| 09 August 2009
I've been listening to interviews from the players, coaches, sports writers, and former NFL players doing expert analysis for the whole 1st week of training camp now and I wanted to bring you a synopsis of what everyone's saying about the Seahawks. I've listened to around 18 hours of interviews from last Monday (08/03) through Friday (08/07). Because there's so much material, I'm breaking it down into several pieces with this being the first installment. Most likely there will be a separate installment for each day or two. Remember that all of these interviews were done before Curry signed so there is a lot of speculation about his signing from various people as the week progressed, as well as what he was missing and how much it is hurting him and the team. These interviews were all from KJR and were from Mitch, Softy, Ian, Groz with Gas, and Elise. I've detailed who was doing the interview, when it took place, and who was being interviewed in each case plus providing the link to the Podcast so you can go listen yourself to any interview you want. Here's from a week ago on last Monday (08/03). Enjoy.
08/03 Mitch Inverviews Jim Mora Link To Interview
Mora starts off by saying that he misses Mike Holmgren. He says that he is just now getting comfortable addressing the team and sitting in the big office. He talked about the lessons he learned from Holmgren. He said that he had the chance to be the head coach at Atlanta as a first time job and then instead of moving right into another situation as a head coach, he was able to step back and watch and learn from the best in Holmgren.
One of the things Mora was criticized for in Atlanta was getting too close to his players and had the reputation as being a players coach. Holmgren had a thing about winning and was an iron fisted head coach that no one challenged but he also had a great compassion for people and particularly his players. He had the balance to be firm but was still considered a players coach. Mora said he took a great lesson from the way Holmgren walked the line between control and compassion. Mora also noted that part of his reputation as a players coach comes from his looking so young but he yells at his players when he's displeased.
Asked about his concerns for the team in his first season, he said that staying healthy was right up at the top of the list. He also mentioned how fast the offense and defense picked up the new schemes as a point of concern. While the passing game has remained largely unchanged, the running game has changed dramatically. The defense is also new. His third concern is the offensive line although he said he's not worried about the left guard or center position because Sims and Spencer are good players and having a good camp as well as picking up the zone blocking system quickly (heretofore called the ZBS for brevity). He has some concern about right guard though.
Looking back at three years in Atlanta, he once again reiterated that he was fortunate to be able to come here and learn from Holmgren and reflect on how he would have handled things differently with the things he was learning. He said that in retrospect, it would have been a mistake to have taken another head coaching job either in the pros or at a college. He said he had offers for both that he turned down to stay in Seattle and work under Holmgren.
Asked about the 2009 Seahawks, he said that he wants to be more precise with the defense and take the grey areas out so players know what is expected of them on every play. He's very high on Cory Redding and Lofa Tatupu. Both are very aware of what's going on around them on the field and are leaders on defense.
Talking about Curry's absence, he said that he was missing reps that he could never get back and he has a big concern on how to catch him up once he gets in camp. He said that he needs those reps. More on that subject when Mora is interviewed by Elise on Friday (08/07). To continue reading about the interviews, click on Read more... below.08/03 Mitch Interviews John Carlson Link To Interview
I listened to John Carlson interviews last season when he was a rookie and he sounded nervous and uncomfortable being asked about his experiences as a Seahawk. This season, he sounds relaxed and much more mature as a second year player.
He said that he got a lot more opportunities last season than a rookie would have normally got because of all the injuries. That brought him along faster in his development that he thought he would be. Everything fell in line for him last year to have a good year. He stayed healthy and had a good rapport with the quarterbacks and therefore had lots of opportunities.
This season, the team will be moving and shifting him around to get him into better positions to make plays both as a blocker and receiver.
Told he could snap his fingers and take two things back from 2008, he quickly responded that one would be during the San Francisco home game when if he'd taken an inside release on a play, they would have scored a touchdown but instead settled for a field goal. Secondly, in the Dallas game, he missed on a pass protection and Matt got hit hard. He said that Hasselbeck didn't say anything about it because that's the kind of player he is but Carlson felt terrible about letting his quarterback get hit. Those plays must have stuck with him to recall them so quickly and without thinking much.
He feels different this season. More comfortable. He says that there's a lot of carry over from Mike Holmgren in the passing game since it's still the WCO except for as noted, the tight end moving a lot more this season.
As an aside, Carlson was a top tennis player in High School and went 106 - 22 in doubles play during his High School career. He must have been a monster playing the net.
08/03 Softy Interviews Craig Terrill Link To Interview
When Craig was asked about the atmosphere Mora has installed, he answered that the energy is phenomenal. There is no wasted time and there is a great tempo to practice. Where Holmgren would stop practice if a play went wrong and walk through it, Mora continues on with practice and they analyze the play in the film room and correct it there before working on it on the field at the next practice. Practice proceeds at the up tempo with no distractions.
