June 2, 2025 • 20 mins
Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune joins Dick Fain to talk about his trip to Alaska recently, where one outlet ranks the Seahawks roster right now, ongoing OTA practices out at the VMAC this week, plus which key players stood out from action this afternoon.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Rolling in the five o'clock hour.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Our friend Greg Bell is back from the Great North.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
How you doing, Greg, I'm good. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Tell me about tell me about Alaska and visiting your
daughter there, and how close did you actually come to
those eight hundred pound Kodiak bears.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
It's incredible. I've been to. I am married to a
type of woman who we had our honeymoon backpacking into Dolly. Okay,
so right, so I've been to Alaska, but I've never
been to Kodiak Island. We went to a crab Fest,
the annual celebration they have there when we first got there.
My daughter's doing summer training in the Coast Guard at
(00:44):
the air Station Kodiak. There. It was an amazing experience.
I mean, it truly is still the last Frontier. We
went to Katmi National Park, and I don't know if
anyone's ever listening, ever ever been there. You can only
boat or fly in floatplane in there. And we chartered
a tour guide in a floatplane to fly in there.
(01:04):
Because we've been hiking all over the island and driving
all over the island. It's only like forty miles a
road of a thousand square mile island. Trying to find
bears all week and this isn't the salmon haven't started
running up the streams yet and the rivers, so they're Yeah,
so they're up in the hills. So we were even
(01:24):
hiking up mountains trying to find these guys. So my
wife said, we're doing it. I don't know if forever
get back here. Let's charter a plane and go to Katmai,
and man, are we glad we did? It was an
incredible experience. I probably got within a quick slant route
of grizzly bears about fifteen yards ten weeks. You're supposed
to do.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
If they run after you, you're they're fast than you are.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Yeah, exactly. Had we had a guide, I was getting nervous.
My kids were there. This is far enough, but this guide.
She's been doing it for thirty years, seeing her husband.
If anyone ever goes their seat aptly named Seahawk Air
out of Kodiak flies their floatplane they own there. He
had to stay on the plane because the tides rolling
(02:09):
and out so suddenly there that you don't want your
plane sandbard and you can't get out, okay till the
tide change again. So she's stayed in the plane. Well,
she walked us, and we walked up on these two
brown bears that were actually mating when we got there,
and I said, oh, that's the wrong time to show up.
And then she says, look, we'll walk as a pack.
(02:30):
Six of us walk as one, and we will walk
in sideways. And then whenever the bears would stop and
look at us, she'd say, okay, crouch down, and it
showed the bears that we weren't threatening, and they they
would eventually gain trust and then resume doing whatever they're doing,
it eventually eating right. And then she said that she's
(02:52):
been there so many times over thirty years that those
bears know her by smell and by sight, and so
they trust her. And I said, well, you know that
doesn't help us, because we just got here exactly. It
won't go out for you.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
They'll go after me.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
And she said, you just keep doing what I'm saying,
and travel is one. And if they look up and
stare at us and you drop down to your knees
and show that you're not confronting them, that eventually they'd
go to trust you. And they did. And then we
started to walk and they were not even paying attention
to us. We walked within fifteen twenty yards of them, Dick,
and they didn't look at it.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
That is unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Man, it was.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
I would love to do that, but also I would
need an out.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
I would need like some jeep to run into that
was closer to me than the bear was. But oh man,
that is fantastic. Well I'm glad you got to go
up there and see your daughter.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
That's that. That is really really cool.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
And now it's and now it's back to work and
it's you know, but it was seventy degrees out today
for ots. Before we talk about what you saw, I
want to I want to throw this out at you.
PFF did their roster rankings and we talked about on
the show last week when you were gone, and they
had the Seahawks ranked as the number twenty two roster
(04:04):
in the NFL, and I was like, wow, I mean,
I figured, you know, we all thought this team was
going to be pretty good. Are you surprised they had
him as the twenty second best roster? And if they
are truly the twenty second best roster, is that a
bit of a condemnation on how John Schneider's built this
football team, because it's not like he's had to pay
a quarterback a lot of money in the last three
(04:26):
or four years, so he shouldn't have the twenty second
best roster.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Well, I'm not surprised, Dick, because first of all, we're
in southwest of Southeast Alaska, is.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Right, just no Kodiak bears here, but yes, we are
still in Southeast Alas southwest Alasta.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
You're right, and as soon as you over just jettison
all your quarterbacks and start over at the most important
position with a guy that a lot of people in
the league think is just a one year wonder that
they're so skeptical on to say, well, yeah, Sam Donald
was fourteen to three last year, but look what the
Lions did him. Look at the Rams him in the playoffs,
and he just had one good year so far in
(05:03):
his career. They're not sold on the team overhauling itself
at the most important position. I agree with the skepticism.
