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Week 18 - There and Back Again: A Hawkies’ Tale
95 Plays10 months ago
Tristan and Miles talk about the firing of Ryan Grubb, why Week 18 feels like returning home to The Shire, and deliver the crown jewel of awards season: the 2024 Hawkies.
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Transcript
Seahawks' Epic Journey Compared to LOTR
00:00:00
Tristan Amundson
Miles, every journey has a start and a finish. I think about Frodo Baggins on his epic quest, and I just picture Mike McDonald starting this epic journey. This has been the story this year of a young head coach. He had a guide. He had Leslie Frazier, his Gandalf. He had
00:00:29
Tristan Amundson
a chorus of unlikely helpers and and and folks that that bore the burden along the way as he made his way to Los Angeles, which we'll call Mordor. And the conclusion was anticlimactic. I think we've already kind of been over this a little bit last week.
00:00:58
Tristan Amundson
This was an interesting game to watch. We'll we'll have some fun with it. But listen, we've thrown the ring in the lava, now we gotta to walk home. And I always think about when you watch Lord of the Rings, those poor bare feet now have to treadge, as far as I can tell, across the entire map of their world, all the way back to the Shire. That's not gonna be the funnest walk home, but you got to, right? You you you do the marathon, you you do the epic journey,
00:01:30
Tristan Amundson
eventually you have to walk home. Will you walk home with me, Miles? Can we can we take this long walk together? that the The epic journey's over. Now we just gotta get home. Can we do it?
00:01:43
M dub
Tristan, a pleasure to be with you today after week 18 talking about a totally completed 2024 Seahawks season.
Anticipation for Seahawks' New Season
00:01:52
M dub
There is a feeling of sadness when you have to walk home or when you arrive home after that epic journey. A gladness you went on the journey and a sadness that it's over, unlike Frodo.
00:02:04
M dub
This journey is gonna happen again just a few months. So rest up I'm not sure if there's a whole new ring and a whole new Mordor in this case I found the limits of the illustration, but I think it was a good it was a good illustration that We're gonna go on this journey again in a few months. I can't wait to go on it I wish it was starting now this journey felt short to me this year and and yes, what an anticlimactic and a football game that
00:02:34
M dub
Even the players themselves were not completely interested in the outcome of, which made it difficult to get that invested in the outcome of ourselves. But nonetheless, that's that's how the journey ended.
00:02:46
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, I mean, listen, I'm just going to beat the heck out of this analogy. he He gets up to, you know, that lava pit, the volcano and, you know, Smeagol's not there. There's there's no resistance. The ring doesn't even want to be put back on. The ring is like just.
00:03:03
Tristan Amundson
put me out of my misery. He doesn't even like throw it in in an epic way. He puts the ring on his thumb like he's going to, um, you know, do heads or tails and he just kinda just kind of flicks it into the lava.
00:03:15
Tristan Amundson
It falls in.
00:03:16
M dub
and it slips out of his hand as he does that.
00:03:16
Tristan Amundson
It's, but it's still, but it still just bounces around a little bit and eventually lands in the lava anyway. You know, it's just kinda like, ah, whatever.
00:03:29
M dub
Yeah, I don't think that's how the actual movie ended in Lord of the Rings, but I would have won a few less Oscars, I think, but that is how this one ended. I'm also imagining it's not really Lava, it's just kind of like a pan on your stove kind of after you've cooked dinner like a minute later It's like kind of ah steaming a little bit.
00:03:43
Tristan Amundson
ah
00:03:46
M dub
Yeah, that's what we had this week But a big week in the world of the Seahawks ah pretty much outside of this game in general
00:03:47
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, but it got it got.
00:03:54
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, no, listen, we got plenty to talk about. um yeah so So let's do this. let's I think we're both agreed. We can't talk too long about this game, but let's give this game its it's fair due. right let's Let's kind of talk about it for a little bit.
Rams' Strategy and Football Ethics
00:04:10
Tristan Amundson
um we have some I guess don know breaking news is is the right terminology, but but there's some big Seahawks news that most everyone will be aware of and I want your opinion on. And then ah then we can we can you know continue on with the show. But let's start let's just start with this first one, um which is the the game itself. So I mean, do you want to give a little breakdown on um on the game that was? I feel like you always have kind of your your nice wrap up of, you know, they they played a football game on Sunday, right?
00:04:44
M dub
They did. they We do know that for sure. Well, the last time we were on these microphones, we had, I think, a very spirited philosophical discussion about what you want to do with your team in week 18 of the football season. How important is your draft pick? How important is your playoff seed? We had that discussion a few days later before the game started. It was announced that Sean McVeigh was polling the six, seven, eight most important Rams completely out of this game, totally resting them with a playoff seed on the line. I didn't quite realize that when we talked last time. I wasn't that concerned about the Rams fate, but the Rams could have earned either the three seed or the four seed, depending on how this game and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the team they were in dialogue with there. ah He's a business term. It's a business term. um
00:05:35
Tristan Amundson
It's a great term.
