July 5, 2016 • 25 mins
Mike is joined by Seattle Seahawks Assistant Head Coach/Defensive coach Rocky Seto to talk about his shoulder tackling clinics, the team's mindset heading into the season, moving on without Marshawn Lynch, and his faith.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
What's Up? Everybody? DJ here from Move the Sticks along
with Bucky Brooks our podcast. We look at the NFL
through a player personnel perspective, looking at teams, looking at matchup,
looking at the NFL Draft. You can catch us on
Move the Sticks, nfl dot Com, Slash podcast, as well
as iTunes. What's Going Down? I'm Real Mike Rob and
(00:30):
you're listening to the r Ambat podcast. Drop that beat? Yeah,
oh yeah, well got going down now, baby. I got
(00:57):
some staff and I was some real players special for
your teach this game go down. As they analyze the winners,
they might show my name out because you're bad all season.
(01:17):
It never gets old, never ever gets old. I'm real
Mike Rob. Nate bur liston the B to R and
B is out this week and I'm holding it down
with a special seahawk. People don't know this guy in
the mainstream too much, but I'm gonna give him his
just do. He gets our videos for the big team
(01:40):
meeting rooms that have us laughing all through the day
and break the monotony of camp and work. The premier
tackling guru in all of America, Yes, all of America.
Rocky setto coach. What's going down? Thanks? Oh Man, so
good to have you in studio. Talk about why you're
(02:02):
back out here. You're talking, You're having a little event
coming up. Um, talk about why you're out here. Well,
first of all, I'm from l A, so I love
l A and were visiting family and uh, look what
God's opened up. We have the tackling clinic here in
Inglewood High School Tackling Clinton Inglewood shoulder tackling. And what
is this thing that's called I think this is the
biggest thing that coach Carol is gonna be part of
(02:25):
UM in his coaching career in regards to the game
of football. Yeah, tackling. Man. Going to go into that
a little bit because I get questions. I run a
spring football league in Richmond, Virginia, Man, and I hear
parents all the time, Mike, what's up with these concussions?
How do I you know, how does my kid not
get the concussions? You know, I have I have my
entire league doing manual net exercises just to help with
(02:48):
the total the actual impact with the ground. But talk
about this shoulder tackling and the rugby influence and and
and all of those things. Talk about how you guys
kind of developed This has been incredible. The Lord allowed
us to develop this technique and ever since two thousand twelve,
okay we got them two thousand ten and eleven and
two thousand twelve, we started teaching this tackling principle based
(03:11):
on leverage, hitting with our shoulders. So we're a shoulder
tackling team based on leverage. What happened was like I was,
you know, this is what happened, Like on two thousand
twelve the spring, we had a guy from England. There,
guy him Kit Lawson. He's a football coach, American football,
not soccer, American football coach in England for Birmingham University. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
(03:35):
they're totally or that. And then I was up in
my office and I was showing this young guy he
was younger than me, and show him this is how
we teach tackling. And all he said was this, Oh, Rocky,
all that is a shoulder tackle right there, I mean
a shoulder tackle that rugby guys do. And from right
there it was like boom, the Lord popped into mind
teach our tackling system showing Rugby guys hitting each other
(04:00):
often physical and then getting off the ground. The head's
not involved and it's all loading up the shoulder in
the chest and really and uh, it's been incredible. It's
we have numbers that's shown that that I think it
helped the health of our defensive players where concussions are
dropped drastically since two thousand twelve. Yes, totally with the
(04:20):
emphasis on shoulder tackling. Um, you got, we call it tackling. Yeah,
that's where the kind of mainstream has grabbed onto hawk tackling.
But hawk tackle is more like I tackle the guys
at the thigh level. But essentially, when we put the
whole package together, it's a shoulder tackling system where I'm
we're hitting guys with our shoulders. So if I'm coming
that you, Mike, and you're a great tackling too, by
(04:42):
the way, dominated for us, right, so I'm coming from you,
if I'm coming from this side of you, I'm already
knowing I'm gonna maintain my leverage to hit you with
this shoulder. And then why by doing that? The old
school man for the last forty years or so, I
think it might have a theory on this. Ever since
a were the face mask on guys have been taught
to see what the hit, get your head across. I
(05:04):
mean that's what I was taught, and I was taught
heads go heads up with them. Yeah, we were all
that stuff. Back in the day. We had this drill
called bull in the ring man. You literally stand in
the ring and they would call a out of number.
You had to find him and you go head up.
And like it's like my Pop Warner coach at the time.
I mean, he didn't know. He was just you know,
just part of the culture. And it's like if he
if he didn't hear that crack, if he didn't hear
(05:26):
that crack of the helmet. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's it's
like it was it was doing it wrong. Um, how
do you implement this on a large scale to be
able to really teach literally, because it has to start there.
It has to start literally. It has to start where
parents can actually see a difference. We've been doing this
clinics throughout the West Coast and UH and Washington to
(05:47):
California and UH talking. We're we invite high school and
youth coaches, but not just them, but we need the parents,
the dads and moms to be there so they have
confidence knowing that their coaches are teaching this principle where
there were helmet is there for protection. So just like
we get in the car and put a seatbelt on,
we're not trying to get in the car wrex if
if you get in an accident and the seatbelt air
(06:07):
bags are there to protect us. The helmets they're just
in case if our head does get in there, then
the kids, the players are fine. So the point is
we're loading up the shoulders in the chest. Okay. And
basically that's what we teach, whether I hit you at
the profile level with at the near pack or at
the hawk level with at the thighs and uh, that's
what we taught. And here's this the question that I
(06:29):
get asked, how do you teach this to NFL football players? Okay,
guys who have been bawling and and dominating to get
to that level. How do you get someone like that
who really done, is at the premier level of their
game to change your style all of a sudden. And
I think it's two ways. Like A it's healthier, okay,
(06:50):
And guys may not care about that two years later,
but they will care something and be it's helped our
players play better. You know, if it doesn't help you
play better, guys wonna do it. Guys do it. They'll say,
thank you for the sentiment, coach, but I appreciate that
you care, But I gotta we gotta perform. Well. What
I appreciate about it is because we did those drills
and special teams drills, you know, getting ball leverage and still,
(07:14):
you know, going towards the towards the tackle, moving towards
the tackle as you're making your tackle. What I like
about it is it gave you a baseline to think
about as you're running down field on special teams. It
gave me something to say, Okay, I gotta make sure
I keep this guy here, and then your instincts start
to take in after this. You know what I mean
with the step punch, and I firmly believe once I
learned that principle of literally step punching, hitting on the rise,
(07:37):
keeping twelve cleats in the ground when you make contact,
I didn't have another concussion. I didn't have another concussion.
