Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Live from the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio.
Now back to Softie and Dick One, your home for
the Huskies and the Craken Sports Radio ninety three point
three kjr FM.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
All right, boys and girls, back here in a busy
Tuesday night from the vMac Big Day. Clint Kubiak was
with us earlier today. You missed it, jump on the website,
check it out ninety three to three kjr FM. But
a guy who was continuing on as our Seahawk insider man,
can't wait to hear you on the every morning, Greg Bell.
Great to be with you, man, and great to have
you back on the year with us, buddy. And let's
let's first of all, just talk about kind of today,
(00:35):
I mean, first impressions of what you saw from this guy.
Hard to tell until we get going in September, but
your your thoughts on what you gleaned from the press
conference with Kubiak today, Well.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Dave, anyone who wants to think that Gino Smith and
DK metcalf are on their way out of town probably
weren't happy listening to clear The thing that he said
attracted him to the job was Gino Smith and the
opportunity to work with him, and he recited what Metcalf
has said or what McDonald has said, that he admires
his path, how he's overcome, how he was discarded by
four teams and now is a starter again at age
(01:06):
thirty four, is going on thirty five, So tea leave
reading he's not going anywhere, and they don't have a
quarterback beyond Genosmith anyway, and so it appears Gino Smith's
going to be Clint Kubiaks for not just this year,
but beyond. The second thing I found interesting was the
question I asked Kubiak and MacDonald about how do you
(01:27):
maximize Dk Metcalf? And I knew that had to be
top of mind to every single coordinator that McDonald talked
to throughout January, and he went coast to coast around
the league to do it. He talked to the line
coaches and Hank Freley Detroit. He talked to experienced coordinators
those that didn't have experience. Yudinsky from Minnesota eventually got
(01:47):
the Jaguars job, and you can bet that he said, Okay,
how are you going to make Dk Metcalf the best?
Dk Metcalf and McDonald admitted that to me today, that yeah,
that was a question that every single offensive coordinator candidate
had a plan for, and he said Kubiak had the
best plan for how to maximize Metcalf. Now, I asked
Kubak what that plan was, and no surprise, he wasn't
going to reveal that in February, seven months before the
(02:10):
games get real. But no doubt McDonald has already tasked Kubiak,
how do you get the most out of Metcalf. We're
gonna move him around, We're gonna probably play him in
the slot. We're probably gonna put in more motion. We're
probably gonna try to get him one on one situations.
And let's not just have it enough that the defense
is putting cloud coverage and bracketing him with the safety
(02:30):
over the top. Let's do more. Let's get him out
of that coverage and get him into open space even
when teams are doubling him. There were times that I think, well,
I know that Ryan grubbs schemes last season got Jackson
Smith and Jigba open at the expense of throwing the
ball to DK Metcalf. McDonald doesn't want that. He wants
both of them to be open. He wants some coordinators
(02:52):
play calls now Kubiak's to get m Metcalf in the
open field. And then the third thing I took out
of this is the job one for him as I
knew it was, is for he and the new offensive
line coach John Benton that's coming with him from the
Saints to fix this offensive line. And they weren't revealing
that either other than to say we're looking at free agents,
we're looking at draft picks. They are going to have
(03:14):
new offensive linemen because they have to right now. They
have a new voice to help pick it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
What is the market value on Geno Smith? Because I
agree with you he's probably going to be here, but
not at forty four point five million dollars and not
signed to a long, long term deal. So what are
we looking at here?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Two years maybe fifty million with guaranteed money up front
twenty five million a year that would extend maybe two
years beyond this one, so they he'd have three years
to push that money across. At forty four and a
half million dollar cap hit can then get spread across
three years rather than one you could get out of
after twenty six, or give him a two year deal
(03:52):
with void years after it. If they just did void years.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
But that cap number for this year's coming down, he
won't play chet forty four and a half.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
And they designed it that way, right. All big contracts
are designed to balloon in the last years, because that's
the decision point. You want to give the player the
first couple of years of a three year deal to
show what he's playing at it, in Smith's case, age
thirty four, and then that last season as an artificially
high number that they are going to They know when
they sign it that they're going to change that number,
whether it's that they're going to cut him. And in
(04:20):
this case, would a thirty one million dollar capt trade
him with a thirty one million dollar capit or extend
him and put that forty four and a half million
across two or three years. So I think that's what's
going to happen. The same question I asked John Schneider
at the end of the draft back in May that
he got ticked off about. It's still the same question
that applies now. What is their long term Planet quarterback?