I think they got worse at quarterback. I think that
Gino Smith now long term, they got better, especially with
the youth. The fact that they're actually going to pay
less to Sam Donald than they're gonna would have paid
(05:24):
Gino Smith at his age going on thirty five age
thirty five season, but in the present they got worse
at quarterback. I think Geno Smith overall is better in
the now than Sam Donald.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Even the system, because the system seems to tailor directly
with Donald.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Well, it became a part and parcel deal right once
Geno Smith asked for so much money that they handpicked
the replacement to be a guy that the new offensive coordinator,
Clint Kubiac system would work best better with than that
is Sam Donald. But when when you haven't won a
playoff game in so many years? They when you haven't
reached the end title game or past the second round
(06:02):
in a decade, and when you overhaul you have a
rookie head coach, and now you have an overhauled offense
with their third offensive system in three years, and a
quarterback who a lot of people around the league don't
believe in other than a one year wonder. I get
the perception of the twenty second They're not the twenty
second best roster. No, this defense was top five over
the ladder half last season after Ernest Jones arrived. This
(06:24):
defense is still the strength of the team. They can
win a lot of games with the defense they have
if they can get the damn running game going, and
regardless of how Sam Donn played now, eventually a quarterback
position will sink of swim you. But defense and running
the ball the way they want to, they can go
a long way with that. Then, I mean, I saw
(06:46):
I formation student body right sweeps.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Yeah, so we were talking to you about Dalyss.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, tell me what you saw, because you threw up
the numbers for us earlier last hour.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
He said, you know, we're talking about.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Going from a Ryan Grubb offense, which which did I
formation less than one percent of the time, to Kobiak,
who was almost a quarter of every play.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Was I formation, Yes, the first two plays of the
first two sessions of eleven and eleven, the first offense
ran was I formation with Brady Russell as the fullback.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Kenny Mackin touches the tabl like they were giving Kenneth
Walker the day off of the scrimmage reps. He did,
he was on the field and participating in the position reps.
But they were I formation toss right. It looked like
Charles White in the nineteen eighty USC Trojan And we
haven't seen that here, and I mean I have to
go back to Max Strong to think about the last
time that they were in I formation under Mike Congran.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
And mean he didn't running a lot. Then it was
like we gotta go back to Chuck Knox.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
I mean, we gotta be we gotta be Craig tossing
at the warner for I formation right the little John Eller.
You know, maybe I don't know who was doctor Dan
lead blocking or something like that.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
It is going to be different. And Mike McDonald has
said I tried to put them down a few times,
especially after they drafted oots from fullback from Alabama, tight
end from all they're going to make a fullback and
he said, you know what we're You're going to see
a lot of two back. I'm not going to tell
you it's going to be every down, but you're going
to see a lot of two back eye formation stuff.
(08:19):
And that alone is different. It's play action, rollouts and bootlegs.
It is a lot. It is. I mean, my first
day impression is it is so much different than Ryan
Greb is so much different than even Shane Waldron's offense.
It's so much different than any offense the Seahawks I've
had here in the last two decades. We'll see how
much they do the two back step, but they're going
(08:39):
to do it a lot in training camp because to
install it and get that mentality change, and it is
going to look different. And when you turn on the
TV and watch preseason games, it's going to look different.
It's a whole new approach. But it takes a while
in this league. The league and the defensive coordinators don't
wait on you when you're starting over on offense. Just
(08:59):
like took half the season and Ernest Jones the tweaks
at middle linebacker to fix the defense last year, it's
going to take a while, well into the season for
this offense to be what they think it'll be this year.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
So is it, you know, just trying to grind down
the defense, win the time of possession battle, win these games?
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Fourteen thirteen, seventeen thirteen? Is that going to be the
mo for this football team this year?
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Not necessarily. I mean, if you remember early in September
last year, before the Saints had all there are tons
of injuries at offensive line and wide receiver and eventually quarterback.
They were scoring forty points a game in September last
year they went in and the Clint Kubak's offense went
in and scored forty plus in Dallas and killed the Cowboys.
It's not as though they're just trying to grind it down,
(09:44):
but they are trying to establish the run first. This
is a contract year for Kenneth Walker, in a really
big one, and he's going to get ample opportunity to
get a huge new contract, whether it's here in Seattle
or somewhere else. In this new offense, it was they
didn't even try to run a certain points lest I
can think of the Packers game late. I can think
(10:04):
of the Rams home game late when the end zone intercepts.