00:05:37
M dub
The Rams announced on Friday, basically like, yeah, we're going to be the foreseed in this thing, which means that they were hosting the loser of the Lions versus Vikings game. So either way, whoever lost that game, the Rams are hosting a 14 win team and they're signing up for this business. I think this behavior angers the football
Seahawks' Depth Challenges
00:05:57
M dub
gods. And I really hope the Rams just get steamrolled out of the way. It it turns out they're going to host the Vikings. I thought this was very offensive.
00:06:04
M dub
Behavior on the doorstep of the playoffs. I don't know either and then after all that then they almost won the game anyway But I thought it was very offensive behavior to the football gods. I don't know what you thought
00:06:15
Tristan Amundson
Well, i I will just say this, I don't know about the football gods. I tend to kind of agree with McVey in the way that he works. I kind of like it, but I will say this, you're right about this. If we would have lost this game with the Rams rest resting eight or nine stars, which we almost did lose the game.
00:06:33
Tristan Amundson
That might have just imploded the whole thing. We might be talking about, yeah, Mike McDonald's fired like it's all this is all over. We're going to start from the from the old drawing board. Because talk about a demoralizing loss if you lose a game against a Rams team that's trying to lose a game. That's that would be a rough deal.
00:06:51
M dub
Here's my takeaway from this. So Jimmy Garoppolo throws for a little over 300 passing yards. The most passing yards to see how he's give up in any game this year. My takeaway was Josh Job earned a lot of money from this game. So Josh Job comes off the practice squad in October. He's an every game starter. He ends up missing this game due to injury. A little bit into it. Reek Wolan also goes out with an injury.
00:07:16
M dub
And I think there were some big problems with the depth. So that was a big problem in this game. I'm not concerned about it in the long term. Is that how you felt about Jimmy G and the backup wide receivers from the Rams really moving the ball up and down the field?
00:07:32
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, I mean, listen, it it goes to show how quick any team is to being in a bad spot from a depth perspective perspective perspective, I think is the word I'm looking for, from a depth perspective on any part of the field. And um yeah, looking at you you lose Reek, you have a ah couple of moving pieces in the backfield. And and yeah, it didn't look it didn't look absolutely pretty. um Let me ask you this.
00:08:00
Tristan Amundson
As I was watching this game, I felt like they were playing with kind of an attitude out there. Like, did you kind of get that feeling? Like, I'm i'm thinking specifically of DK Metcalf i because I will say DK with his emotion, it does kind of change the way a game feels. And I, ah did you feel that at all? I felt like DK was really, he he looked like he was kind of playing angry to me.
00:08:23
M dub
It didn't leap off the screen, but I trust you. I trust you. Did he have a penalty in this one?
00:08:28
Tristan Amundson
i am I just, I don't, I don't remember. I just, I'm mostly thinking like that, even that touchdown catch, which is a beautiful catch and throw there.
00:08:32
M dub
Okay.
00:08:37
M dub
It was.
00:08:38
Tristan Amundson
yeah He just had kind of one of those, like, I don't know. He has some attitude. He had some good DK attitude and DK can have a bad attitude sometimes going DK has like that good dominant attitude.
00:08:50
Tristan Amundson
It's pretty fun to watch. Like it he just looks like a football player out there. Um, I'm trying to think about your question more, um kind of what what leapt off it. It was odd to see Jimmy G be able to move the football up and down the field with relative ease. It felt like I mean, that's a lot of yards. That's no Cooper cup. That's no puka nakua is pretty wild.
00:09:13
M dub
I did have one positive on the offensive side and this will go into the news to discuss about Ryan Grubb being fired after one year, really about 11 months as the Seahawks offensive coordinator.
Seahawks' Red Zone Strategy
00:09:28
M dub
But in this game, we finally saw some justified red zone red zone targets for the largest wide receivers on the team. We've got our our leader in JSN.
00:09:39
M dub
the best receiver on the team this year, but the four touchdowns that Gino threw were to DK, Jake Bobo, AJ Barner, and Noah Fant. Those are your four biggest targets. They're all very reliable, I think, in the red zone. Crazily enough, this was Noah Fant's first touchdown since 2022.
00:10:00
Tristan Amundson
as wild.
00:10:00
M dub
Before the establishment of the World's Only Seahawks podcast, Tristan, we've done 49 episodes. They haven't given Noah Fant a touchdown. It seems so statistically impossible given how high he ranks in the NFL in targets caught and his success in converting into first down, which is outstanding among among all NFL pass catchers.