They don't have one under contract after twenty twenty five.
(04:41):
I think that's about to change here in the next one. Yeap.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Well, Greg Bell's with us on the radio show, and
you mentioned something there that kind of caught my eye
when you said there's going to be new offensive lineman
on this football team. How many new offensive lineman will
there be? Because Kubiak was with us today and I
asked him flat out because I wanted to bring it
up to get his reaction to what Schneider had as
said before about how much he values or doesn't value
(05:04):
interior lineman.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
He overpaid over dreags.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Gobiak said with us that everything in his scheme will
start with the center. So that's a little bit of
a different approach. I mean, do we feel like big
old who is going to.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Be that guy?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Will they sign somebody else where? They have two new guards?
How many new linemen? Greg, I need a number three?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Oh wow?
Speaker 4 (05:22):
I think I like that.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I think they're gonna have. If Olvo Wood Timmy was
their guy, they wouldn't have signed Connor Williams right filve
months after knee surgery, who then walks off the job
in the middle of the season. They wouldn't have had
Christian Haynes practicing at center for the first time in
his life at the end of the last season. I
was interviewing someone in the indoor facility the last practice
week of the year before the Rams game, and out
of corner in my ass, so Christian Haynes doing shotgun snaps,
(05:46):
snapping the ball bag. I was like, wait a minute,
Haynes has never played center. He was a guard for
forty nine consecutive starts at Connecticut. He didn't win the
right guard spot because he couldn't beat out anybody, and
Anthony Bradford they don't like, or else they wouldn't given
Christian Haynes the opportunity they ventured. Laaya ended up being
the rookie st lebe I ended up being the starter
at the end of the season, So that was their fourth, third,
(06:08):
fourth choice at right guard. They aren't sold at center
for Olowa Timmy or he would have had the job already,
and Kubiak's gonna look long and hard at either drafting
or bringing one in. And Laken Tomlinson's leaving it left guard.
He was a one year fill in in his early
thirties and was beaten especially early soundly inside and when
you get inside pressure quarterbacks done, so you're gonna have
(06:29):
a new left guard and they have They have incumbents
that they like a right guard, and they do like
Lemaya a lot, but they'd be foolish not to have
Lemeya compete with somebody new from the outside. The Kubiak
and his new line coach, John Benton's bringing it. Everyone's
overlooking John Benton. He's a nineteen year veteran of NFL coaching.
He was an offensive line coach for the forty nine
Ers under Kyle Shanahan, and then he went to the
(06:51):
Jets to be the run game coordinator and line coach.
Of course, was with the Saints this past season with Kubiak.
John Benton's gonna have a huge say on this offensive
more so than Scott Huff did. Remember Scott Huff got
hired not even this time last year. It was after
this time last year that he joined the new staff,
and he was in his first time in the NFL.
He didn't know anybody in the league, players, coaches, schemes, nothing,
(07:14):
and so the offensive line was largely built on the
recommendations of John Schneider and the player personnel side of
the house. Not this year. John Benton knows everybody in
the league and they know him and he along with Kobiak,
are going to have much more of a coaching influence
on who the players are on the offensive line this year.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
So will John Schneider changed his philosophy? We have overdrafted,
overpaid because and do they have enough money? I mean,
do they have enough money for a Trey Smith? Do
they have enough money from a Drew Dolman of the
Falcons that the number one center in free agency?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Well, they're not gonna get Tray Smith because he's going
to get overbid by everybody in the league. Kansas City
Chiefs guard is going to make the highest, probably highest
free agency offensive line salary in the league this year, Dick.
If they don't change how they pick, how John Schneider
has and trusted his personnel staff, what their philosophy has
been on offensive lineman. If they don't change how they
(08:06):
picked the guys, they're gonna have the same type of players,
which for ten years has failed. You have to change
the approach to change the result. You get the same approach,
you can have to get the same results. So will
John Schneider yield whatever he's had for the last ten
years as his formula for drafting and signing offensive lineman.