And that that was to your you know, your teaching
to Sam and those guys that at Seattle kind of
monitor coach Snyder. You know, the special team's coach with it,
with the teaching um. Could you tell us some information
where people can find out about this camp. There's a website.
(08:00):
We don't have a web. We actually have a website
about we have our teach tapes and the instructional stuff.
Ww dot shoulder Tackling dot com. Www dot shoulder Tackling
dot com, Shoulder Tackling dot com and really allows, like
you said, to have a tackling plans. You have confidence
and there's a method to it and uh and we're
gonna have the clinic this Saturday. Okay, this Saturday, July
(08:24):
nine at Inglewood High School in their auditorium. It's free.
We've invited anyone who's interested. Free something going on talking
about National Football League and tackling and it's free. People free.
That's that's awesome. Want parents to come, we want players
to come, we want the coaches come. We're gonna have
representatives from the Rams. You'r l a Rams. The Oakland
(08:48):
Raiders coach Ken Norton is going to be there. And
I think Bobby Wagner is gonna show up from area
from southern California, because how's Bobby going to be in town?
He knows I work every Monday, and he's hit me.
I don't know when he's gonna get I don't know
if you'll get there that morning. I don't know if
(09:09):
he'll be he said he plans to be there. So, um,
we're really trying to help the game of football, you know,
and in football in particularly in the inner city, where
football is important to many people through tradition, through opportunities
that the game creates. So we're really if the guys
are gonna play football and inner city, we want to
be able to equip the coaches and the parents and
(09:30):
the players to do it safe as safe as possible.
Of course, no tackling technique could eliminate injuries, still sports
and still football, but we like to think it minimizes
a chance and at the same time makes people better
football players. And I got something for you, Mike. We
have a theory. Remember how he talked about the last
forty years or so that guys have been taught to
keep hit with the head or the face masks. I
(09:54):
think we didn't really invent anything. I think the Good
Lord allowed us to just open our eyes to take
it back to the old school principles of how the
game was played rugby was from what our game was
birthed out of the game of rugby. Okay, And then
talking to like, I have a friend named John MacArthur
who's like in his eighties, I said, John, how did
they teach you how to tackle? Because in his senior
(10:16):
year high school they said they put the single bar
face mask. So he played in the era before the
face mask was put on, they get a lot of
broken notes. He's a pretty decent looking dude for I
don't know how much damage he had to his face,
but he said, rocket, it was all shoulder tackling. It
was all hitting with a shoulder and wouldn't put the head.
So somewhere along the line, as technology got better and
(10:38):
the face mask got better, it was like, dude, this
is a pretty good thing to hit with, and let's
go with it. So I think it's taking it back
to old schools. I've even talked to Dick Buckets. Yeah, yeah,
I talked to Pete about that piece that he had
a conversation with. So we talked to him and he
was rocky and he sounds just like how you would
Dick Bucket is the iconic Dick Buckets hit with my
shoulders and my body and said, what okay, Mr Buckets,
(11:00):
are you telling me you didn't try to hit him? No,
I just had to hit him my body. Talking to
Mike Haines, the Hall of Fame cornerback from Raiders have
him taped up, and he said, yeah, all we were
taught to shoulder tackle. So somewhere along the line things
got a little off track. And I think we're just
serving the football community by just bringing it back to
the old school, the fundamental way of playing football. It's
(11:22):
the greatest game in the universe. And I tell young
people all the time, especially parents, you want to see
it done right, watch camp Chancellor. You guys will probably
you know Campbell go down and when his all hadn't done.
Is one of the best tacklers we've seen. And he
gets penalties, not because I think the helmet was involved.
It's just it looks violent. It's just awesome. That's so
(11:43):
explosive in his hips and Uh talking to talking about
the Seahawks. Obviously you guys um are in the hunt
every single year. Um for you personally being from l A. Uh,
how is the addition of the Los Angeles now Los
Angeles Rams moving back here to l A. How did
that affect you personally? Because you know you're from here. Dude,
(12:05):
you compete against them, you know what I mean? How
did that affect well? I mean I grew up at
l A. Ram fan. I remember watching Kevin Green and
you have written those dudes, and now that they're they're
playing at the l A Colosseum. I'm a trojan man.
I played at USC and and coach there, and I
never thought I'd get to play another game there. So
on a nostalgic personal level, I mean, I grew up
(12:25):
like twenty minutes east of the Colosseum. To be able
to play another game, that's special. How are my friends
and family are down here? And uh, it's gonna I
think I'm gonna use up all my tickets to man talking. Okay,
so talk about the NFC west Man. It's gonna be
a tough year, man. I mean, every every every team,
(12:45):
um is right there, seems to be right on the
cusp um. Obviously, you guys playing on winning it. You
know that's that's the goal every year. Talk about the
other three teams in that in that division, and um,
how tough it's gonna you guys actually have to match
up against him because people talk about San Francisco. I
look at the Arizona Cardinals that you got in Seattle Seahawks.
