Before The Noise: Ep. 4

Before The Noise: Ep. 4

the Seattle Seahawks Talent Rich blessed with some of the finest young stars in the game also it’s a new start in Seattle Mike McDonald is a new head coach so to your point it’s kind of a clean slate so what is the vibe up there because is there a point of emphasis in what’s going to be the 2024 Seahawks to start of this so you know it’s a process and we’ll take it uh slow as smooth smooth as fast and we’ll build it the right way [Music] it starts to become less theoretical and actually you you actually get to see the team practice and you know for most of the offseason or at least the first half of the offseason you’re really just writing about what it could look like and what this player what his role could be and this is the time of the year where you actually get to see it I’m Brady Henderson I cover the Seahawks for espn.com going from what four or five months whatever it is where we don’t there’s no football you know I mean I love football that’s why I do this job and so um it’s fun to be able to get back on a practice field even you know the small handful of the ones that we get to see that we get to cover it’s just fun to be out here and and fun to see kind of how an NFL team is coming together uh Bob Kota I’m a staff reporter with the Seattle Times and my job at the moment is to cover the Seahawks I actually really enjoy this part of the offseason because we’re through the roster construction time obviously we had free agency and then the draft and they make all these moves and you kind of see that you know it’s kind of like the chest pieces coming together or whatever and then then we finally get a see them all out on the field and we see how how it’s literally starting to come together you know what the team might look like in in in the fall and and we’re sort of lucky enough as reporters I guess to get to get some of the first you know real look at that you know that all the people will see in in July and August when training camp starts the newness of it especially this year with the new coaching staff of just we’re learning we’re starting to get a glimpse of what this team will be I mean new players obviously you have a new rookie class some of the guys they add in free agency but then also whole new coaching stuff I mean for the entire time I’ve covered the team basically it’s been pretty similar coaching staff-wise same head coach obviously with P Carroll so now we get to see what Mike McDonald’s bringing in my name is John Bole I’m senior reporter for seahawks.com which basically means I write about the team for the website for me I think it’s just excitement to see what Mike mcdal does with this defense we obviously saw in Baltimore you know one of the best if not the best defense in the NFL CF defense didn’t didn’t perform like it wanted to the last couple years but there is a lot of talent on that side of the ball so really curious to see what Mike McDonald and that coaching staff can do and you know he’s been seen as a very creative coach I’ve seen seen some people kind of compare to like Shawn McVey but on defense just sort of this young you know perceived genius if you will I don’t know if I like that term for football but whatever it is I think this offense is going to be plenty good so if this defense can take that leap from where they were to maybe what Mike McDon can do with them then I think this team has a chance to be pretty darn good here we go Got Game scenarios offense are on the sideline defense that sideline here we go Indy Indy on the move here we go ah again yeah we’ll get it right he’s got to go it was great day out there man it’s uh a lot of good football a lot of good situation stuff uh we got better today so I’m uh I’m pretty stoked so great day great day out there beautiful weather great football weather and uh we got after it so I’m really excited right now I mean the obvious is just the the change in head coaching it it’s it presents a really interesting storyline for all of us to follow what’s going to be different what happens now one of the main things that’s really jumped out that I like that I’ve heard from Mike McDonald is the way he’s taking his time installing things he does not want this to be we can do everything we know all the plays by June July it’s I want to get the fundamentals right I want you to just know like this is where you’re going to line up or this is how we’re going to do this drop or whatever ever it is and then we’ll work the plays in afterward here we go team install we’re behind we’re on the Move let’s go twos twos twos I got it I got it I’m on script it’s a good drill guys it’s all technique now let’s go he’s building that foundation and I think that’s where we’re going to see maybe a slow buildup to where they want to be ready to hit the ground running not in the start of training camp but by September here we go start fast here we go defense over there offense over there here we go okay we’re playing the situation but understand that it’s all scripted so you got to see the situation no matter where the ball ends you know McDonald seems just out there like he’s just sort of you know tunnel visioned about the business you know sort of get in get your work done get out uh no Lolly gagging I think was the phrase he used you know um just sort of once you’re done get off the field and get get to what you have to do next and so um you know I think I think he he’s I think he’s going to be a very detailed kind of scheduled regimented kind of guy we keep reinforcing the messages is right now we’re chasing execution we’re not chasing incomplete contested catches we’re chasing making the right calls being in position to make plays that sort of thing we’re we’re really competing against ourselves and it’s it’s tough right now you you can’t contest the ball but you’re trying to be competitive we’re in these Red Zone periods there’s a delicate balance there but I thought we handled it great today with staying off the ground and um still making some really good plays and executing at a high level the fact that all all the turnover it really challenges you as a reporter and it um you know there’s a whole new set of coaches to get to know I mean there’s there’s the player turnover every year and and there’s new players you’ve got to get to know and to um kind of try to figure out their game and everything but in this case there’s a whole new coaching staff for the most part as well it is part of installing a new scheme but really it’s just part of the process of this year it’s like what when when there’s certain restrictions and the way you can practice and the things you can do it’s that how do you maximize that by making sure like pre- Snap you’re moving fast you’re talking everyone’s down in a good position those are the things you’re looking for um I would say we’re closing in on you know 50% of our installation and I think early on we try to do a good job on both sides of the ball of um again some of the you know the critical exchanges and all the things that we need to know and understand about the nuances of the broad vision of the offense and once you felt good about that continue to build on that move on I think the guys have done a really good job especially in the last week and a half of of getting that where we could feel good about building on top of some of those things I think that it’s just like any other process you got to you know keep working on the building blocks communication and trust and you know keep handing out responsibility and let guys grow in their roles and and we’ve certainly done that and been really lucky got some great coaches that have had a ton of experience in the league we’ve essentially installed just about everything technique wise and in the speci teams world that’s that’s a little bit probably more um the typical uh mode you’re into the off season is working fundamentals techniques things that can be applied on different phases uh or you know something that applies for Punt and punt return or kickoff and Punt and so um we’ve majored in that type of thing