Mora lets the position coaches do nost of the hands on teaching but is always monitoring the drill to see that everyone is working hard. He said that you don't want to be the one he catches not working hard. He's not afraid to call anyone out in front of all his team mates no matter who you are.
On putting Redding on the outside, he said that Cory is a very physical player who can really knock people around. He noted that teams usually don't have that kind of physical presence on the outside.
Asked how far behind Curry was, Craig said he couldn't imagine not coming in at the top of camp because you miss so much in a short period of time. The inference is that Curry is behind and falling further behind every minute and every play.
08/03 Ian Interviews Courtney Taylor Link To Interview
Taylor says he has made some good plays this training camp but knows he must do a lot better to make the team this year. Realistically, he knows he could very well be one of the ones to go home this year and he uses it for motivation to keep working hard and to take nothing for granted. He doesn't want to go home and is keeping it real.
He said that last year he felt comfortable and had a good pre-season and then it all went wrong when the season started. Now he says it's cutthroat time.
Courtney is another one who seems much more mature and changed form the interviews he did last year when he came off as cocky and almost too full of confidence. This season he seems to be more determined to show up during the regular season and isn't talking so big. He knows that he needs to do his talking on the field. He says pre-season games are huge for players trying to make the team.
He says there's a whole new energy out there and everyone is picking up on it. You'll hear this thing about energy and tempo voiced many times during these interviews by various people. Mora and his staff are creating a lot of excitement from the players as well as the fans who are getting to watch for the first time as the Seahawks prepare for battle.
08/03 Elise Interviews Courtney Taylor Link To Interview
Taylor said that the roster is stacked at his position and everyone is sizing up the competition. He stated that the receivers are a great group of guys to work with and with a lot of experience to learn from for the younger players.
Houshmandzadeh is one of the biggest competitors in the game according to Courtney. He wants to win at every little detail. An example is his recent spat with the Madden game folks where his was miffed that they rated him so slow. Even though he is rated as one of the top 5 players in the game, he hates it that his individual rating for speed is lower than what he feels is accurate. That's just Housh being Housh according to Taylor.
Taylor said that Knapp looked at the old offense under Holmgren and tried to keep as much terminology and formations the same so it would still be familiar to the players. The passing game is said to have not changed dramatically under the new offense so the receivers and quarterbacks have been able to pick it up quickly and flourish.
He also said that Hasselbeck is in great shape and was the leader in getting everyone to work hard in the off-season . There was lots of running and Matt is reputed to be in the best shape of his career. Taylor also noted that Matt has great hands. He also said that Holmgren used to call him a giraffe on skates when he tried to run.
He admitted that last season things never really clicked for him. He feels that this year he has to start over in winning over the fans and coaches. He says that he's 100% healthy and wants to live up to his potential and feels blessed to have a chance to compete.
Courtney seems much more humble this year and it suits him. He did a couple of very nice interviews.
08/03 Elise Interviews Greg Knapp Link To Interview
Gregg Knapp says he's pleased about the tempo and effort from the players so far in training camp. He also said that the night practices gives the players more recovery time between the two a day workouts and the opportunity to get two meals and attend meetings gives them renewed energy at the second workout. The meetings are also a chance to correct 1st session errors. He also noted that players love to play at night. It seems more like prime time. There's a lot more energy at the 2nd practice because the players are more fresh mentally and physically.
He said the fans are giving players a reason to play harder and keep mistakes to a minimum since no one likes to look bad before the fans. This is another common theme you'll hear voiced from quite a few players and coaches throughout these interviews.
Knapp said that Walter Jones has only had a minor setback and that they are purposely keeping him out of any danger of aggravating something. He says he's not worried and that Walt will be there when the season opens. Good news for the offensive line. He said that moving Rob Sims back to left guard and having Spencer at center is working out very well and both are doing very well under the ZBS. He said it's a big challenge to learn the new scheme for all the linemen. He said there was no hesitation to move Sims back to left guard after Wahle retired. He noted that Unger, Wrotto, Locklear, and Willis were in competition for the right guard spot.
He said that l;ots of teams are only suiting up 7 offensive linemen on game day instead of 8 and that it's a big plus to have linemen who can play more than one position so they have versatility with only the two backups.
He feels that they built a good foundation in the OTA's and now they can add some of the spice that compliments the ZBS offense like the flea flicker and hook and ladder plays they were recently unveiled.
He also said that there will be some more things done with play action. Because of the ZBS running game, it's important to compliment it with a different type of hard play action with half rolls and trying to get some explosive plays down field due to the safeties and linebackers reacting to the running game. When Elise asked what is the strength of the offense, Knapp replied that he will make the offense work to the strength of the players. That was music to my ears.