(13:07):
That's probably the biggest rivalry right now on that division.
Oh it's tough. I mean from you know, from Arizona Cardinals.
You know how good they did last year. They're incredible.
They got their defense and Carson throwing the ball with
the trojan too, So they're good. Man. And in the Rams,
the defense that they have and they beat us twice
last year. I hate playing the Rams. Oh, they're tough.
(13:28):
I mean their defense, that front seven they were pasting.
I mean, they don't want special teams. It's like they
knew what buttons to push. Yeah, you know what I mean.
I hated that they're tough. Man. Then the Niners, of course,
there there's a incredibly tough game with the new coach,
with the new system. Man, I think they got a
chance to be getting better and they're gonna be competitive.
So every year we just you know, how does Mike
(13:48):
You heard coach Carroll a hundred thousand times, but just
let's see how good we could be and this keep
the focus on us and hopefully we like the results
at the end of the year. You know, so God
willing would just see what this maximize the Seahawks and
see how far we could take it. Rock I was there, Um,
I wasn't there when you guys first walked in the building,
but I got there the first week of the first game,
and uh and thank god it was incredible, awesome, Thank
(14:12):
you guys. But you guys gave me another start because
you never know when free agency, how if grass is
green on the other side, and the grass is definitely
greener for me. Um, A lot of the core players
that you have right now, with the exception of your
quarterback and things like that, came onto that team in eleven.
You talked about Cam and Earl and those guys, Um,
now they're paid. Talk about first of all the type
(14:36):
of player that they had to have been for you
guys to you know, for those guys to be as
grounded as they are now after they've gotten the money.
And is a different coaching those guys, you know, it's
it's people asking what's the difference in coaching at USC
compared to the NFL distractions? You know, you know, it's
like the and I think we went through a season
(14:57):
last year and maybe half the season last year. You
remember the last two years, we start off pretty slow
and all of a sudden and things got tightened up
and we're able to get going a little bit. I
think guys are ready to, like see how far we
could take it. I think there's a more meaningful thing
being able to go as far as a football team,
you know. And I think guys are really focused. I
think this is the most focused I've seen our guys
(15:20):
on maximizing Seahawks as we've seen in a few years.
I'm pretty excited and I like our chances to see
if it could be a pretty good team this year. Yeah,
that's the political answer. I get it. I get it.
You gotta say the political answers. I know you, I know,
I know you know what you're gonna do over there. Man,
you know I know that's right. Man, I know that's right.
(15:42):
Um again, uh, standing with the Seahawks. Is it gonna
be different not seeing two four. I'm not saying be
small walk down those halls. You know how he slow walk.
You know, everybody getting out of his way. It's gonna
be different not seeing him walk down those hallways. Yeah,
we're gonna miss him. You know, I admire him. How
he played it was incredible. You know, you blocked firm
(16:03):
you played with them. That guy is a special football
player on game Base. He's ridiculous, you know. And so
we'll miss some. But Thomas Rawls and Chris and Michael.
We drafted three rookie so competitions on, man, and I
kind of I like our chances in some ways. I
feel like our team will have to will galvanize with
each other and to come together to make everything, to
(16:23):
hold up the parts together. So I'm excited to see
what's gonna happens this team, man, because you guys have
had a lot of success over the last few years. Man. Yeah,
I mean I was just up there for O t
Is a little bit and it was it seemed like
a new renewed sense of urgency. Yeah, totally. We didn't
win a Super Bowl last you know what I mean,
(16:44):
we you know, we we got beat up. Um talk
about how hungry you guys. I think we're hungry, man,
I think I think what your senses right on, That's
what I mean. But like the focus of the guys
distractions out the door, and like, let's go. I think
it's the emphasis. I think guys are can at this
vacation time as a time to reload and to see
how far we can get it. And um, you know,
(17:05):
the one thing that I want to just share with
you what's been going on with with our team is
like you came in and give an incredible talk to
the team about what is going to be meaningful beyond
the game of football. And that's been something that's heavy
on Coach Carol's harden. He's been talking about more meaningful things,
deeper things that are parley or carry guys past the
(17:27):
game of football. And uh, I think guys are getting
to a deeper level or trudity on our football team.
Like you said ten two thousand and two thousand, some
guys have been with us for seven football that's like
almost two college That's crazy and and and it's you
rarely see those types of things, um in the National
Football League, all the money flying around, what people wanting
to get paid and things like that. But that's attributed
(17:49):
to how you guys draft. I mean, you don't see
many free agents coming there, and I mean you see
something come in and make a splash, But for the
most part, man, you guys are home grown. Um, even
from a coach standpoint, you have any aspirations to be
a head coach Ryan, you know? God willing? Um, I
love to I would love to have that chance. And
I'm happy with doing what I'm doing, learning for the best.
(18:09):
You know. I've had some heroes over the years of
like uh uh, I love sitting up on guys like
John Wooden, who's a U c l A. All then
with Trojan you know, and anybody. Yeah, but learning from
and Coach Carroll. I mean, I think he's the best
coach in the game of football, and whether it's college
or pro, he knows how to do it, you know.
And Um, I'm learning just like you know. I remember you,
(18:30):
remember you, you know, as a player, I remember you.
Just just trying to learn if what if I become
a coach from day you had a great coach Herman
Smith and Coach Carroll. Just we're just trying to keep learning,
you know, and see what see what could happen next.
What's in your opinion, what's the best thing about Coach Carroll?
I know, for for me, I asked this question all
the time. It's his energy. I just people don't realize
how the energy of your leader when he walks into
(18:53):
the building, if it's up, I mean, it kind of
just makes naturally makes your energy level go up. If
he's in an urgent state, and your urgency goes up. Um.