and it goes back to the kickoff conversation like yeah there’s a lot of things that are different with this play but there’s also you know a a huge chunk probably more things that are actually the same than are different we’re trying to make sure that we live in in that world as much as we can this time of year build a really solid foundation for uh for the schemes that we be that will be implemented uh later in the in the fall what do you learn about your quarterbacks and more you go through all this they’re awesome they’re freaking awesome they are I think that they’re both uh really really hard workers they’re very diligent uh intelligent and I know that it means a lot to them and I think that their leader ship in the room and how they react and work together says a lot about the kind of guys that they are that they understand the team concept and they’re both fighting to get better every day and uh I just I couldn’t be more happy with number one where they’re at and then the type of guys that you know management has brought into this place has done a really good job my first impressions of our new coaching staff these guys are they’re on it um they have a plan they’re connected to one another you can tell um in in their meetings they they’re clear and concise Ice uh with their wording and how they want things done um the vision for this team I think with with our coaching staff we’re all learning one another they’re learning us as players we’re learning them as coaches but um the type of people they are you know you can tell they’re just genuine people they love football and uh they love the coach there is a really good marriage there with some of the skill set that Gino has I think that you know we ask her quarterbacks to do a lot um luckily for us Gino’s really athletic as well um you know I think for us you know we don’t have to limit it to just drop back I think he’s really good in the play action game as well which will be a big part of our offense and um I think for us you know it’s not just the five step all the time but I do think that Gino is is really good at getting the ball out on time um and very efficient with the football which you obviously showed in 22 led the league in completion percentage um so I think that’s something that that marriage understand how to get the ball out on time and and really take care of the football is something that that works obviously really well well I did think it was interesting when we heard from Mike McDonald last week um he said that they are something to the effect of how they’re challenging Gino Smith as a leader uh he’s highly competitive I love how Gino Works um we’re pushing him to take the next step as a as a football player and as a leader and um and I think he’s he’s answering the call so really excited about uh about G up to this point just getting to know him you know but um just really such a such a respect for how how hard this man works at his craft I think you know we as reporters we missed a followup on that so that’s something that I’ll I’ll have my eyes on just to see if there’s any noticeable difference and and how he leads and um what he’s like in the locker room when we start to have access to the locker room and all that and how he interacts with players and how he talks about them and press conference settings and all that for me uh it’s all about the work and all about what you do and not what you say U and so to me culture is about um not about potential but about the things you get done and uh we have the guys in here we got a ton of potential uh with all the talent with the great coaches that we have with this great organization and all the people around it uh but but now is the time to get things done and so that’s really where I’m at with it you know realizing your ability to collaborate and I think that coaching quarterbacks especially and working with Charles in that room making sure that Gino and Sam feel like they have all the tools and the weapons they need to go out there and compete at the highest level and that’s no different than I’ve ever felt in my quarterback room is just trying to make sure that I’m there to you know help with the translation get him feeling confident ready to play 100% has nothing to do with me I’m just trying to be here to help those guys get out there and do the crazy things that they can do on Sunday I think you just I think you can just feel it coming out of the Huddle like I think you can hear the defense you know being ahead of play is more anticipating things there’s things are always going to chase especially with the young guys but uh I think when you start to see how it all comes together on both sides of the ball and guys understand how it fits I think you can feel that just by the speed about how we’re practicing when I came in and Mike had a very clear vision of what the system was you know like I I I really understood that I think what to answer your question is more like us three growing together has been one of the most funnest parts of doing this process you know like just sitting down talking football understanding how we see situations understanding how we see the game then how we we see building the culture together in a style that we play with like as much as we’re different there’s there’s we’re likeminded in in the things that we believed in in our principles and that that’s that’s being the most fun thing so far for me this is an interesting time leadership wise because we’ve seen some guys move on I mean for the longest time Bobby Wagner was the voice on defense and then even you you had guys like quandre digs and so with them gone now I think it’s a great opportunity for a player like chenan nuosu who’s been you know really good player his two years here unfortunately got hurt last year but he’s kind of a leader of a young group up front on the edge you know they just all have the same vision and when you see that Vision come to life you knew where it started and that started in the meeting room day day one the recovery process has been good um I don’t know what to expect you know cuz I’ve never been injured really or had this type of injury so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’ve made huge progress and it’s only getting better you know now it’s the little the little little muscles I guess you can call it you know just the fine tuning and just making sure I’m 100% so I’m on the right path for sure on the back of the defense I think it’s a great opportunity for someone like Julian love to really step up and Lead that young secondary um you know linebackers mission to see because you know that’s usually position that brings leadership but there’s a lot of newness there it’s been good so far um I think everybody’s kind of raring to get after it um and kind of build that Foundation of who we want to be this year really getting to know our guys and how we can get the best out of one another um and other than that just be myself just you know have some fun playing football I’m miked up today up it’s the second time I’ve ever done it the first time the Ravens did it I swear to God I got like 30 seconds out of it I never got asked again yeah I’m a little familiar with his game I was in a version of it um my fourth year uh when I was with New York and people kind of see it think everything’s pressure heavy but there’s a lot of simulated stuff and a lot of dropping back and a lot of it’s a big mixture so I’m excited to kind of get in the weed with it um and learn all that like I’m learning every day and like I think we’re all are you know like it’s not about EOS it’s about getting it right all of us talking through and making sure that we understand that we’ve got the best plan for the players the players believe in the process and we’re always kind of looking at it and making sure that it’s right for them you know you want really and truthfully what do you want them to do you want to play really fast really physical those things can’t be done now but like the clarity that we can create and that’s what we’re trying to do is right now now it’s kind of hard