00:10:21
M dub
I was like, finally, this you have the guys. And as as we saw, it it ended up being too little too late. But as the game was happening, I was like, this is a step in the right direction. This is this shows what can happen in 2025.
00:10:36
Tristan Amundson
use some of those big bodies. It's funny, when you were talking about the the touchdown, I have the stats pulled up on ESPN and and tiny little screen, I looked over and they were replaying the Noah Fant touchdown as you were talking about it. And so I just want to give a shout out to Noah and say, I hope that your upper back and your neck feel better this morning than they did after that fall. Because that that didn't look fun. i don't i I don't want to recreate
Player Highlights and Recognition Issues
00:11:02
Tristan Amundson
that.
00:11:03
M dub
it It was a scary moment. Fortunately, he got up and was the the team's leading receiver on the day. And it just shows that even in week 18, when so a few teams... I mean, and so week 18 is so weird. We all knew it. it's It's just so weird. And as much as teams couldn't bring their full competitive juice, you still have moments like that where he he really laid it on the line for that touchdown grab.
00:11:27
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, he wanted to make it happen. I'll say, so to your point, it's been fun this year to see AJ Barnard kind of continue to mature and and just, if you want to talk about a player that I feel like has continually just gotten a little better every single week, AJ Barnard seems like that player. i don't Tell me if you agree with this. It seems like AJ Barnard got like 2% better each week. And if you do that, right, like in anything in life, if you just get a little better every day,
00:11:54
Tristan Amundson
at the end of you know your year, you're going to look much better at your job. And I feel like AJ Barners is a great example of that. Just a little better every single week. and And this is kind of like the perfect second tight end type of performance. So I think kind of a nice I don't know. if As we're looking at this game, he's one of the dudes that stood out to me. Nice to see that. Nice to see Charbonnet as well. Just continue to do his thing. um I feel like we're seeing continual improvement from that side. And then, I mean, listen, man, let's go backwards a little bit here.
00:12:31
Tristan Amundson
Is Leonard Williams the biggest Pro Bowl snub in the history of the Pro Bowl? I know it happens every year. I know every year there's a guy that's deserving that doesn't make it. My goodness, i it almost feels scandalous that he wasn't you know a first selection on that Pro Bowl team. He had another great game on Sunday.
00:12:53
M dub
He did have a great game and I think it felt scandalous, not to take anything away from Julian Love, but he got it last year and it was like, yeah, Julian had a great year. And then I think we saw multiple times, especially in the second half of the year, Leonard just completely take over games and destroy them.
00:13:07
Tristan Amundson
Yeah.
00:13:08
M dub
And yeah, it was odd.
00:13:10
Tristan Amundson
he He had a great year. um and I mean, really, it's funny. you You think about what's this defense going to look like? And I mean, maybe one way the weekend transition out of this game, but still talk about a little bit, is this game was a great mae microcosm of Leonard Williams here. Like, he was dominant in this game. He was a dominant force. And it it just looked like the entire season. Like, it's just ah ah an impossible guy to block.
00:13:39
Tristan Amundson
You put him on a line with other good players, competent players, and and good things happen. Him with Reed and with Hankins. And um you know I guess Byron Murphy didn't play that much in this game. I guess his back got a little hurt. So he wasn't able to. ah I think he only played a few snaps in the game. um But man, yeah listen, if there's a position that you want to feel good about as a football fan,
00:14:05
Tristan Amundson
And you need to feel good about it. It's your defensive line. And I will say, looking into next year, we got to feel great about the defensive line. And and this game was another good example of it.
00:14:15
M dub
Absolutely. Tristan, is that enough content about this wild and wacky week 18 game? Because less than 24 hours after this game concluded, we get the announcement that the team has fired Ryan Grubb as offensive coordinator. And boy, did it stir up a lot of feelings within me. It's it's it's called Black Monday for a reason. This is not a reason to celebrate.
00:14:44
M dub
Um, do you want me to get into my take on, on the events or do you want it?
00:14:48
Tristan Amundson
No, let's do it. Go yeah dive in and then I'll i'll give my commentary.
00:14:50
M dub
Yeah. Cause in the last few weeks, I've been critical of what's been happening with, with the offense. I do think you look at the six point performance against Chicago. You look at what happened against green Bay.
00:15:01
M dub
And to me, those felt like issues that were kind of a level or two above the the players on the field. It was how they were being coached, ah how they're being signed and, and directed.
00:15:13
M dub
But. I did not want this
Seahawks' Internal Dynamics and Coaching Changes
00:15:16
M dub
to happen. And I don't think that it's necessarily a good thing that this happened. I don't think it's a good sign for what was going on in the Seahawks building. I do think Ryan Grubb can be a successful offensive coordinator in the NFL. And I hope he gets another shot soon. I think he does deserve it. If you sit, let's imagine a team that has had some some struggles for a long time. I'm gonna um'm just going to say the Las Vegas Raiders.