Everyone remembers the hundred three yard return that Tino Smith threw,
but they did that in the red zone because they
just decided they could not run. Can they finally run
the ball this year? Can this offensive line it is
being remade. I mean today the first round rookie, first
round at grays Abel was the starting left guard from
the first play. It is going to be different on
(10:27):
the offensive line. Can this new offensive line run block
to me's besides all the other things, and Sam Darnold
and Cooper Cup and I'll do scantly. Can they run
the ball? And that goes to the new offensive line
and what they do up front. That's the key to
their season offense.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
So did Olu primarily play center? And who do we
have a right guard?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Bradford?
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah, Jensen will get some time. But alternately, again it
was Christy Haynes that right guard and the first and
Anthony Bradford later on got some reps alternating in it
right guard, but it was noticeable that Christian Yanes was
starting at right guard to begin the practice and the
Corset Lucas has had his first healthy offseason as an
NFL player. He was at right tackle on the left
(11:13):
tackle Charles Cross going in to what is now going
to be the next to last year that they picked
up the fifty year contract option, so they're set at tackle.
The guards will still being determined. They drafted Grey's Abel
in the first round to be the starter there. I'd
look at Jalon Sendell as a strong possibility of starting
at center over with Timmy. Of course, we all know
Timmy starting at the end of last year only because
(11:34):
Connor Williams just stopped them left and retired at the
age of twenty seven. In the year, but they aren't
sold on ol Timmy and it wouldn't surprise me. They
keep talking about Jalen Sindell, North Dakota State undrafted rookie
last year and how this offense fits him specifically better
than it did last year.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
At center, fifth round pick, wide receiver Tory Horton was
was back.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Is he one hundred? Is he still limited on what
he can do out there?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Hey, you're living in me? Was returning punts, He was
doing change of direction drills in an open field tackle drill,
the kind of stuff, the drills and cuts you wouldn't
see a guy make if he wasn't full go. And
that was cleared. He missed most of last season the
color to stay with the knee injury. But yeah, all
signs all look good there. My first impression is at quarterback.
(12:18):
I just put the story out of the News Tribune
dot com. Everyone's gonna ask about that. Let me put
the caveat public. It's only June, right, and it's not
contact nopads. But Donald had a tough day and at
one point his offensive coordinator let him know about it
pretty loudly between plays while he was standing in the huddle.
He got picked off by Jordan Love cutting in front
(12:40):
of Cooper Cup in the end zone. Two plays later
a second interception in three plays Josh Job, who was
playing outside right corner, starting at right corner when they
moved Witherspoon inside, jumping out wrapped by Jackson Smith and
Jigger for a second interception. Trew Locke looked really good
and particular some throws a rolling left and throwing back
(13:02):
across his body. One was twenty five yards of Stephen Simms,
the former Baltimore Ravens veteran wide receiver, towed the sidelines
twenty five yards on a rollout left and John Schneider,
the GM had to come over and look at the
video board that along as sidelines here to make sure
that he believe what he saw, and when he saw
the replay kind of explained his approval of that throw
(13:24):
by Lock. But Lock looked really good. Touchdowns on consecutive
plays in the red zone, including Cody White and a
really nice throw over the middle Jalen Milroe. I mean again,
it's first impression, but he was as advertised, he needs
help in Accuracyana is throwing. He was overthrown two or
three He overthrew two or three guys to start the scrimmage,
(13:45):
one with three yards over the receiver in the back
of the end zone. That's a project. That's something that
Andrew johnco in, the new quarterbacks coach and Clint Kubiak
have a couple of years to develop him. I've said
I had written it, Dick, but it's really a two
year contract for Sam Darnold. The way the money structured
and how backloaded it is money wise, They've got two
(14:07):
years to find out if they want to give him
a third or even a fourths assists and another deal.
And that's two years of how long they have you
could save with Milroe going. But Threw Locke was offto
an impressive start today.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Defensively, I saw PFF named Tyresee Knight the guy they
expect to improve more than any other linebacker in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
What do you think overall this defense?
Speaker 2 (14:29):
I mean, there's no like superstar in the front seven,
but it seems to be pretty solid with a little
bit of depth as well.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
I'm really impressed by Ernest Jones and what he was
for them last year. I haven't seen a guy, a
singular player change a unit in Seattle and maybe in
a decade a singular guy to come in and make
that pick of an impression to bench into trade. You're
starting inside linebackers in the span of a week because
of how good a Ernest Jones was upon arrival. He
(15:02):
transformed them and that's why they gave him the new contract.