because we can’t go full gas but it’s what are people good at what are they like the individual roles how do they fit into the pitchure where what down and distance would they be good at like and where do they Excel you know like I really believe up front is about creating a a way of playing that enhances people’s ability in certain situations there’s a couple of guys that really just flourish in every situation there’s other guys like like hankor those guys that flourish in certain situations and then how you rotate them we’ve got so much versatility you know you can see it but like I think on the back end there’s a bit less room for error so right now it’s about defining your job and understand before you can build on the versatility it’s like really understanding your job understanding the checks understanding how they align and the detail within that and once they master that that’s when you can start the versatility part of what’s really interesting and Mike McDonald’s touched on this a little bit is like they’re still figuring out is that go you this isn’t some welled machine that’s been doing this together for a long time Mike mcdowd built this coach staf it’s not I’m going to bring in a bunch of guys who I’ve worked with who I know you know we know the same system we’ve all done this together he went out and got an offensive coordinator he’s never worked with he got a defensive coordinator he’s never worked with and it’s he’s talked about his goal is just you know not to go for familiarity but go for Smart Guys football guys that you know maybe they see the game the same way they they got along well in the interviews so I think because of that we’re seeing this coaching staff figured out as they go and it’s going to evolve over time you know all the way probably into the season yeah I think the one thing that stands out about this coaching staff is there’s not a ton of guys with connections um to Mike mcdonell obviously Jay Harbaugh who he worked with at Michigan lesle Frasier uh who he worked with at um in Baltimore but by and large not as many as you’d expect and I think there is and I think phell Brown might have made a comment about this on the radio it’s so unconventional what we see in the league A lot of times when you get these culture staff hirings you get a lot of loyalty stuff you know Mike went out and interviewed all prospects and hired who he thought the best was so now we have a building an environment where nobody is connected from previous stops he didn’t bring the people from Baltimore he went out and hired who he thought was the best at each position you got a bunch of individuals who bring in all these different things so now it’s like when you talk about building a foundation it seems authentic it seems real because now coaches are building players are building front office is building it’s all new so I’ve had a new coaching staff every year so this is you know this is the norm for me so seeing this I’m uh it gets me excited it is one thing that really is notable about this coaching step because again you typically typically quite a bit of um plucking that goes on when a team hires a new head coach um you could tell he’s a super smart person who knows ball U somebody who can innovate somebody who can say what it is can be clear concise it’s it’s really cool to see kind of him take on his shape of being a first- Time head coach um and so it’s been really cool how have you seen julan Love’s leadership man out there espe being player on thiser the interception that he had today well on the field he has aite Poise and that’s something that we’re chasing like if if something doesn’t go our way let’s you know let’s keep our boys let’s play the next play uh the game is slow to him so to be able to communicate at a high level I think kind of shows you what it should feel like when he’s out there and we have several guys that that are like that so it’s really exciting about that but jaylo in in particular like um a guy that will be able to move around change some different spots you don’t see that yet but uh it’ll be a guy that will be able to move around and uh utilize in a in a in a pretty sweet way I think the analogy would be like when you start freshman year at a new high school and you’re just getting to know everybody and everybody is a stranger to you and there’s so much newness in the building I mean again almost every coach is new here and so that is what I imagine it feels like inside the building is that enough time 10 minutes hey it’s 10 minutes enough time to get warm is that enough time to get loose bring it in man here we go good job you keep your Poise right defense okay you just keep plugging along One play at a time all right and then you start to make some plays and start to execute okay and that’s the way it’s going to go sometimes all right offense then defense starts making some plays and now we got to go respond all right you don’t got to press you just got to keep plugging away all right just keep doing your our style right and then then that’s that’s how you win games shout out to coach knocks they looks pretty good not a big like trying out the new hat you know got some good feedback so you might see it again we’ll see Farah does pH have a question because he’s sitting right here a second now do you like it I like it it’s good look for you you damn right in 1978 quarterback Jim zor was the afc’s total offense leader I don’t think we’ve made any drastic changes trying to be an overnight type of success although we’ve done it in a short period of time I think we’ve done it with skill and and a lot of hard work we’re going to be tough and we’re going to stay tough we’re going to come by storm I think at this time of year you really have to kind of step back and look at it from a big picture I don’t think you have to like get down into the detail like you’re going to install the system then you’re going to install it again then they’re going to get another hit of it next week when we get into true mandatory mini camp and then to get another hit in training camp I think right now they are just where they’re meant to be you know like and and you have to I think at times at this time of year you’ve got to be comfortable making those mistakes and learning from them you know and think when you hire what is regarded as one of the best defensive Minds in football um and you get a new coaching staff in here I think that’s going to make a big difference especially with the some of the young players that they have that they’re those guys are taking that next step and that they that they look like in a year or two they can really become they can really become that team and in that way uh you know can become a competitive team that that down the road you know that maybe as soon as next year and and who knows if things really break well maybe you can you can be competing for the division this year but I think I think realistically what you want to see is just a sign that you know in year two year three this is a team that can really take that huge step I don’t like predicting wins and losses CU it’s just there’s too many variables involved but for me the biggest thing I’m going to make two I’m going to say this defense is going to make a pretty big leap which is that’s why you go out and get Mike McDonald and you hired what’s considered the best defense of Mind in the game right now I think we’re going to see his defense really climb the ladder and be a lot better and then I think Gino Smith is going to bounce back with a big season I I think maybe there was this thought from a lot of people that he regressed and just wasn’t that good last year compared to his 2022 season and yeah the numbers fell off a little bit but there’s more factors involved than I think just his play and I do think you finish really strong and I do think this offense you know based on what we saw from udub it’s not going to look exactly the same College to Pro but I do think this offense is going to be pretty favorable to Gins Smith’s game and I I like his chances of having a really good season