00:15:42
M dub
if you If you heard that the Las Vegas Raiders were pulling up a coordinator who had no NFL experience, only decades of collegiate experience, and that you were gonna put him on a coaching staff or the first year head coach who was gonna hire, who was going to be the defensive play caller, who was going to hire a defensive coordinator beneath him, and then a Gandalf defensive coordinator in the in the back,
00:16:08
M dub
in the background in Leslie Frazier, and that the team was going to and use draft picks in the middle of the year to bolster its defensive lineup, you would go, that doesn't sound like a that doesn't sound like it's gonna win a Super Bowl right there. Just just that alone. just And the fact that the Seahawks won 10 games, the fact that Gino is top five in the NFL and yards, I know a lot of that came from the run past balance issues,
00:16:34
M dub
But the fact that JSN breaks out looks like one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL. Heck, even the fact that Zach Charbonnet looked like a high quality starter when when we know that he's the number two option on the team in this last month. I think this realistically went as well as you could have expected given everybody's background and experience. And it feels to me like
00:17:02
M dub
there wasn't a big effort in in just in making sure we fix the problems, get on the same page together and move on. It's clear not everybody was on the same page behind the scenes. It felt like a situation that could have gotten everybody on the same page and it just didn't. Let me tell you, when Mike, when Mike, so they fire by and grow up on Monday morning, a few minutes later, Mike is on the radio being interviewed by Brock and Salk and they asked, I think some pretty,
00:17:29
M dub
Sensible follow-up questions such as you know, why did this happen? And Mike's answers were he seemed a little taken aback by the questions Which I don't think he should have been I think if you make this decision, it's a big decision It affects Ryan Grubb's career his whole family if you make that decision you really got to have some answers ah Ready to go and the ground suddenly on that show felt very shaky to me as they discussed this decision and Yeah, I wish they had figured it out. And yeah, that's kind of how I feel about it. I feel bad for Ryan Grubb at the end. And I think he did a ah very good job with what he was given.
00:18:10
Tristan Amundson
You know, I hadn't thought of the defensive imbalance the way that that you're describing it. I totally agree with you. If you think about the resources from a player perspective, first of all, you know, adjustment, let's call it a player adjustment perspective. We're going to find two new linebackers. We're going to switch these linebackers out. We're going to make a big acquisition like Ernest Jones to fix a problem that we see on the fly.
00:18:37
Tristan Amundson
While at the same time, we have this problem with the Office of Guards that we can't seem to fix and we can't seem to find any outside help, I think is interesting. The fact that, yeah, you do have this extra kind of guide, right? This Gandalf figure, as it were, in Leslie Frazier, which is excellent. And I think that was one of the smartest hires that Mike made. So I think Leslie, yes, absolutely.
00:19:01
Tristan Amundson
The fact that you don't have another one of those on the other side, kind of from an offensive perspective, you're right. The defensive room is pretty full, right? Hey, we, we got Mike. He's a defensive genius. We got Leslie as kind of the adult in the room. I've done it before, but also a defensive background.
00:19:18
Tristan Amundson
And now we have Durday that we're we're bringing in you know kind of, hey, we're going to teach you the ropes. That seems like a pretty full room. And then in the other room, you got Ryan Grubb and then you know ah his staff. And it's like, yeah, you know maybe maybe a ah Leslie Frazier on on the other side. Maybe we call him, I say this tongue in cheek. Maybe we call him Mike Holmgren. And it's like, hey, Mike, can you come over and mentor this guy and help him help them out a little bit?
00:19:46
Tristan Amundson
learning the the NFL. So I think it's a really interesting point. I really like that. I think that makes a lot of sense. I was so torn on this because first of all, I think you told me about it. You sent me the text and that was the first I had heard of it. I was shocked.
00:20:02
Tristan Amundson
I do agree. I don't think it could have gone any better this year. I don't think you could have expected it to go any better. I loved, I don't know if you heard Geno Smith's interview after the game, his press conference.
00:20:13
Tristan Amundson
I love that Geno called out Ryan Grubbin basically said like, yeah, you got to give this, like I've never heard an athlete say, I don't think I've ever heard an athlete say,
00:20:22
M dub
Positive call out, positive call out.
00:20:24
Tristan Amundson
But call out, yeah, positive call out. I don't think I've ever heard an athlete say, hey, you got to give a guy some grace. It's his first time ever doing a job. I mean, that that is one of the most level headed things I've ever heard an athlete say ever. And so it's interesting. My takeaway is this.