He's exactly what Mike McDonald wants, both in recognizing defenses,
calling and out communicating, and most of all being assertive
and getting into running lanes. I mean, guys went down
when he hit him last year and early in the
season when they had Dotson and Baker, guys would drag
(15:23):
the middle linebackers two or three or seven yards. When
Jones hits guys, they go straight down. And that's the
difference between second and one or two in second eight.
And that's what Ernest Jones brings them, and he, to
me transformed them. They now they've added Dexter Lawrence on
Marcus Lawrens on top of the defensive line that they
(15:45):
already think is very good with Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy.
Jared Reid is back and I asked him today. It
was noticeable to me that he was here for these
voluntary OTAs, and he says it's really important for me
to be here to gail with these coaches. That it's
the second year for these coaches, and the players really
think they are way ahead of they were at this
(16:05):
time last year. And the players got together and said
it's important to be here. Pretty much everybody's here, Yeah,
and I can't remember. I mean, Ernest Jones didn't practice,
but was doing conditioning. Jos before practice began. Ken and
Wosu was here, was doing some conditioning, but they didn't practice.
But they're all here. And tickets really rare, even when
(16:27):
times are great for teams to have this much I mean,
almost one hundred percent participation in the offseason OTAs.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Now, the camaraderie, the vibe seem seems very very good. Hey,
before we let you go. The Seahawks and the Bucks
are kind of using different tactics to try to keep
season ticket holders from reselling their tickets. I mean, the
Seahawks using the stick a little bit, saying they are
discouraging people from reselling their tickets, potentially impacting their renewal eligibility.
(16:54):
And the Tampa Bay Bucks are like, hey, if you
just sit in your seat, all year. We'll give you
like one hundred bucks to spend it at a spend
of the concession stands.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
So you, aside from getting more wins.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
At home, is there any way that the Hawks can
ensure a higher percentage of fans actually attend their games?
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Hawks fans their games?
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Well, First of all, I saw that what the Buckeers
were doing. It was fifty dollars to team the credit
how much the NFL season tickets are They need more
than fifty dollars? Type people to shut up. But the
Seahawks would do it well by not increasing season tickets
on a year that they missed the playoffs a second consecutive. Yeah,
(17:35):
let's start there. And they need to not sell to
brokers who it's not just these ticket holders who are
reselling tickets behind the visiting ends up. Ticket brokers own
those and so they're already going to be marked up
from the get go because of who owns some of
those seeds. The ticket brokers are smart. They bought the
tickets behind the visiting teams benches knowing that visiting team
(17:57):
fans would want to sit in those and that they're
willing to pay a huge premium on those tickets. But
I don't blame season ticket holders who are getting price
hikes to them for a team that missed the playoffs
three of the last four years and then know that
they can recoup fifty percent of their value in one
game because some cheesehead that moved from Wisconsin wants to
see the Packers. How can you blame them for selling
(18:20):
those And so I know you said as a decided
besides the fact of winning, the way to fix this
is to win, to not go four and five at
home and make the playoffs and have home playoff games.
You do that for a year or two and you
watch how packed this is. We never had this discussion
when they went to back to back Super Bowls because
they won it hold at home all the time. Yeah,
(18:41):
it's a bad combo to not win, to miss the playoffs,
and then hike your season ticket prices again and have
the people keep paying it. I mean, it's not like
it's eighty one games like the Mariners are. Yeah, and
they're paying for eight home games plus two preseason games
that they're forced to pay for that no one wants
to go to, and at regular season prices, it ain't
(19:04):
exactly a fan friendly environment to buy season tickets at
the prices that they charge more power to fans. We
can give me coop some of the costs that they've
lost it to pay for these.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Hey, great stuff, It's great to have you back. I'm
glad you're back with two arms and two legs. I'm
assuming you still have two arms and two legs and
I've been ripped off Kodiak bear up in Alaska.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
All right, thanks man, we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
All right, Thank you. I actually hosted tomorrow morning for Bucky,
so I'll be on tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Perfect.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
We'll tune in from six to ten tomorrow morning. Thanks, Greg,
appreciate it. Thanks, Thanks you've met Greg Bell coming on
tomorrow morning from six to ten with Buck love It
five twenty two On ninety three point three kJ R
f M. We got a little Pope Pirie coming up.
Seahawks continuing their OTAs the thunder, the seventh biggest favorite
(19:55):
in NBA history at minus seven hundred. What kind of
chances do we give the beloved Indiana Pacers our team
for the next two weeks, uh to knock them off.