Before The Noise Episode Four follows Seahawks.com Senior Reporter John Boyle, Bob Condotta from the Seattle Times and ESPN.com reporter Brady Henderson as they give an inside look at how they cover the Seahawks during the offseason workout period.

Subscribe and hit the bell to see the latest Seahawks videos » https://shwks.com/youtube

Find official Seahawks press conferences and interviews here » https://shwks.com/SeahawksPressPass

Subscribe to Seahawks Podcasts:
Seahawks Insiders » https://shwks.com/SeahawksInsiders
Hawk Talk » https://shwks.com/HawkTalk
Seahawks Stories » https://shwks.com/SeahawksStories
The Huddle » https://shwks.com/TheHuddle
Seahawks Press Pass » https://shwks.com/PressPass
Seahawks Rewind » https://shwks.com/SeahawksRewind
Hawks Live » https://shwks.com/HawksLive
Big Ray’s Garage Grind: Mental Health Edition » https://shwks.com/GarageGrind
All Seahawks Podcasts » https://shwks.com/Podcasts

#SeattleSeahawks #Seahawks #NFL

The official Youtube of the Seattle Seahawks. Member of the NFC West in the National Football League.

Instagram » https://www.instagram.com/seahawks
TikTok » https://www.tiktok.com/@seahawks
Twitter » https://twitter.com/Seahawks
Facebook » https://www.facebook.com/Seahawks
Snapchat » https://snapchat.com/add/Seahawks

You might also enjoy some of the following NFL Channels.
NFL Films » https://bit.ly/2MDSCKf
NFL » https://bit.ly/1C8BDFd
NFL Network » https://bit.ly/29yN2HA
NFL Throwback » https://bit.ly/2PhvhQ6