And that's what I love about Pete. Talk about you
know what you think is the most important aspect or
thing about Pete Carroll? Okay, Um, I think one of
the biggest gifts I've been so this show. I'm gonna
(19:14):
be with him for sixteen years. Sixteen years? What I
he was in his forties and now he's sixties. I'm forty.
Now you know things have changed, man. I'd say one
of the biggest things about him is that he challenges
us to discover who we are, and he knows who
(19:35):
he is. He would say, I'm a competitor. That's he
knows who he is. So how's that helped me? He's
influenced me to discover what is most important to me.
I'm a Christian. Jesus is most important to me, my
wife Charlotte, and my four children, and then the game
of football in that order. So he's really helped me
to discover what's most important to me and to live it,
and I think what you touched upon with the players
(19:58):
you just barely brushed upon. But hopefully it caused guys
to start thinking, okay, who are they? Like football may
describe you, but doesn't define you. I used to be
in NFL football or I'm an NFL player currently. That
may describe what you do who you are, but who
ultimately are you is the deeper meaning that we're trying
to help our Seahawks and coaches to discover. And I
(20:20):
appreciate what you how you went through with that. It's huge,
especially here from another guy who's really crossed over the
line though from playing to retirement. It's gonna happen to
all of us someday, you know, And that's how I
started it. I mean, it's gonna happen to all of us.
And Pete and I talked about it earlier that day.
Purpose you know so often, you know, and purpose has
been football since I was five years old. Man Um
(20:44):
and I always talk about parallels. I talked to kids
in my foundation about running parallels. You can chase your
dream at the same time while you know, developing another love,
developing another purpose or why you get up in the
morning and Um, obviously Christ has been huge in your life. Um,
talk about how how your your your your spirit and
(21:05):
your religion has kind of guided your life. Mike, I'm
telling you, just like we talked about even as a boy,
like football was my identity and my pinnacle was not
the NFLI pinnacles. If I can only play at US
I walked on as a junior. I went I had
to go to junior college and I wasn't good enough.
And then I went walk down and beg to get
(21:26):
on into my senior my next year to gave me
a scholarship. Man, this is the greatest thing in the world.
But I had people talking to me about Christ, the
Gospel and the change in my life where that fire
side of football is like a big part of me,
but it isn't doesn't define who I am. And Jesus
dying on the cross rising up three days later, this
science exactly who I am. And so how does that
actually influence my coaching and my parenting, in my parents
(21:50):
and being a husband. You know, my goal number one
goals to have Charlotte loved Jesus more. My number one
goal for my children to teach him to love Jesus.
My number one goal and football is help guys be
as good as it could become, so that you develop
relationships that man, this guy actually cares about me. And
so when deeper, more meaningful things come up, then I'm
able to speak the truth to them, you know, and
(22:11):
essentially guys and everything that I do, so even the
shoulder thing, shoulder tackling, you know, people just tackling. Well,
if this could help people to be safer and help
me really help the game of football thrive beyond our generations,
what a great thing to be a part of. That's awesome,
rock Man. I want to thank you for coming in today, man,
I mean really, man, it's good seeing You're always good
(22:33):
to see a friend, um. And what you guys are
doing for the game of football, because you hear so
much negativity about our game, about the concussions, about uh,
you know, you see the decline and Pop Warner and
things like that. And I tell people all the time,
the game of football it should be called CEOs and
training because if we could really take all the skills
(22:53):
that we learned to being on time, to discipline, the route, recogntion,
all the things that make us great athletes, we can
take that and translate that into real life skills. All
you do is taking xs and os and making it
another concept. You'd be successful in almost everything. Look what
you've done here, you know, that's an example. And look
what you're doing with your community back in in Virginia,
(23:14):
you know what I mean. And so we're hoping to
develop raise up leaders. And the game has enough adversity,
enough good stuff, and enough support as a team that
you learn these skills, you know, And um so, yeah,
the game football is the greatest game. We have to
do what we can to protect and strengthen that. You
know what a privilege it is to be part of this.
Dope man, dope dude, can I plug the clinic one
(23:37):
last time? It's at Englewood High School, Light nine from
ten to twelve. It's just it will be in the auditorium.
Like we said, we'll have representatives from the Rams who
are adopting our style, the Raiders who can brought to
the Raiders Ken Orn, and then we'll have Seahawk me
and maybe another coach and maybe Bobby. I think Bobby
(23:58):
Wagoner is gonna be there. So come on out, Man's free, free, hopefully, hopefully, hopefully,
you guys, the network could uh, I don't know, make
maybe even make a segment out of it. You got
nothing else there after man, after the after the hundred
talking about that we can talk about tackle and use
this platform to educate the world of football. Man, all right, well,
(24:20):
you know what before I let you go, you mentioned
it before the top one. I'm just going I'm just
going to Okay, you got what's your top ten players? Oh? Man? Yeah, yeah,
I put you on the spot. I think they're all
Seahawks though. Come on, some great players in this league.
Watch film. You see some great players. So you don't
(24:40):
have ten players that you could that you can name off.
I'm out of blank right now. You call me. I
wasn't prepared for that one. Hold. I went through your
studio and I try to look for the tender, and
we have the tender. We don't have it yet. We
don't have it. I gave my ten yesterday. And you
know I have some receivers, you know, ten, eight, nine,
I mean ten on eight and then you know you
on to you know, Luke kick Lee and Agent Peterson
(25:02):
and no guys but Tom Brady. Man, it's tough to
not four Super Bowl championships. I mean he's almost he's
over forty, almost, man, and still doing it at a
high level. You gotta put him up there, man, I'm
gonna let you go. That's it for this week's Seahawks
special episode of the R and B Podcast. Thanks Coach
Seto for joining us and Sully for filling in behind
(25:24):
the glass for Producer TV. We'll be back next week
with Nate B and Producer TV. Remember to subscribe on iTunes,
comment read to we spread the words on the podcast
hashtag are and B podcast were out of here? Of course, man,
that's how we do it.