00:20:45
Tristan Amundson
It must be that deep of a philosophical divide between the two of them of how they want to approach an offense that they they couldn't they couldn't come together. it must It must be that. It just must be, it's like you see offense this way, I see offense that way. It has to be this way, man. like but Listen, my favorite one of my favorite lines from Mike Holmgren during training camp a long time ago, he just stops training camp.
00:21:14
Tristan Amundson
He looks at everyone. He's like, I want it done my way, my way. And he he kind of sounds like a big baby the way he says it.
00:21:21
M dub
but
00:21:24
Tristan Amundson
It is kind of funny. And he's really upset and in classic Mike Holmgren style. But I think I think it might be that simple.
00:21:35
Tristan Amundson
like I think it might be that simple that the head coach has to decide, I want it done my way. So so let me give it two two sides of it. One, I'm shocked that they couldn't just figure it out. I'm kind of shocked.
00:21:47
M dub
Me too, me too.
00:21:48
Tristan Amundson
that But let me be now let me try to be honest about this intellectually. I don't know enough about football, I guess, to know
00:22:01
Tristan Amundson
it To me, it seems pretty simple to fix. like It seems to me, if I was looking at Ryan Grubb's job, the hard part of his job is to come up with all these crazy pass play options and to be able to like create opportunities for one-on-one coverage in the field. That seems like the part of the offensive coordinator's job that I could not do at all. like That's impossible.
00:22:23
Tristan Amundson
It seems like the easier part is run the ball more, because there's only so many different ways you can run the ball. And so it seems to me you would think that they would be able to say going into year two, hey, man, we' we got to run the ball a lot more. And like that's an absolute like key criteria for me going into the next year. i We need to run the ball more. Yeah, man, no problem. We can do that. like We'll figure it out together. Cool. like To me, it's that simple. It must not be honestly, it must not be that simple. It must be harder than that because in my mind, this is just fix it. Like, yeah, just run the ball more, but there has to be more to it.
00:23:04
M dub
it It is quite a mystery. And we're not getting a very detailed answer from the Seahawks team themselves. You mentioned that conversation going from year to year. This sounds like a conversation that can be ironed out at halftime when they got 30, 45 seconds to talk to one another.
00:23:18
M dub
you know So yeah, it there are a lot of hints at a big philosophical difference.
00:23:18
Tristan Amundson
Yeah.
00:23:22
Tristan Amundson
But it didn't.
00:23:25
M dub
And it's very hard to identify what that possibly could have been to the point that that it was unfixable. Yeah.
00:23:33
Tristan Amundson
Well, so I will say this, we hear Mike talk all the time about growth mindset and um a lot of the the language that Mike uses, it's it's kind of, I mean, it's millennial language, frankly, and it's kind of, it to me, it sounds like like kind of guys in tech and guys in kind of cutting edge fields that that kind of have different different ways of communicating. And I say that, I don't say that negatively, I say that kind of positively,
00:24:03
Tristan Amundson
Facebook's motto is, um, something along the lines of them go screw it up because we're recording, but something along the lines of, um, make what is it?
00:24:13
Tristan Amundson
It's like make mistakes.
00:24:14
M dub
track the website again.
00:24:16
Tristan Amundson
Stay, give us more money. No, it's like make mistakes, man. I shouldn't try to be doing this live right now. It's it's something along the lines of, um, work fast.
00:24:29
Tristan Amundson
make mistakes, fix it, and and move on. yeah but Basically, the idea being go for it. like try to try to make Try to do the right thing. if it's If it doesn't work, that's fine. Just stop and do you know try something else. don't try to don't try Basically, the idea is don't try to keep doing the same thing and fixing it. like Just um move fast and break things. that's That's exactly what I was trying to say this whole time. Move fast and break things.
00:24:58
Tristan Amundson
And that kind of feels like Mike McDonald's style a little bit. the These linebackers aren't working. know We're going to cut them. We'll cut Dotson. We'll cut Baker. We'll get Ernest Jones. we're gonna you we'll we'll ah We'll give Travis or Tyrese Knight the the opportunity. um This offensive coordinator is not working. You have two choices, right? You could try to fix it.
00:25:20
Tristan Amundson
Or you could just move fast and break things. And meaning like, nope, this doesn't work. I want it. No, let me go back to that Mike Holmgren. I want it done my way. I don't think this guy's going to do it my way. Let's just fish and cut bait right now. let's We're going to cut bait. We're going to move on to the next thing. I think that's kind of Mike's style. I think Mike's style is Yeah, it didn't work. Okay, let's just move on. like We're not gonna keep trying to chase the investment that isn't working. We're just going to sell that stock and buy the stock we actually want. We we bought this tech company. We thought it was gonna be great. This stock's tanking. We're just gonna sell all of it and buy some Nvidia now. like Let's just, we're we're gonna move on. i That's the way that I'm kind of,
00:26:04
Tristan Amundson
That's how I'm translating the way that Mike makes decisions. like He's not going to keep investing in a thing that's not working if he if he doesn't actually believe in it. Does that does that make sense? that Are you seeing that with the other cuts?