Asked who jumps out at him, he immediately said John Carlson who was picking up the passing game much faster than he thought he could. He also mentioned the versatility of the offensive linemen playing at different spots. Asked about his biggest concerns, he said that understanding the new offense top to bottom was his greatest concern to include protections, running backs blocking, and the line blocking on passing plays.
08/03 Elise Interviews Rob Sims Link To Interview
Rob said that the pre-season games were something to look forward to as he's tired of hitting Tatupu and Mebane at practice. Each one knows each others moves so thoroughly it's hard to make a good move and know how well it would work on someone who doesn't practice against you every day who knows your every step.
He grew up playing the left side and feels more comfortable there so the move back to left guard is making it feel more natural for him and helping him to pick up the new ZBS. He feels that his technique has improved a lot and he stated that he felt he was thinking too much on the right side and not just reacting to the play. He said everything is backwards to him on the right and likened it to driving a car in England when everything is reversed. Having just got back from a vacation in Scotland and England I can relate to that big time. I was absolutely dangerous over there and had a couple of narrow escapes while driving on the wrong side of the road. You have to be thinking all the time and I can relate very much to Rob's analogy.
After tearing his pectoral muscle in the first game, he completed the game playing with the injury. He said he';s never been injured like that and it was a new experience for him playing in that much pain. Rob's obviously a pretty tough dude to be able to play at all with that kind of injury according to many experts. He said that the doctors did a great job of repairing his pectoral muscle and he's feeling stronger every week. He worked hard this off-season to get back into great shape and was one of the players noted by Mike Clark, the strength and conditioning coach, as being a hard worker in the off-season workouts particularly in the weight room.
He's one of the strongest men on the team. Before his injury, he was bench pressing 540 pounds. Now he's in the mid 400's but lifting more all the time. He squats over 800 pounds. Ray Roberts noted on another KJR interview that Sims was a bit shorter than advertised and that his compact frame with his strength should make him a very good cut blocker which is the bread and butter of the ZBS. Coach Solari also said that Sims was showing great strides under the new scheme. Sims and how well he's doing in camp is yet another recurring theme that you will hear voiced by many different interviewed players and coaches in this series. By all accounts, Sims is a beast and maybe ready to live up to his potential we thought we'd see two years ago. I ragged on him in pre-season but he's winning me over little by little.
Sims also pointed out that moving offensive linemen around gives them an opportunity to play next to different playes and learn their moves and how to compliment one another so if someone goes down, there is more familiarity among the players.
08/03 Elise Interviews T.J. Duckett Link To Interview
T.J. started out by saying that the VMAC training center is just absolutely first class. He stated that players and their agents will be highly influenced to come to Seattle by the training facility. He said it makes a difference to players what kind of atmosphere they have to work in and the tools at the training facility gives them everything they need to stay in shape year round That was a much talked about and expected result of building the VMAC in the first place.
He also reiterated that having fans at the practices keeps the players focused and as was said by others, no one wants to look bad in front of the fans. He also said that it helps big men who are working hard to be able to go to a comfortable bed at night in a hotel rather than dorm rooms and the too small bunks there. Getting a good nights sleep gives the player renewed energy and the ability to come out focused and rested for the next days practice.
The said there's no selfishness between him and Jones and Forsett as far as playing time or who is doing the best job. They encourage each other and help each other when mistakes are made. He thinks the running game will be very productive this season. He also says being able to plant their foot and make a cut up field will make the running game more aggressive and should get better results than the old system under Holmgren.
He noted that lots of guys got good real game experience last season due to all the injuries and that experience is showing up in this years training camp. He feels the backups this year will be much better prepared if called upon to come in and play. Because the 2nd and 3rd string players got valuable experience last season, that pushes the 1st string to play even better and the whole team prospers.
He wants to be known as a back that can do everything not just pick up short yardage. He claims that all three backs are very versatile and can do all that will be asked of them. He feels that they have a very good three pronged attack. He noted that the passing game will open up the running game in some situations and the the reverse will be true in others. The new offense is designed to take advantage of the opponents weakness and being able to feature either the run or pass will help them to do just that.
Elise notes that T.J. Duckett is the meanest looking dude out there. Let's hope hie plays like it. I have high hopes that Duckett will be a beast this season when a big tough running back is called for. Indications are that he will be.
That completes the interviews from last Monday. Feel free to listen to them yourself if you have time and get a feel for the players and head coach and how they think the season will go. I hope you enjoy hearing from the players and what they had to say about the team and how the first season under Mora is progressing. Please comment on how the interviews strike you and what you agree with and what you don't. There's nothing like getting it from the horse's mouth. Next, I'll probably put last Tuesday and Wednesday (08/04 and 08/05) together in the second installment since there were only a handful of interviews from Tuesday. Stay tuned.
Hasta,
BillT
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