What's Up? Everybody? DJ here from Move the Sticks along
with Bucky Brooks our podcast. We look at the NFL
through a player personnel perspective, looking at teams, looking at matchup,
looking at the NFL Draft. You can catch us on
Move the Sticks, nfl dot Com, Slash podcast, as well
as iTunes. What's Going Down? I'm Real Mike Rob and
(00:30):
you're listening to the r Ambat podcast. Drop that beat? Yeah,
oh yeah, well got going down now, baby. I got
(00:57):
some staff and I was some real players special for
your teach this game go down. As they analyze the winners,
they might show my name out because you're bad all season.
(01:17):
It never gets old, never ever gets old. I'm real
Mike Rob. Nate bur liston the B to R and
B is out this week and I'm holding it down
with a special seahawk. People don't know this guy in
the mainstream too much, but I'm gonna give him his
just do. He gets our videos for the big team
(01:40):
meeting rooms that have us laughing all through the day
and break the monotony of camp and work. The premier
tackling guru in all of America, Yes, all of America.
Rocky setto coach. What's going down? Thanks? Oh Man, so
good to have you in studio. Talk about why you're
(02:02):
back out here. You're talking, You're having a little event
coming up. Um, talk about why you're out here. Well,
first of all, I'm from l A, so I love
l A and were visiting family and uh, look what
God's opened up. We have the tackling clinic here in
Inglewood High School Tackling Clinton Inglewood shoulder tackling. And what
is this thing that's called I think this is the
biggest thing that coach Carol is gonna be part of
(02:25):
UM in his coaching career in regards to the game
of football. Yeah, tackling. Man. Going to go into that
a little bit because I get questions. I run a
spring football league in Richmond, Virginia, Man, and I hear
parents all the time, Mike, what's up with these concussions?
How do I you know, how does my kid not
get the concussions? You know, I have I have my
entire league doing manual net exercises just to help with
(02:48):
the total the actual impact with the ground. But talk
about this shoulder tackling and the rugby influence and and
and all of those things. Talk about how you guys
kind of developed This has been incredible. The Lord allowed
us to develop this technique and ever since two thousand twelve,
okay we got them two thousand ten and eleven and
two thousand twelve, we started teaching this tackling principle based
(03:11):
on leverage, hitting with our shoulders. So we're a shoulder
tackling team based on leverage. What happened was like I was,
you know, this is what happened, Like on two thousand
twelve the spring, we had a guy from England. There,
guy him Kit Lawson. He's a football coach, American football,
not soccer, American football coach in England for Birmingham University. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
(03:35):
they're totally or that. And then I was up in
my office and I was showing this young guy he
was younger than me, and show him this is how
we teach tackling. And all he said was this, Oh, Rocky,
all that is a shoulder tackle right there, I mean
a shoulder tackle that rugby guys do. And from right
there it was like boom, the Lord popped into mind
teach our tackling system showing Rugby guys hitting each other
(04:00):
often physical and then getting off the ground. The head's
not involved and it's all loading up the shoulder in
the chest and really and uh, it's been incredible. It's
we have numbers that's shown that that I think it
helped the health of our defensive players where concussions are
dropped drastically since two thousand twelve. Yes, totally with the
(04:20):
emphasis on shoulder tackling. Um, you got, we call it tackling. Yeah,
that's where the kind of mainstream has grabbed onto hawk tackling.
But hawk tackle is more like I tackle the guys
at the thigh level. But essentially, when we put the
whole package together, it's a shoulder tackling system where I'm
we're hitting guys with our shoulders. So if I'm coming
that you, Mike, and you're a great tackling too, by
(04:42):
the way, dominated for us, right, so I'm coming from you,
if I'm coming from this side of you, I'm already
knowing I'm gonna maintain my leverage to hit you with
this shoulder. And then why by doing that? The old
school man for the last forty years or so, I
think it might have a theory on this. Ever since
a were the face mask on guys have been taught
to see what the hit, get your head across. I
(05:04):
mean that's what I was taught, and I was taught
heads go heads up with them. Yeah, we were all
that stuff. Back in the day. We had this drill
called bull in the ring man. You literally stand in
the ring and they would call a out of number.
You had to find him and you go head up.
And like it's like my Pop Warner coach at the time.
I mean, he didn't know. He was just you know,
just part of the culture. And it's like if he
if he didn't hear that crack, if he didn't hear
(05:26):
that crack of the helmet. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's it's
like it was it was doing it wrong. Um, how
do you implement this on a large scale to be
able to really teach literally, because it has to start there.
It has to start literally. It has to start where
parents can actually see a difference. We've been doing this
clinics throughout the West Coast and UH and Washington to
(05:47):
California and UH talking. We're we invite high school and
youth coaches, but not just them, but we need the parents,
the dads and moms to be there so they have
confidence knowing that their coaches are teaching this principle where
there were helmet is there for protection. So just like
we get in the car and put a seatbelt on,
we're not trying to get in the car wrex if
if you get in an accident and the seatbelt air
(06:07):
bags are there to protect us. The helmets they're just
in case if our head does get in there, then
the kids, the players are fine. So the point is
we're loading up the shoulders in the chest. Okay. And
basically that's what we teach, whether I hit you at
the profile level with at the near pack or at
the hawk level with at the thighs and uh, that's
what we taught. And here's this the question that I
(06:29):
get asked, how do you teach this to NFL football players? Okay,
guys who have been bawling and and dominating to get
to that level. How do you get someone like that
who really done, is at the premier level of their
game to change your style all of a sudden. And
I think it's two ways. Like A it's healthier, okay,
(06:50):
And guys may not care about that two years later,
but they will care something and be it's helped our
players play better. You know, if it doesn't help you
play better, guys wonna do it. Guys do it. They'll say,
thank you for the sentiment, coach, but I appreciate that
you care, But I gotta we gotta perform. Well. What
I appreciate about it is because we did those drills
and special teams drills, you know, getting ball leverage and still,
(07:14):
you know, going towards the towards the tackle, moving towards
the tackle as you're making your tackle. What I like
about it is it gave you a baseline to think
about as you're running down field on special teams. It
gave me something to say, Okay, I gotta make sure
I keep this guy here, and then your instincts start
to take in after this. You know what I mean
with the step punch, and I firmly believe once I
learned that principle of literally step punching, hitting on the rise,
(07:37):
keeping twelve cleats in the ground when you make contact,
I didn't have another concussion. I didn't have another concussion.