00:26:17
M dub
It makes sense. I see a lot of positives and a lot of potential negatives. I guess you wonder, there's only so many relationships in the NFL world. Are you burning bridges? I mean, honestly, probably not. But I guess...
00:26:33
M dub
Everybody was excited in January to bring in Grubb. It was a big deal. It was a dramatic way that he was brought into the team. He was an employee of the Alabama Crimson Tide for a few days and they, so you know, something happened and suddenly he's having a beer and rented with Josh Snyder and Mike McDonald. So I guess that, but what what changed? What changed? and went What could have been a surprise? It's hard it's hard to say.
00:27:04
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, um and that's the bar that is difficult. what What happened that surprised Mike and John to the point where it's like, oh yeah, this this philosophically doesn't work. I do think, listen.
00:27:17
Tristan Amundson
it I think the proof's gonna be in the pudding. If the next offensive coordinator is pass happy, this will be hilarious, right? like if the next pat if if the If next year, week one, we're like, well, Gino threw it 43 times and they ran at 18, that's gonna be a comedy. I have to imagine this is going to be, this was a learning experience for Mike. This is gonna be a, nope.
00:27:43
Tristan Amundson
Like I thought I could hire a guy that had a lot of cool ideas and he would still want to run the ball and I think maybe what Mike realized as a head coach is no like. Mike learned the thing that seems to be true in the NFL offensive coordinators.
00:27:59
Tristan Amundson
90% of offensive coordinators hate running the football. They hate it in their bones. They hate everything about it. It's all of the downside, none of the upside. And I think as a head coach, you have to find the one wacky dude who freaking just loves to run the football. And I think, I honestly think out of ah out of 10 offensive coordinators, there's one, maybe two that wants to run it and the other eight,
00:28:26
Tristan Amundson
literally wake up in the middle of the night every single night and they have a little notepad and they're like, Oh my gosh, I just got, I just thought of another way to pass it. And I love passing the football.
00:28:38
Tristan Amundson
So good luck, Mike. You get out to find the one goofball that's like, yeah, man, I just, I want to run it, which ah I agree with, by the way, let's find that guy. Or, or gal, by the way.
00:28:48
M dub
Ah, that was really funny. I hadn't thought of that. To me, what felt important was the level of experience in the NFL in particular. I think it would be it would be very confusing if the new candidate, whoever it is, doesn't have a lot of experience.
00:28:56
Tristan Amundson
That will help. That will help. Yeah.
00:29:05
M dub
I think, yeah, that would be confusing.
00:29:06
Tristan Amundson
Coached one year of Hop Warner. Coached one year in Pee Wees. And um we just love this guy. We think he's the right fit for us. He um he took his seventh grade team to to a championship. And yeah, we think he's an up and comer. Let's go.
00:29:22
M dub
Well, it is going against type. As you mentioned, the you know most of these guys who are waking up with with the past plays are in their 30s, much like McDonald's themselves. And some of these offensive coordinators right are super young and seems like most of them.
00:29:36
M dub
So i it does seem like if you felt like things didn't work out with Grub, you would have to go against the grain to kind of justify the decision to fire him.
00:29:48
Tristan Amundson
I'm going to call it right now. You ready? i This just occurred to me.
00:29:50
M dub
That's here.
00:29:52
Tristan Amundson
I just figured out what it's going to take to get someone who wants to run the football.
00:29:56
M dub
that's thats yeah There we go.
00:29:57
Tristan Amundson
Are you ready? the first female offensive coordinator in the NFL is going to come in with some good common sense and say, listen, guys, watch football, running the football's what wins. And there's going to be a female offensive coordinator. She's going to come in. She's going to kill it. And she's going to run the ball 60% of the time and it's going to work and it's going to be a new wave of the NFL. That's I'm i'm calling it right now. That's what I'm calling for.
00:30:26
M dub
Perfect. What I did want to say about Grub, as as we say farewell to him from the Seahawks world.
00:30:32
Tristan Amundson
And thank you, by the way, yeah because he did give us, listen, he unlocked JSN, which look maybe not been the hardest thing to do because JSN is unbelievable, but still, thank you. I mean, yeah, exactly.
