: keeping it real with the guy, telling them, tell them
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: the truth, tell him with love and hopefully we'll see
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: him again real.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: Soon those or how did you well?
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: I mean, I've I've been around since you know when
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: when we've made transactions through your whole career and try
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: to put yourself in their shoes about what's what that
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: day is like for him? And and frankly, our John
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: is really the model for it. And uh, I just
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: I just think it's I just think it's the right
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: way to do it.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: I'm really excited about how we do it here.
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: Given the way the practice squad roles have changed over
• 12:39
  Speaker 4: the last several years. In the fact that those guys can
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: come up, does that make it a little bit different
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: having those conversations that I'm staying ready.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: And absolutely yeah, and the guys that were here last year,
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: you know you got and I think we have several
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: examples of guys come up and playing great football. For
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: as Cody White, Josh job Shoot, I mean go down
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: the list of guys being ready. And as a as
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: an organizations and as the head coach, you take a
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: tremendous amount of pride and how you develop your guys
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: and when you have the feeling when guys have an
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: opportunity to come up and play in a game and
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: you're excited to see them play, well, that's the way
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: you want it to feel. You don't want to be oh, shoot,
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: so and so has got to come play this game.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: You know, you're like, oh, Okay, this guy's this guy's
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: been working his tail off, making plays in practice and
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: on the look team and and special teams practice and
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: all that.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: You know, let's let's go watch them play on Sunday
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: and let's have him go help us win a football game.
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: So that's the attitude we want to have.
• 13:34
  Speaker 4: Last question, does Drew Lock go straight into the scout
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: team mode?
• 13:38
  Speaker 3: And what if may value might Jayalen Millroll have as
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: a scout team quarterback instead of some weeks instead?
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: What do you mean he goes right into a scout
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: team mode right now?
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: Right now, we're not we'll really start that exclusively next week.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: We'll introduce kind of we've already introduced how we do
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: like scout team looks, things like that.
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: We'll kind of ramp it up through up the rest
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: of the week.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: But I think right now it's important for us to
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: stay sharp, play our stuff this week and then next
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: week we can get into more San Francisco stuff.
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: Depending on and I presume but echotology quarterback.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, of course. I mean, well, first of all,
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: he needs reps, as does Drew. And you know, we're
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: gonna have plays for Jaalen and game plans and he's
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: gonna rep those are the ones. And uh, you know what, however,
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: we build the package for him going into games. Uh,
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: he needs those reps and walk through and full speed.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: So that's gonna be important.
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: How how we do it, How who gets how many reps?
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: All that mean?
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: Obviously Sam, It starts with how many reps he needs
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: to get ready, and then we kind of work off
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: from there.
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: All right, thank you everybody, all right, thanks guys,