And that that was to your you know, your teaching
to Sam and those guys that at Seattle kind of
monitor coach Snyder. You know, the special team's coach with it,
with the teaching um. Could you tell us some information
where people can find out about this camp. There's a website.
(08:00):
We don't have a web. We actually have a website
about we have our teach tapes and the instructional stuff.
Ww dot shoulder Tackling dot com. Www dot shoulder Tackling
dot com, Shoulder Tackling dot com and really allows, like
you said, to have a tackling plans. You have confidence
and there's a method to it and uh and we're
gonna have the clinic this Saturday. Okay, this Saturday, July
(08:24):
nine at Inglewood High School in their auditorium. It's free.
We've invited anyone who's interested. Free something going on talking
about National Football League and tackling and it's free. People free.
That's that's awesome. Want parents to come, we want players
to come, we want the coaches come. We're gonna have
representatives from the Rams. You'r l a Rams. The Oakland
(08:48):
Raiders coach Ken Norton is going to be there. And
I think Bobby Wagner is gonna show up from area
from southern California, because how's Bobby going to be in town?
He knows I work every Monday, and he's hit me.
I don't know when he's gonna get I don't know
if you'll get there that morning. I don't know if
(09:09):
he'll be he said he plans to be there. So, um,
we're really trying to help the game of football, you know,
and in football in particularly in the inner city, where
football is important to many people through tradition, through opportunities
that the game creates. So we're really if the guys
are gonna play football and inner city, we want to
be able to equip the coaches and the parents and
(09:30):
the players to do it safe as safe as possible.
Of course, no tackling technique could eliminate injuries, still sports
and still football, but we like to think it minimizes
a chance and at the same time makes people better
football players. And I got something for you, Mike. We
have a theory. Remember how he talked about the last
forty years or so that guys have been taught to
keep hit with the head or the face masks. I
(09:54):
think we didn't really invent anything. I think the Good
Lord allowed us to just open our eyes to take
it back to the old school principles of how the
game was played rugby was from what our game was
birthed out of the game of rugby. Okay, And then
talking to like, I have a friend named John MacArthur
who's like in his eighties, I said, John, how did
they teach you how to tackle? Because in his senior
(10:16):
year high school they said they put the single bar
face mask. So he played in the era before the
face mask was put on, they get a lot of
broken notes. He's a pretty decent looking dude for I
don't know how much damage he had to his face,
but he said, rocket, it was all shoulder tackling. It
was all hitting with a shoulder and wouldn't put the head.
So somewhere along the line, as technology got better and
(10:38):
the face mask got better, it was like, dude, this
is a pretty good thing to hit with, and let's
go with it. So I think it's taking it back
to old schools. I've even talked to Dick Buckets. Yeah, yeah,
I talked to Pete about that piece that he had
a conversation with. So we talked to him and he
was rocky and he sounds just like how you would
Dick Bucket is the iconic Dick Buckets hit with my
shoulders and my body and said, what okay, Mr Buckets,
(11:00):
are you telling me you didn't try to hit him? No,
I just had to hit him my body. Talking to
Mike Haines, the Hall of Fame cornerback from Raiders have
him taped up, and he said, yeah, all we were
taught to shoulder tackle. So somewhere along the line things
got a little off track. And I think we're just
serving the football community by just bringing it back to
the old school, the fundamental way of playing football. It's
(11:22):
the greatest game in the universe. And I tell young
people all the time, especially parents, you want to see
it done right, watch camp Chancellor. You guys will probably
you know Campbell go down and when his all hadn't done.
Is one of the best tacklers we've seen. And he
gets penalties, not because I think the helmet was involved.
It's just it looks violent. It's just awesome. That's so
(11:43):
explosive in his hips and Uh talking to talking about
the Seahawks. Obviously you guys um are in the hunt
every single year. Um for you personally being from l A. Uh,
how is the addition of the Los Angeles now Los
Angeles Rams moving back here to l A. How did
that affect you personally? Because you know you're from here. Dude,
(12:05):
you compete against them, you know what I mean? How
did that affect well? I mean I grew up at
l A. Ram fan. I remember watching Kevin Green and
you have written those dudes, and now that they're they're
playing at the l A Colosseum. I'm a trojan man.
I played at USC and and coach there, and I
never thought I'd get to play another game there. So
on a nostalgic personal level, I mean, I grew up
(12:25):
like twenty minutes east of the Colosseum. To be able
to play another game, that's special. How are my friends
and family are down here? And uh, it's gonna I
think I'm gonna use up all my tickets to man talking. Okay,
so talk about the NFC west Man. It's gonna be
a tough year, man. I mean, every every every team,
(12:45):
um is right there, seems to be right on the
cusp um. Obviously, you guys playing on winning it. You
know that's that's the goal every year. Talk about the
other three teams in that in that division, and um,
how tough it's gonna you guys actually have to match
up against him because people talk about San Francisco. I
look at the Arizona Cardinals that you got in Seattle Seahawks.
(13:07):
That's probably the biggest rivalry right now on that division.
