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October 16, 2025 • 16 mins

Seahawks legend Mike Holmgren joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about the Mariners in the ALCS right now, the Seahawks win over Jacksonville including their offensive success so far this year, the many sacks on defense, and one potential trade.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
As part of our non stop coverage of the NFL,
Your home for the twelfth Man proudly presents former Seahawks
head coach and Super Bowl champion Mike Combrin. Brought to
you by Toyota of Kirkland. The championship team at Toyota
of Kirkland does all the little things that exceed your expectations,
and that's what makes Toyota of Kirkland so special. And

(00:21):
by R and R Foundation specialist serving Western Washington for
over twenty years now from the five twenty Bar and
Grail in Bellevue, Mike Hombrin with softy and dear, you.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Know, I wonder if our next guest knows how much
coaches and players and professional sports just stress us out
beyond belief, Like do they even care about the little people?
Do they even care about us? And the fact that
we have no control over any of this whatsoever, have
to sit there and allow our moods to be dictated
by people we've never even met.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
For crying out loud, at least he can pull the
strings all the place.

Speaker 4 (00:56):
He's got some impact.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Mike Congrin's with us, coach, do you have any idea
how much this stuff just stresses out people like us.

Speaker 5 (01:03):
And do you even care? Did you care when you coached? Honestly? Oh?

Speaker 6 (01:07):
I really cared a lot, I really did. I had
to take care of my I had to take care
of my my own moods first. Yeah, but then I
always had particularly you know, and you always accused me
of yelling at you that at practice at one time.

Speaker 5 (01:20):
Yeah, yeah you did. By the way, Yeah, there's no.

Speaker 6 (01:22):
I don't see. I have no remembrance of that at all. None.
It's out of my memory bank.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, this is one of those games tonight. Before we
talk some football with you, I just got to get
your thoughts. I mean, you're a you're a coach, you're
a teacher, you're a competitor. You've been around organized athletics
your entire life. Man, uh, Mariners get spank last night?
You know, how do you how do you shake something
like that off? And baseball is different than football, I
get it, But you know, what's the what's the advice

(01:48):
for these guys shaking that off and getting right back
out there again tonight?

Speaker 6 (01:51):
Well, they showed they've shown that ability all season long.
First of all, that's what they've been able to do.
And I expect them to do the same. You know.
It surprised me though. That game last night surprised me.
I don't. I don't usually watch baseball now, this season,
all the way through, at this time of the year,
but you know, and I didn't last night after they

(02:12):
got bombed pretty good and then I turned it off.
But they they will bounce back, and I expect them
to have a really good game today and win it.

Speaker 5 (02:20):
You know.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
John Schmoltz on the broadcast last night said, Hey, it's
it's easier to bounce back after a loss like this
than it is to bounce back after just a heartbreaker.

Speaker 5 (02:30):
Would you would you agree with that?

Speaker 4 (02:31):
In football and in baseball?

Speaker 6 (02:34):
I would. I think I would. You know, I think
I would, because when when you have it in your
grasp and you can see, you know, you can see
the win, and then it gets slips away right at
the end, that's tough, and it sticks with you, just
like losing Super Bowls. It sticks with you longer. But
when you get bombed out like that, you go, go, o, kid,

(02:54):
does you know, wash your hands, Let's go to Mars
a new day.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yeah, I mean, halfway through that thing, you just realize it.
So with it, right, Let's get out of here and
get home and get our bullpen set for tomorrow. But
Mike Congren's with us, and uh man, I mean fairly
big game Monday Night football coming here on Monday night
at seven o'clock against the Houston Texans. I mean, let's
hope it doesn't go this far, but it could be
a crazy night because game seven, Mike of the Alcs,
except for about five o'clock as well on Monday night.

(03:20):
But give me your thoughts on what the Seahawks did
going down to Jacksonville and beating a team I think
you thought they were in a good spot coming off
their emotional win against Kansas City. They head down there
and they take care of business three thousand miles away.
And now, for as bad as the Hawks have been
at home under McDonald, he's won nine in a row
and he's ten and one on the road, how about

(03:40):
that nod.

Speaker 6 (03:42):
The road record is unbelievable, I mean really is. And
so now we just got to fix what. I don't
know what's happening at home on a CA I don't
know what's effecting that record, but we got to fix that.
But that win was a big win. Now having said that,
you know, I think people were overrating Jacksonville a little
bit because of the win that they had the week before.