00:30:42
M dub
It didn't happen last year. Tristan, 10 years ago, Ryan Grub was coaching football in Division 2 for the Sioux Falls Cougars in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
00:30:56
M dub
It is a long way, both in the industry, in the hierarchy of football, and very literally, it is a long way to get from Sioux Falls to the NFL on national TV every Sunday. What a journey. It had kept on going up and up and up for him until now. I really do hope he gets hired as an offensive coordinator somewhere else in the NFL. I think he can do it. But that that is that is just crazy.
00:31:23
M dub
that it's no It's completely crazy. It's a heck of an achievement. I hope he can reflect on that someday, even if not today.
00:31:32
Tristan Amundson
Well, and listen, I think there's a really good chance, a really good chance that he ends up being the next offensive coordinator in Alabama. That's what Brock was mentioning on the show. um not you know i'm I'm not going to pretend like I've heard those rumblings. i I don't like college football. um Although it is a really neat story to see all of these small little nonprofits, you know, just do their best on the football field. um But man, I think there's a good chance he ends up ah going to Kenny. Are we still on? Is this working? It just broke up on me.
00:32:12
M dub
and podcasting right now? I'm not sure what just happened
00:32:16
Tristan Amundson
my My my connection just broke up. We're going to leave that in, folks. um But i I don't know what was ah what came across on on your side. But I do think there's a chance he could end up back in Alabama, which would be kind of an interesting, you know, you're you're employed with that state for, you like you said, I think less than a week. And, you know, he might end up being that officer coordinator.
00:32:41
M dub
Ah, Tristan, this whole episode we have been dressed in our coat tails and in our top hats because it is time for the annual the second annual...
00:32:48
Tristan Amundson
The Golden golden Globes. that the the The Golden Globes. Am I right? Am I at the right spot?
00:32:55
M dub
This is a bigger award show. It is the time for the 2024...
00:32:57
Tristan Amundson
of the academy ah The Academy Awards.
00:32:59
M dub
ah
00:33:01
Tristan Amundson
Here we are, Miles.
00:33:03
M dub
The 2024 hockey's, just like last year, we do have to give the disclaimer that this is not about the and NHL or the ice based sport in any way.
00:33:06
Tristan Amundson
oh
00:33:13
M dub
This is the hockey's H-A-W-K-I-E-S, the hockey awards. Tristan, we've got our secret ballots for seven very special hockey awards that we're going to hand out today.
00:33:25
M dub
Some of them are to people. Some of them are to more abstract concepts. It is going to be hard to deliver those awards, but we are going to do it either way. Trista, should we get started with the very first hockey?
00:33:38
Tristan Amundson
Absolutely. yeah who's who Who delivers the first award? Is it you or I? So we each have our own list of hockeys. We have seven categories.
00:33:48
M dub
We have a secret ballot.
00:33:48
Tristan Amundson
who's gonna
00:33:49
M dub
We're going to be shocked by each other's hockey. I guess i guess the same hockey could go to two people.
00:33:52
Tristan Amundson
or creepy It could be super boring. this could be if we if I mean, it's possible that we have the exact same list, but it's also possible that we have a completely different list.
00:34:03
Tristan Amundson
Who knows? Do you want to start us off?
00:34:04
M dub
I think we have a few changes in there.
00:34:06
Tristan Amundson
ah
00:34:07
M dub
Tristan, the first hockey is for Hawk of the Year. The best Seahawks player of the year. Tristan, if I recall last year, we gave this to Geno Smith. Who is your Hawk of the Year for 2024?
00:34:20
Tristan Amundson
Listen, I've been talking about them all year. I don't think it's going to be a shock to you because I'm a simple man. And actually, i should can I give you my methodology of how I went about this? I didn't overthink this. I really thought about jumping into all the numbers. And then I just thought, you know what? I think the most honest way for me to do this is just give you my gut reaction. So I i i went down the list.
00:34:45
Tristan Amundson
But I just kind of went with what my heart led me to. OK, so this is this is all emotion. This is all love. It's it's Leo Williams for me. It is Leo Williams.
00:34:56
M dub
Tristan, I did think about it. I was torn between one, Jackson Smith and Jigba and Leo Williams. Then I clicked on an article, Bill Barnwell of ESPN gave his all protein. I looked at the wide receivers, JSN wasn't on there and I thought, yeah, Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase, those are some big names. I looked at the D Lineman, Leo Williams wasn't there and a fire burned within me. What are you talking about? Leo Williams isn't on this list and I realized That was the decision right there. Absolutely monster year for Leo Williams. Second most sacks of any year in his career and the most tackles for loss of any a year in his career and wrecked up games increasingly more and more often as the season went on.
00:35:43
Tristan Amundson
Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, as we started this season, we were wondering who was going to be the guy on this defense that really kind of stirred the drink. And listen, there's been a lot of great guys on this defense. This defense had a lot of fun players.