Oh it's tough. I mean from you know, from Arizona Cardinals.
You know how good they did last year. They're incredible.
They got their defense and Carson throwing the ball with
the trojan too, So they're good. Man. And in the Rams,
the defense that they have and they beat us twice
last year. I hate playing the Rams. Oh, they're tough.
(13:28):
I mean their defense, that front seven they were pasting.
I mean, they don't want special teams. It's like they
knew what buttons to push. Yeah, you know what I mean.
I hated that they're tough. Man. Then the Niners, of course,
there there's a incredibly tough game with the new coach,
with the new system. Man, I think they got a
chance to be getting better and they're gonna be competitive.
So every year we just you know, how does Mike
(13:48):
You heard coach Carroll a hundred thousand times, but just
let's see how good we could be and this keep
the focus on us and hopefully we like the results
at the end of the year. You know, so God
willing would just see what this maximize the Seahawks and
see how far we could take it. Rock I was there, Um,
I wasn't there when you guys first walked in the building,
but I got there the first week of the first game,
and uh and thank god it was incredible, awesome, Thank
(14:12):
you guys. But you guys gave me another start because
you never know when free agency, how if grass is
green on the other side, and the grass is definitely
greener for me. Um, A lot of the core players
that you have right now, with the exception of your
quarterback and things like that, came onto that team in eleven.
You talked about Cam and Earl and those guys, Um,
now they're paid. Talk about first of all the type
(14:36):
of player that they had to have been for you
guys to you know, for those guys to be as
grounded as they are now after they've gotten the money.
And is a different coaching those guys, you know, it's
it's people asking what's the difference in coaching at USC
compared to the NFL distractions? You know, you know, it's
like the and I think we went through a season
(14:57):
last year and maybe half the season last year. You
remember the last two years, we start off pretty slow
and all of a sudden and things got tightened up
and we're able to get going a little bit. I
think guys are ready to, like see how far we
could take it. I think there's a more meaningful thing
being able to go as far as a football team,
you know. And I think guys are really focused. I
think this is the most focused I've seen our guys
(15:20):
on maximizing Seahawks as we've seen in a few years.
I'm pretty excited and I like our chances to see
if it could be a pretty good team this year. Yeah,
that's the political answer. I get it. I get it.
You gotta say the political answers. I know you, I know,
I know you know what you're gonna do over there. Man,
you know I know that's right. Man, I know that's right.
(15:42):
Um again, uh, standing with the Seahawks. Is it gonna
be different not seeing two four. I'm not saying be
small walk down those halls. You know how he slow walk.
You know, everybody getting out of his way. It's gonna
be different not seeing him walk down those hallways. Yeah,
we're gonna miss him. You know, I admire him. How
he played it was incredible. You know, you blocked firm
(16:03):
you played with them. That guy is a special football
player on game Base. He's ridiculous, you know. And so
we'll miss some. But Thomas Rawls and Chris and Michael.
We drafted three rookie so competitions on, man, and I
kind of I like our chances in some ways. I
feel like our team will have to will galvanize with
each other and to come together to make everything, to
(16:23):
hold up the parts together. So I'm excited to see
what's gonna happens this team, man, because you guys have
had a lot of success over the last few years. Man. Yeah,
I mean I was just up there for O t
Is a little bit and it was it seemed like
a new renewed sense of urgency. Yeah, totally. We didn't
win a Super Bowl last you know what I mean,
(16:44):
we you know, we we got beat up. Um talk
about how hungry you guys. I think we're hungry, man,
I think I think what your senses right on, That's
what I mean. But like the focus of the guys
distractions out the door, and like, let's go. I think
it's the emphasis. I think guys are can at this
vacation time as a time to reload and to see
how far we can get it. And um, you know,
(17:05):
the one thing that I want to just share with
you what's been going on with with our team is
like you came in and give an incredible talk to
the team about what is going to be meaningful beyond
the game of football. And that's been something that's heavy
on Coach Carol's harden. He's been talking about more meaningful things,
deeper things that are parley or carry guys past the
(17:27):
game of football. And uh, I think guys are getting
to a deeper level or trudity on our football team.
Like you said ten two thousand and two thousand, some
guys have been with us for seven football that's like
almost two college That's crazy and and and it's you
rarely see those types of things, um in the National
Football League, all the money flying around, what people wanting
to get paid and things like that. But that's attributed
(17:49):
to how you guys draft. I mean, you don't see
many free agents coming there, and I mean you see
something come in and make a splash, But for the
most part, man, you guys are home grown. Um, even
from a coach standpoint, you have any aspirations to be
a head coach Ryan, you know? God willing? Um, I
love to I would love to have that chance. And
I'm happy with doing what I'm doing, learning for the best.
(18:09):
You know. I've had some heroes over the years of
like uh uh, I love sitting up on guys like
John Wooden, who's a U c l A. All then
with Trojan you know, and anybody. Yeah, but learning from
and Coach Carroll. I mean, I think he's the best
coach in the game of football, and whether it's college
or pro, he knows how to do it, you know.
And Um, I'm learning just like you know. I remember you,
(18:30):
remember you, you know, as a player, I remember you.
Just just trying to learn if what if I become
a coach from day you had a great coach Herman
Smith and Coach Carroll. Just we're just trying to keep learning,
you know, and see what see what could happen next.
What's in your opinion, what's the best thing about Coach Carroll?
I know, for for me, I asked this question all
the time. It's his energy. I just people don't realize
how the energy of your leader when he walks into
(18:53):
the building, if it's up, I mean, it kind of
just makes naturally makes your energy level go up. If
he's in an urgent state, and your urgency goes up. Um.
And that's what I love about Pete. Talk about you
know what you think is the most important aspect or
thing about Pete Carroll? Okay, Um, I think one of
the biggest gifts I've been so this show. I'm gonna
(19:14):
be with him for sixteen years. Sixteen years? What I
he was in his forties and now he's sixties. I'm forty.