(04:03):
And uh, I think watching the quarterback play for Jacksonville,
who I hadn't seen very much, he he disappointed me.
He held the ball too long. It seemed like to
me he missed some throws he should have made. And
he's a he's a he's he's the guy that has
to take them to the top and and he didn't
do it in that game. And he got to give

(04:24):
credit to the Seahawks. They're defensive line and put a
lot of pressure on him, and I think eventually won
the game for him.

Speaker 3 (04:32):
Coach, the age old question for years here was why
aren't we getting the ball the DK metcalf more? And
now DK Metcalf has gone and we've got a wide
receiver that is on pace to break the all time
NFL record for yards in a season in Jackson Smith
and Jigmas. So why are we able to get the
ball to jsn More?

Speaker 6 (04:52):
Well, you know, it's a good question, Dick. I think
I think he he's a better you know, I Metcalf
was all in Belie, but I think he had strengths,
running down the field, speed, direct routes, those types of things,
throwing the ball deep to him and then run that
run after the catch, I think, and Jigma is he
really is to me, a very smart receiver. Knows where

(05:16):
the areas are just when the quarterback has to move.
That's the first thing. The second thing is, I think
Donald's off to a great start. I think Donald is
running the offense and running it the way it should
be run, and he's throwing balls on time, and and
I think it all it's all coming together. But your
your point is a good one, Dick. I mean, this
young guy. He's not as big, no one's as big

(05:38):
as Metcalf, but he's really good. And and I think
the receiver group right now, with kup Horton those three
and then Jigma's, that's a good group. I'd like to
have that group throwing the tight ends too.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
You know, Mike, A lot of people last year had
an issue with the Seahawks running game right. A lot
of people did that Ryan Grubb wasn't running the ball off,
He's throwing.

Speaker 5 (05:59):
The ball too much. Blah blah blah.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
They average four point two yards per carry last year. Now,
they're averaging three point seven yards per carry. They're down
almost a half a yard per carry versus where they
were a year ago.

Speaker 5 (06:09):
So I think if you were to have.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
Told somebody that before the season started, they would have said, well,
there's no way they're four and two, and there's no
way they're a fumble away from five to one. Yet
here they are, right, So I guess the question is,
unless they can find the consistent running game, is this
approach sustainable?

Speaker 6 (06:25):
Honestly, that's that's a good question, Dave. I think they've
got to get better in the running game to really
get where they want to get to. That's first of all.
You know, I don't I don't think it's sustainable, even
though their passing game is very very effective. I'm rather

(06:46):
disappointed in how they're running the ball right now. And
it's not I don't think it's because of the backs.
I think they're having questions up front, and I think
it's they continue to have questions up front, and until
they get that fixed and situated just with the way
they want it, they might because they're stressing this day.

(07:07):
This was so important to him and they wanted to
be good at it, and they practiced a different style,
but now it's not paying off the way they thought
it would, so they still have some work to do
up front.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
So coach Sam Donald's only been sacked seven times in
six games.

Speaker 4 (07:21):
Gino Smith was sacked fifty times last year.

Speaker 3 (07:25):
So either Gray Zabel is the second coming of Steve
Hutchinson and he's a first ballot Hall of Famer because
that's really the only change in the offensive line, or
Sam Donald's just much better handling pressure than Gino is.
So like, how do you balance those two things and
what holds more weight?

Speaker 6 (07:41):
Well, like I said, I really believe the offensive line
has work to do, even in the protecting the quarterback Dick.
I really think so. But having said that, I think
what Donald gives you. He throws the ball on time,
it's back Boom's plant throw. You watch when he throws.
He doesn't hold the ball and drift, and if he
does hold the ball, he's dumping it off right away.
He knows, Okay, I can't hold the ball in the

(08:02):
pocket that long, I'm going to get sacked. And I
think Gino that's an area of his game that could
have been better. I mean, I thought he was really
pretty good but then you know, not holding it hoping
for the big one. Just drug and drug, drop it off,
get it to somebody, gain some yards, lived for another day,
and I think Donald is really good at that.

Speaker 5 (08:21):
Well, Mike, you mentioned sacks.