We'll talk that about that as well. Coming up on
ninety three point three KJRFM,
Rolling in the five o'clock hour.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Our friend Greg Bell is back from the Great North.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
How you doing, Greg, I'm good. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Tell me about tell me about Alaska and visiting your
daughter there, and how close did you actually come to
those eight hundred pound Kodiak bears.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
It's incredible. I've been to. I am married to a
type of woman who we had our honeymoon backpacking into Dolly. Okay,
so right, so I've been to Alaska, but I've never
been to Kodiak Island. We went to a crab Fest,
the annual celebration they have there when we first got there.
My daughter's doing summer training in the Coast Guard at
(00:44):
the air Station Kodiak. There. It was an amazing experience.
I mean, it truly is still the last Frontier. We
went to Katmi National Park, and I don't know if
anyone's ever listening, ever ever been there. You can only
boat or fly in floatplane in there. And we chartered
a tour guide in a floatplane to fly in there.
(01:04):
Because we've been hiking all over the island and driving
all over the island. It's only like forty miles a
road of a thousand square mile island. Trying to find
bears all week and this isn't the salmon haven't started
running up the streams yet and the rivers, so they're Yeah,
so they're up in the hills. So we were even
(01:24):
hiking up mountains trying to find these guys. So my
wife said, we're doing it. I don't know if forever
get back here. Let's charter a plane and go to Katmai,
and man, are we glad we did? It was an
incredible experience. I probably got within a quick slant route
of grizzly bears about fifteen yards ten weeks. You're supposed
to do.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
If they run after you, you're they're fast than you are.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Yeah, exactly. Had we had a guide, I was getting nervous.
My kids were there. This is far enough, but this guide.
She's been doing it for thirty years, seeing her husband.
If anyone ever goes their seat aptly named Seahawk Air
out of Kodiak flies their floatplane they own there. He
had to stay on the plane because the tides rolling
(02:09):
and out so suddenly there that you don't want your
plane sandbard and you can't get out, okay till the
tide change again. So she's stayed in the plane. Well,
she walked us, and we walked up on these two
brown bears that were actually mating when we got there,
and I said, oh, that's the wrong time to show up.
And then she says, look, we'll walk as a pack.
(02:30):
Six of us walk as one, and we will walk
in sideways. And then whenever the bears would stop and
look at us, she'd say, okay, crouch down, and it
showed the bears that we weren't threatening, and they they
would eventually gain trust and then resume doing whatever they're doing,
it eventually eating right. And then she said that she's
(02:52):
been there so many times over thirty years that those
bears know her by smell and by sight, and so
they trust her. And I said, well, you know that
doesn't help us, because we just got here exactly. It
won't go out for you.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
They'll go after me.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
And she said, you just keep doing what I'm saying,
and travel is one. And if they look up and
stare at us and you drop down to your knees
and show that you're not confronting them, that eventually they'd
go to trust you. And they did. And then we
started to walk and they were not even paying attention
to us. We walked within fifteen twenty yards of them, Dick,
and they didn't look at it.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
That is unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Man, it was.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
I would love to do that, but also I would
need an out.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
I would need like some jeep to run into that
was closer to me than the bear was. But oh man,
that is fantastic. Well I'm glad you got to go
up there and see your daughter.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
That's that. That is really really cool.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
And now it's and now it's back to work and
it's you know, but it was seventy degrees out today
for ots. Before we talk about what you saw, I
want to I want to throw this out at you.
PFF did their roster rankings and we talked about on
the show last week when you were gone, and they
had the Seahawks ranked as the number twenty two roster
(04:04):
in the NFL, and I was like, wow, I mean,
I figured, you know, we all thought this team was
going to be pretty good. Are you surprised they had
him as the twenty second best roster? And if they
are truly the twenty second best roster, is that a
bit of a condemnation on how John Schneider's built this
football team, because it's not like he's had to pay
a quarterback a lot of money in the last three
(04:26):
or four years, so he shouldn't have the twenty second
best roster.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Well, I'm not surprised, Dick, because first of all, we're
in southwest of Southeast Alaska, is.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Right, just no Kodiak bears here, but yes, we are
still in Southeast Alas southwest Alasta.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
You're right, and as soon as you over just jettison
all your quarterbacks and start over at the most important
position with a guy that a lot of people in
the league think is just a one year wonder that
they're so skeptical on to say, well, yeah, Sam Donald
was fourteen to three last year, but look what the
Lions did him. Look at the Rams him in the playoffs,
and he just had one good year so far in
(05:03):
his career. They're not sold on the team overhauling itself
at the most important position. I agree with the skepticism.