Will he change that He now has an experienced offensive
(08:28):
line coach nineteen years reminds me Mike Selari a few
years ago with the Seahawks. He has a guy now
who he should and can lean on to be the
experienced voice on offensive line check and help him draft. Maybe. Absolutely,
he'd be negligent not to if he doesn't do that, though,
I think it's going to be the same result. And
then that means Kenneth Walker and Jackson Smith and Jigba
(08:49):
and DK Metcalf and Gino. So it doesn't matter what
they do if you have the same product in the
offensive Lineah. Greg Bell's with us.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Kind of slightly aroused to hear him say he wants
to use a full back.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Almost jumped over me.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, behind me, Well, Dick's Dick's got me convinced it's
a good idea. I mean, look, I I think they
already have a full back on the roster.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
His name is Byron Murphy.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
They they could have used him a year ago if
they wanted to, right, but they could have used anybody totally, Greg,
They could have used anybody in that role.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
He's kind a touchdown pass.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Yes, any defensive tackle, any tight end whatever in that role,
and they and they just didn't do it. But I mean,
I'm just thinking the last kind of real full time
was it Tu Kawafu maybe the last full time full
back they had.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
There?
Speaker 2 (09:35):
You go, Do we think that they'll draft the full
back or sign a full back in free agency or
just tinker with the guys they have now?
Speaker 3 (09:42):
I think they'll sign one. I'm not sure they'll use
a draft pick on one unless they think he's going
to help in special teams in a big way. Kubiak
also mentioned it a he'll use tight ends as a
full back, and they have Drake youngstill on the roster
who's played some fullback and is big enough to be
a blocking tight pack A J Barner of the tight
ends that they have is more of the locker. I
don't think no Offan's gonna be on the roster this year.
(10:02):
I think he's gonna be cap saving they're gonna give him.
But I don't think they're gonna draft one. I think
they'll sign one. I think it will be a limited role.
They'll sign a veteran probably who has special teams experience
and also play fullback.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
You mentioned no a fan there and another reason that
John Schneider could change his stripes would be to trade
up in the draft. Oh, you can get a replacement
for Noah Fan by trading up a few spots in
the draft and getting Tyler Warren, who many think is
just another brock Bowers plus type guy. Do you see
do you see a move like that, whether it be
(10:38):
for Warren or somebody else. Do you think John Schneider will be?
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (10:40):
My drafts have been okay, hit and miss the last
few years. Maybe I should change my philosophy a little bit,
maybe a litt more aggressive.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
In the first round, mostly miss, not as many hits. Yeah,
but I think he'll draft trade down as he always does,
and then draft lineman high. I think he's gonna stock
up some more draft picks and then choose offensive lineman.
If he's right and that offensive linement are overvalued, he
couldn't get guys that he values and appreciates lower in
the first round. It's just so against his nature to
(11:08):
trade up, especially for a tight end position. If you
trade up, well, I was gonna say, if you trade up,
you got to take a quarterback. But I was looking
today at the list of the draft order this year.
Five of the top seven teams picking in this draft
all neat quarterbacks, right, That's why they stink and are
drafting at high so just like last year, right, except
this year's draft class doesn't have five first round picks, right,
(11:30):
So the Seahawks aren't getting a quarterback that can help
them right away. So I think they're going to trade
down and get offensive line. They absolutely have to draft,
right on it. It's not just drafting drafting, right, and
that's why I think John Benton comes in as a
new line But I've said this and written this. They
could bring Bill Walsh reincarnated to call the plays if
(11:50):
they don't fix the offensive line.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
No question. All right, man, great stuff. Good to see
you morning show this week, right as usual?
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Correct, Yeah, I feel like I'm coming back.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
From you are Hey, look, you never let them keep
me down.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Man.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
You know what good news is you get so much
extra time now on your hands. Dick and I are
jealous by the way you want to do three to seven.
It's all yours, Greg, Good stuff mag you to see
if I'll appreciate this, buddy,