Speaker 2 (08:23):
Denver Broncos are kind of lapping the field in that category,
but right behind him as the Seahawks, at number two
in the NFL, tied for second in sacks with Pittsburgh. Now,
obviously a lot of that's due to last week when
they got seven off the Jaguars, But I'm kind of wondering,
what did you see them do because we used injuries.
We kind of used injuries some folks did as an
excuse for the Tampa Bay game. And maybe the Bucks

(08:44):
are just that good of an offense. But they went
down to Jacksonville and they were also banged up, and
they had seven sacks and the scheme was the star
against the Jaguars. So how did they play Jacksonville and
get seven sacks against a team that had a lot
of six in the first five games of the season.

Speaker 6 (09:03):
Well, first of all, I got to give credit to
the young guys who came in and played in the
secondary for the starters, because we were banged up in
the secondary. And typically if I'm going in against a
team with the secondary that's banged up like that, I'm
licking my lips. I mean, I'm we're gonna get out
from hard. But then you flip it over and if
you watch the film again, he's holding the ball. You know,

(09:26):
I don't look at it like Hugh does when he's
studying all this stuff what's happening downfield. But he was
holding the ball too long on a lot of plays
that allowed him to get facked. Thirdly, however, the pass
rush was really good. They put pressure on him, you know,
and they're really doing that very well. The te stunts
in particular with the tent and the defensive end and

(09:48):
the tackle crossing over each other. Jacksonville had no answer
for that. Wow had no answer for that, and so
it led to a great, great defensive effort by the Seahawks.

Speaker 3 (09:59):
Coach Tariq Wi reportedly is being shopped. How aggressively were you?
Would you pursue pursue shopping Tarik Wollan if you could
get who the role right now? It's they're talking about
Devon h Chan, who's the starting running back for the
Miami Dolphins. If you think that the running backs of
the issue. Intleh has got a lot of talent, There's

(10:19):
no question about it, but he hasn't broken out yet,
and he's, you know, kind of injured at times.

Speaker 6 (10:26):
I'd be I'd be surprised if if they make the deal.
Of course I've said this a number of times and
they've made deals, but I'd be surprised in the middle
of the season you make a deal like that, because
I don't I don't think the running backs of the problem.
I already said it, and I think it's upfront, and
so I think I think you don't need to do that.
And then Wolan, you know, to to trade away a

(10:48):
guy who started for you at corner for the good
portion of his career while he was here, I think
it'd be a mistake because you do have the injuries
to deal with. He has some injuries to deal with.
He will come back in play, and if you're going
to do something, you do it at the end of
the year. I don't think right now would be the
way to do it.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
Mike, you mentioned the stunts the Seahawks were using against Jacksonville,
and I was going to ask you just a follow
up on that, because I remember telling Dick, you know,
my whole take on this thing. I think the two
biggest stars of the show right now were Sam Darnold
and Mike McDonald's defensive scheme. That's why I didn't want
to use injuries as an excuse against Tampa Bay, and
we didn't use them against the Jaguars because they were

(11:28):
phenomenal on defense. Right, and again, maybe there is just
that big of a drop in talent, but do you
ever remember coaching against a coach, whether a coordinator or
a head coach, where it really didn't matter who was
out there, the scheme was such a problem for you
that it drove you bananas.

Speaker 6 (11:45):
Yeah, there are a couple of teams, you know. First
of all, way back when we played the Chicago Bears,
when they had Buddy Ryan, and he had a scheme
that not many people in the league had, right, So
what your preparation for the week was really different, and
that was that was a challenge, a huge challenge. The
other one was Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh to me, every time we

(12:06):
played them, wherever I was coaching, it was it was
a game. You know, my second game, my third game
coaching was against Bill Kauer and the Steelers in Green Bay.
We didn't score a lot of points. We won the game,
but their defense was always They were just good. You know,
they were disciplined, they were they they were in the
right spots, they tackled well. They were just good. So

(12:28):
you had to be really good on offense to score points.
So those are the two and then New York times.
Of course with Taylor and all those guys, they were
very special.

Speaker 3 (12:38):
Coach I said the beginning of the season, I thought
it'd be a total waste of talent if Jaln Milroe
just sat on the bench and never played.

Speaker 4 (12:45):
And he's sitting on the bench were playing.