I think they got worse at quarterback. I think that
Gino Smith now long term, they got better, especially with
the youth. The fact that they're actually going to pay
less to Sam Donald than they're gonna would have paid
(05:24):
Gino Smith at his age going on thirty five age
thirty five season, but in the present they got worse
at quarterback. I think Geno Smith overall is better in
the now than Sam Donald.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Even the system, because the system seems to tailor directly
with Donald.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Well, it became a part and parcel deal right once
Geno Smith asked for so much money that they handpicked
the replacement to be a guy that the new offensive coordinator,
Clint Kubiac system would work best better with than that
is Sam Donald. But when when you haven't won a
playoff game in so many years? They when you haven't
reached the end title game or past the second round
(06:02):
in a decade, and when you overhaul you have a
rookie head coach, and now you have an overhauled offense
with their third offensive system in three years, and a
quarterback who a lot of people around the league don't
believe in other than a one year wonder. I get
the perception of the twenty second They're not the twenty
second best roster. No, this defense was top five over
the ladder half last season after Ernest Jones arrived. This
(06:24):
defense is still the strength of the team. They can
win a lot of games with the defense they have
if they can get the damn running game going, and
regardless of how Sam Donn played now, eventually a quarterback
position will sink of swim you. But defense and running
the ball the way they want to, they can go
a long way with that. Then, I mean, I saw
(06:46):
I formation student body right sweeps.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Yeah, so we were talking to you about Dalyss.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, tell me what you saw, because you threw up
the numbers for us earlier last hour.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
He said, you know, we're talking about.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Going from a Ryan Grubb offense, which which did I
formation less than one percent of the time, to Kobiak,
who was almost a quarter of every play.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Was I formation, Yes, the first two plays of the
first two sessions of eleven and eleven, the first offense
ran was I formation with Brady Russell as the fullback.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Kenny Mackin touches the tabl like they were giving Kenneth
Walker the day off of the scrimmage reps. He did,
he was on the field and participating in the position reps.
But they were I formation toss right. It looked like
Charles White in the nineteen eighty USC Trojan And we
haven't seen that here, and I mean I have to
go back to Max Strong to think about the last
time that they were in I formation under Mike Congran.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
And mean he didn't running a lot. Then it was
like we gotta go back to Chuck Knox.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
I mean, we gotta be we gotta be Craig tossing
at the warner for I formation right the little John Eller.
You know, maybe I don't know who was doctor Dan
lead blocking or something like that.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
It is going to be different. And Mike McDonald has
said I tried to put them down a few times,
especially after they drafted oots from fullback from Alabama, tight
end from all they're going to make a fullback and
he said, you know what we're You're going to see
a lot of two back. I'm not going to tell
you it's going to be every down, but you're going
to see a lot of two back eye formation stuff.
(08:19):
And that alone is different. It's play action, rollouts and bootlegs.
It is a lot. It is. I mean, my first
day impression is it is so much different than Ryan
Greb is so much different than even Shane Waldron's offense.
It's so much different than any offense the Seahawks I've
had here in the last two decades. We'll see how
much they do the two back step, but they're going
(08:39):
to do it a lot in training camp because to
install it and get that mentality change, and it is
going to look different. And when you turn on the
TV and watch preseason games, it's going to look different.
It's a whole new approach. But it takes a while
in this league. The league and the defensive coordinators don't
wait on you when you're starting over on offense. Just
(08:59):
like took half the season and Ernest Jones the tweaks
at middle linebacker to fix the defense last year, it's
going to take a while, well into the season for
this offense to be what they think it'll be this year.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
So is it, you know, just trying to grind down
the defense, win the time of possession battle, win these games?
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Fourteen thirteen, seventeen thirteen? Is that going to be the
mo for this football team this year?
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Not necessarily. I mean, if you remember early in September
last year, before the Saints had all there are tons
of injuries at offensive line and wide receiver and eventually quarterback.
They were scoring forty points a game in September last
year they went in and the Clint Kubak's offense went
in and scored forty plus in Dallas and killed the Cowboys.
It's not as though they're just trying to grind it down,
(09:44):
but they are trying to establish the run first. This
is a contract year for Kenneth Walker, in a really
big one, and he's going to get ample opportunity to
get a huge new contract, whether it's here in Seattle
or somewhere else. In this new offense, it was they
didn't even try to run a certain points lest I
can think of the Packers game late. I can think
(10:04):
of the Rams home game late when the end zone intercepts.