Now you know things have changed, man. I'd say one
of the biggest things about him is that he challenges
us to discover who we are, and he knows who
(19:35):
he is. He would say, I'm a competitor. That's he
knows who he is. So how's that helped me? He's
influenced me to discover what is most important to me.
I'm a Christian. Jesus is most important to me, my
wife Charlotte, and my four children, and then the game
of football in that order. So he's really helped me
to discover what's most important to me and to live it,
and I think what you touched upon with the players
(19:58):
you just barely brushed upon. But hopefully it caused guys
to start thinking, okay, who are they? Like football may
describe you, but doesn't define you. I used to be
in NFL football or I'm an NFL player currently. That
may describe what you do who you are, but who
ultimately are you is the deeper meaning that we're trying
to help our Seahawks and coaches to discover. And I
(20:20):
appreciate what you how you went through with that. It's huge,
especially here from another guy who's really crossed over the
line though from playing to retirement. It's gonna happen to
all of us someday, you know, And that's how I
started it. I mean, it's gonna happen to all of us.
And Pete and I talked about it earlier that day.
Purpose you know so often, you know, and purpose has
been football since I was five years old. Man Um
(20:44):
and I always talk about parallels. I talked to kids
in my foundation about running parallels. You can chase your
dream at the same time while you know, developing another love,
developing another purpose or why you get up in the
morning and Um, obviously Christ has been huge in your life. Um,
talk about how how your your your your spirit and
(21:05):
your religion has kind of guided your life. Mike, I'm
telling you, just like we talked about even as a boy,
like football was my identity and my pinnacle was not
the NFLI pinnacles. If I can only play at US
I walked on as a junior. I went I had
to go to junior college and I wasn't good enough.
And then I went walk down and beg to get
(21:26):
on into my senior my next year to gave me
a scholarship. Man, this is the greatest thing in the world.
But I had people talking to me about Christ, the
Gospel and the change in my life where that fire
side of football is like a big part of me,
but it isn't doesn't define who I am. And Jesus
dying on the cross rising up three days later, this
science exactly who I am. And so how does that
actually influence my coaching and my parenting, in my parents
(21:50):
and being a husband. You know, my goal number one
goals to have Charlotte loved Jesus more. My number one
goal for my children to teach him to love Jesus.
My number one goal and football is help guys be
as good as it could become, so that you develop
relationships that man, this guy actually cares about me. And
so when deeper, more meaningful things come up, then I'm
able to speak the truth to them, you know, and
(22:11):
essentially guys and everything that I do, so even the
shoulder thing, shoulder tackling, you know, people just tackling. Well,
if this could help people to be safer and help
me really help the game of football thrive beyond our generations,
what a great thing to be a part of. That's awesome,
rock Man. I want to thank you for coming in today, man,
I mean really, man, it's good seeing You're always good
(22:33):
to see a friend, um. And what you guys are
doing for the game of football, because you hear so
much negativity about our game, about the concussions, about uh,
you know, you see the decline and Pop Warner and
things like that. And I tell people all the time,
the game of football it should be called CEOs and
training because if we could really take all the skills
(22:53):
that we learned to being on time, to discipline, the route, recogntion,
all the things that make us great athletes, we can
take that and translate that into real life skills. All
you do is taking xs and os and making it
another concept. You'd be successful in almost everything. Look what
you've done here, you know, that's an example. And look
what you're doing with your community back in in Virginia,
(23:14):
you know what I mean. And so we're hoping to
develop raise up leaders. And the game has enough adversity,
enough good stuff, and enough support as a team that
you learn these skills, you know, And um so, yeah,
the game football is the greatest game. We have to
do what we can to protect and strengthen that. You
know what a privilege it is to be part of this.
Dope man, dope dude, can I plug the clinic one
(23:37):
last time? It's at Englewood High School, Light nine from
ten to twelve. It's just it will be in the auditorium.
Like we said, we'll have representatives from the Rams who
are adopting our style, the Raiders who can brought to
the Raiders Ken Orn, and then we'll have Seahawk me
and maybe another coach and maybe Bobby. I think Bobby
(23:58):
Wagoner is gonna be there. So come on out, Man's free, free, hopefully, hopefully, hopefully,
you guys, the network could uh, I don't know, make
maybe even make a segment out of it. You got
nothing else there after man, after the after the hundred
talking about that we can talk about tackle and use
this platform to educate the world of football. Man, all right, well,
(24:20):
you know what before I let you go, you mentioned
it before the top one. I'm just going I'm just
going to Okay, you got what's your top ten players? Oh? Man? Yeah, yeah,
I put you on the spot. I think they're all
Seahawks though. Come on, some great players in this league.
Watch film. You see some great players. So you don't
(24:40):
have ten players that you could that you can name off.
I'm out of blank right now. You call me. I
wasn't prepared for that one. Hold. I went through your
studio and I try to look for the tender, and
we have the tender. We don't have it yet. We
don't have it. I gave my ten yesterday. And you
know I have some receivers, you know, ten, eight, nine,
I mean ten on eight and then you know you
on to you know, Luke kick Lee and Agent Peterson
(25:02):
and no guys but Tom Brady. Man, it's tough to
not four Super Bowl championships. I mean he's almost he's
over forty, almost, man, and still doing it at a
high level. You gotta put him up there, man, I'm
gonna let you go. That's it for this week's Seahawks
special episode of the R and B Podcast. Thanks Coach
Seto for joining us and Sully for filling in behind
(25:24):
the glass for Producer TV. We'll be back next week
with Nate B and Producer TV. Remember to subscribe on iTunes,
comment read to we spread the words on the podcast
hashtag are and B podcast were out of here? Of course, man,
that's how we do it.
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