Speaker 3 (12:48):
But I tell you what, I guess I don't yearn
for him to play as much now as I did
before because I had no idea this passing game would
be as explosive as it is. With Sam Darkos, I thought,
I struggled the ball. So what how would you use
Jalen Milroe?

Speaker 6 (13:03):
Well, you know what, he You know, it puts a
smile on my face because that's what we all thought,
that he'd be inserted in there, a little like that
guy from New Orleans was when he before. Now he's
the starting quarterback, but you know, he's the couple of
plays he's had it hasn't worked. So I think they

(13:24):
made a pretty good decision that if they were planning
on playing him, and he might still play, you know,
but if they're planning on playing him, just just don't
don't wreck the guy. Just let you know, let him watch,
let him learn. Things are going well. If I'm inserting
him in the game, maybe I don't need to, because
maybe I just want to get cute, you know, just

(13:45):
let him just just let him watch and learn this
first year and then we'll start doing more next year.
But listen, I think that could be wrong about this,
you guys tell me. I think he's only had three plays. Yeah,
and and asn't and hasn't been lights out, you know,
not at all doesn't work.

Speaker 5 (14:01):
So yeah, well let's hope it works tonight.

Speaker 6 (14:04):
Man.

Speaker 5 (14:04):
Otherwise I'm blaming you. Why. I have no idea, but
I'll just blame you, all right.

Speaker 6 (14:08):
He's who's pitching tonight?

Speaker 5 (14:10):
Who's Luis Kasteo versus Max Schurzer.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
Bryce Miller is going to go to Marrow, So Brian
Woz coming out of the bullpen tonight.

Speaker 6 (14:16):
So yeah, yeah, how sure? How old is he? Sureser
sixty eight years old?

Speaker 5 (14:20):
He yeah, he's actually forty one. He's forty one years old.

Speaker 6 (14:22):
All right, man, hey, are you guys, Are you guys
at the game?

Speaker 5 (14:25):
Yes, yes, absolutely, we'll be there. We will be there. Man.

Speaker 6 (14:28):
All right, Well, well listen, take a deep breath and
enjoy it.

Speaker 5 (14:30):
Okay, not likely, not likely?

Speaker 2 (14:33):
All right, go get him, thanks man, Mike, call him
grin with us on the radio show.

Speaker 5 (14:36):
Again.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
We're not at the five twenty for Mike obviously today.
Back there next Thursday on the radio show. Let's get
the factor fiction right now.

Speaker 5 (14:44):
Where's that to go? Glad you're with us.

Speaker 1 (14:45):
It's your shot at our weekly thousand bucks and the
ten thousand dollars grand prize. It's Fact Door fiction probably
presented by Lucky Eagle Casino and Hotel where every day
Feels Lucky. Fact Door is on Sports Radio ninety three
point three KJR.

Speaker 5 (15:04):
Film.

Speaker 2 (15:04):
All right, quick me because Mariner infield coach Perry Hill's
gonna join us. Next segment from across the Team Mobile
Park Big thanks to the Lucky Ego Casino and hotel
where every day feels lucky.

Speaker 5 (15:14):
What do you got for today, Dick.

Speaker 4 (15:15):
The Raiders worked for me last week. They're gonna work
for me again.

Speaker 3 (15:19):
Because Patrick Mahomes is terrible at covering big spreads.

Speaker 5 (15:23):
He is also four to twelve.

Speaker 3 (15:25):
And one against the spread in division in the last
three years, So Patrick Mahomes is great at covering close games,
not great at covering big spreads.

Speaker 4 (15:34):
It is a twelve point spread.

Speaker 3 (15:37):
Give me the Raiders plus twelve at Kansas City in
this game.

Speaker 5 (15:41):
Vegas plus the points of Kansas City.

Speaker 6 (15:43):
You like it?

Speaker 5 (15:43):
Text in fact, you hate it?

Speaker 2 (15:44):
Text in fiction to four nine, four to five one,
all brought to you by our friends at the Lucky
Ego Casino and Hotel, where every day feels lucky.

Speaker 5 (15:52):
We're gonna break head over to T Mobile Park.

Speaker 2 (15:54):
Perry Hill will join next from T Mobile Mariner infield coach.

Speaker 5 (15:58):
What's the vibe like in the clubhouse? Next? Done ninety
three three k J R F M.
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