Everyone remembers the hundred three yard return that Tino Smith threw,
but they did that in the red zone because they
just decided they could not run. Can they finally run
the ball this year? Can this offensive line it is
being remade. I mean today the first round rookie, first
round at grays Abel was the starting left guard from
the first play. It is going to be different on
(10:27):
the offensive line. Can this new offensive line run block
to me's besides all the other things, and Sam Darnold
and Cooper Cup and I'll do scantly. Can they run
the ball? And that goes to the new offensive line
and what they do up front. That's the key to
their season offense.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
So did Olu primarily play center? And who do we
have a right guard?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Bradford?
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah, Jensen will get some time. But alternately, again it
was Christy Haynes that right guard and the first and
Anthony Bradford later on got some reps alternating in it
right guard, but it was noticeable that Christian Yanes was
starting at right guard to begin the practice and the
Corset Lucas has had his first healthy offseason as an
NFL player. He was at right tackle on the left
(11:13):
tackle Charles Cross going in to what is now going
to be the next to last year that they picked
up the fifty year contract option, so they're set at tackle.
The guards will still being determined. They drafted Grey's Abel
in the first round to be the starter there. I'd
look at Jalon Sendell as a strong possibility of starting
at center over with Timmy. Of course, we all know
Timmy starting at the end of last year only because
(11:34):
Connor Williams just stopped them left and retired at the
age of twenty seven. In the year, but they aren't
sold on ol Timmy and it wouldn't surprise me. They
keep talking about Jalen Sindell, North Dakota State undrafted rookie
last year and how this offense fits him specifically better
than it did last year.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
At center, fifth round pick, wide receiver Tory Horton was
was back.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Is he one hundred? Is he still limited on what
he can do out there?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Hey, you're living in me? Was returning punts, He was
doing change of direction drills in an open field tackle drill,
the kind of stuff, the drills and cuts you wouldn't
see a guy make if he wasn't full go. And
that was cleared. He missed most of last season the
color to stay with the knee injury. But yeah, all
signs all look good there. My first impression is at quarterback.
(12:18):
I just put the story out of the News Tribune
dot com. Everyone's gonna ask about that. Let me put
the caveat public. It's only June, right, and it's not
contact nopads. But Donald had a tough day and at
one point his offensive coordinator let him know about it
pretty loudly between plays while he was standing in the huddle.
He got picked off by Jordan Love cutting in front
(12:40):
of Cooper Cup in the end zone. Two plays later
a second interception in three plays Josh Job, who was
playing outside right corner, starting at right corner when they
moved Witherspoon inside, jumping out wrapped by Jackson Smith and
Jigger for a second interception. Trew Locke looked really good
and particular some throws a rolling left and throwing back
(13:02):
across his body. One was twenty five yards of Stephen Simms,
the former Baltimore Ravens veteran wide receiver, towed the sidelines
twenty five yards on a rollout left and John Schneider,
the GM had to come over and look at the
video board that along as sidelines here to make sure
that he believe what he saw, and when he saw
the replay kind of explained his approval of that throw
(13:24):
by Lock. But Lock looked really good. Touchdowns on consecutive
plays in the red zone, including Cody White and a
really nice throw over the middle Jalen Milroe. I mean again,
it's first impression, but he was as advertised, he needs
help in Accuracyana is throwing. He was overthrown two or
three He overthrew two or three guys to start the scrimmage,
(13:45):
one with three yards over the receiver in the back
of the end zone. That's a project. That's something that
Andrew johnco in, the new quarterbacks coach and Clint Kubiak
have a couple of years to develop him. I've said
I had written it, Dick, but it's really a two
year contract for Sam Darnold. The way the money structured
and how backloaded it is money wise, They've got two
(14:07):
years to find out if they want to give him
a third or even a fourths assists and another deal.
And that's two years of how long they have you
could save with Milroe going. But Threw Locke was offto
an impressive start today.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Defensively, I saw PFF named Tyresee Knight the guy they
expect to improve more than any other linebacker in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
What do you think overall this defense?
Speaker 2 (14:29):
I mean, there's no like superstar in the front seven,
but it seems to be pretty solid with a little
bit of depth as well.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
I'm really impressed by Ernest Jones and what he was
for them last year. I haven't seen a guy, a
singular player change a unit in Seattle and maybe in
a decade a singular guy to come in and make
that pick of an impression to bench into trade. You're
starting inside linebackers in the span of a week because
of how good a Ernest Jones was upon arrival. He
(15:02):
transformed them and that's why they gave him the new contract.
He's exactly what Mike McDonald wants, both in recognizing defenses,
calling and out communicating, and most of all being assertive
and getting into running lanes. I mean, guys went down
when he hit him last year and early in the
season when they had Dotson and Baker, guys would drag
(15:23):
the middle linebackers two or three or seven yards. When
Jones hits guys, they go straight down. And that's the
difference between second and one or two in second eight.
And that's what Ernest Jones brings them, and he, to
me transformed them. They now they've added Dexter Lawrence on
Marcus Lawrens on top of the defensive line that they
(15:45):
already think is very good with Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy.
Jared Reid is back and I asked him today. It
was noticeable to me that he was here for these
voluntary OTAs, and he says it's really important for me
to be here to gail with these coaches. That it's
the second year for these coaches, and the players really
think they are way ahead of they were at this
(16:05):
time last year. And the players got together and said
it's important to be here. Pretty much everybody's here, Yeah,
and I can't remember. I mean, Ernest Jones didn't practice,
but was doing conditioning. Jos before practice began. Ken and
Wosu was here, was doing some conditioning, but they didn't practice.
But they're all here. And tickets really rare, even when
(16:27):
times are great for teams to have this much I mean,
almost one hundred percent participation in the offseason OTAs.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Now, the camaraderie, the vibe seem seems very very good. Hey,
before we let you go. The Seahawks and the Bucks
are kind of using different tactics to try to keep
season ticket holders from reselling their tickets. I mean, the
Seahawks using the stick a little bit, saying they are
discouraging people from reselling their tickets, potentially impacting their renewal eligibility.
(16:54):
And the Tampa Bay Bucks are like, hey, if you
just sit in your seat, all year. We'll give you
like one hundred bucks to spend it at a spend
of the concession stands.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
So you, aside from getting more wins.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
At home, is there any way that the Hawks can
ensure a higher percentage of fans actually attend their games?
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Hawks fans their games?
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Well, First of all, I saw that what the Buckeers
were doing. It was fifty dollars to team the credit
how much the NFL season tickets are They need more
than fifty dollars? Type people to shut up. But the
Seahawks would do it well by not increasing season tickets
on a year that they missed the playoffs a second consecutive. Yeah,
(17:35):
let's start there. And they need to not sell to
brokers who it's not just these ticket holders who are
reselling tickets behind the visiting ends up. Ticket brokers own
those and so they're already going to be marked up
from the get go because of who owns some of
those seeds. The ticket brokers are smart. They bought the
tickets behind the visiting teams benches knowing that visiting team
(17:57):
fans would want to sit in those and that they're
willing to pay a huge premium on those tickets. But
I don't blame season ticket holders who are getting price
hikes to them for a team that missed the playoffs
three of the last four years and then know that
they can recoup fifty percent of their value in one
game because some cheesehead that moved from Wisconsin wants to
see the Packers. How can you blame them for selling
(18:20):
those And so I know you said as a decided
besides the fact of winning, the way to fix this
is to win, to not go four and five at
home and make the playoffs and have home playoff games.
You do that for a year or two and you
watch how packed this is. We never had this discussion
when they went to back to back Super Bowls because
they won it hold at home all the time. Yeah,
(18:41):
it's a bad combo to not win, to miss the playoffs,
and then hike your season ticket prices again and have
the people keep paying it. I mean, it's not like
it's eighty one games like the Mariners are. Yeah, and
they're paying for eight home games plus two preseason games
that they're forced to pay for that no one wants
to go to, and at regular season prices, it ain't
(19:04):
exactly a fan friendly environment to buy season tickets at
the prices that they charge more power to fans. We
can give me coop some of the costs that they've
lost it to pay for these.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Hey, great stuff, It's great to have you back. I'm
glad you're back with two arms and two legs. I'm
assuming you still have two arms and two legs and
I've been ripped off Kodiak bear up in Alaska.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
All right, thanks man, we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
All right, Thank you. I actually hosted tomorrow morning for Bucky,
so I'll be on tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Perfect.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
We'll tune in from six to ten tomorrow morning. Thanks, Greg,
appreciate it. Thanks, Thanks you've met Greg Bell coming on
tomorrow morning from six to ten with Buck love It
five twenty two On ninety three point three kJ R
f M. We got a little Pope Pirie coming up.
Seahawks continuing their OTAs the thunder, the seventh biggest favorite
(19:55):
in NBA history at minus seven hundred. What kind of
chances do we give the beloved Indiana Pacers our team
for the next two weeks, uh to knock them off.
We'll talk that about that as well. Coming up on
ninety three point three KJRFM,
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