00:35:58
Tristan Amundson
none more important than Leo Williams. And and I think, listen, when you're when you're a 300-pound man and you can intercept a football and run it 92 yards for a touchdown and no one touches you, that's enough said. um that's You had me at Hello, Leo. We love you, big cat. um Can't wait for next year.
00:36:21
M dub
Absolutely. Tristan, the second hockey is going to the most improved hockey of the year. Tristan, this was the easiest call for me. And it was. Although I think there's a very viable second candidate. But Tristan, this one's Jackson Smith and Jigba. He nearly doubled for me. He nearly doubled his yardage. He was 620 yards last year as a rookie. 1,130 yards this year.
00:36:47
M dub
just the second 100 catch season in Seahawks history, Tyler Lockett in 2020. The only other player season in team history with 100 catches, that's the one for me. And it feels crazy because there's a defensive player who in I think most years would be an easy call for the most improved hockey.
00:37:09
Tristan Amundson
So this is great because I didn't go for that defensive player and I listen.
00:37:14
M dub
Whoa.
00:37:15
Tristan Amundson
And by the way, Jackson Smith and Jigba is a wonderful choice on your side. I love that choice. um I already.
00:37:24
M dub
I have no idea where this is going.
00:37:26
Tristan Amundson
I already hinted at this guy earlier because i'm i'm I'm just a little enamored by him. And this is the guy who I said earlier, I think that he improved by about 2% every single game. And when I think of most improved I just think of that linear path from week one to week, I guess, 18, where you just, you keep getting a little better and the impact just continues to grow. And for me, AJ Barner was that guy. I, the whole year I just watched him become a little better over and over and over again. And it was a pleasure to watch. So, um, maybe a bit of a controversial one for me, but this is what my heart wanted. So I just gave my heart what it wanted. It was AJ Barner most improved.
00:38:10
M dub
That is controversial. i As a result, I am creating a counterfeit hockey and I'm going out the back door and making sure it is delivered to Derek Hall, who went from zero s sacks last year in his rookie year up to eight sacks and five quarterback hits up to 19.
00:38:20
Tristan Amundson
Yep.
00:38:28
M dub
A lot of improving Hawks.
00:38:29
Tristan Amundson
Massive, massive improvement. If you think of...
00:38:31
M dub
Maybe not such an easy category.
00:38:33
Tristan Amundson
If you think of what Derek did from last year to this year, it's unbelievable. I mean, we were thinking he was a complete mistake. Like but this guy might just be out of the NFL.
00:38:43
Tristan Amundson
And the fact that he went from, I mean, literally zero to hero. I don't know. I mean, I don't think that's hyperbolic whatsoever.
00:38:49
M dub
Yeah. No.
00:38:51
Tristan Amundson
this team needed him and relied on him. And he had an absolutely killer year. We had a lot of good improvement on this team this year, which is, I think, a hallmark of Mike and of his coaching staff. There was a, this was a growth program. This was a program where a lot of guys just got better.
00:39:10
M dub
Tristan, the next hockey is going to be the game of the year. I might have a controversial call in this one. There is a game that really leapt out to me. as the most enjoyable to watch. What was your call for Game of the Year?
00:39:23
Tristan Amundson
So I had three, I had three games that I, that I was debating between and I kept going back and forth. And at the end of the day, I had to just give you where my heart was at. Okay. So this is, this is the game that took my heart for these Seahawks. This is the game where I really, even now, as I'd say it, it's getting difficult because I want to give it to one of the others.
00:39:47
Tristan Amundson
This is the game though, where I was like, man, i I love, I love this team. This team's playing the right way. I don't think this is technically the right answer, by the way. I think I'll, and I'll, I'll reveal my other answer later. I don't think this is technically correct.
00:40:02
Tristan Amundson
But for me, it was the second Arizona game that I just thought, man, this team has come together and they're playing the right way. So it was that second game against Arizona um that that really just, you know, they got me.
00:40:19
M dub
I think you're talking about week 15 in Arizona, 30 to 18 victory.
00:40:22
Tristan Amundson
Yep.
00:40:23
M dub
Tristan, that's funny, because the game that was by far the most enjoyable for me, not the most dramatic by any means, but I thought the most enjoyable and singled a new era of the Seahawks was the first Arizona game in Seattle.
00:40:32
Tristan Amundson
Yep.
00:40:37
Tristan Amundson
yeah Yes, yes.
00:40:40
M dub
I'm talking week 13, 16 to six, the complete defensive domination And it's a little tempting to say, hey, the Seahawks didn't really beat any playoff caliber teams this year. Well, one of the reasons that that's true is because they annihilated the Cardinals out of the playoff picture. Going into that first game, Cardinals are six and four and the Hawks were five and five and stumbling around. Suddenly the Hawks meet that season series in three weeks. And yeah, the the Cardinals aren't a playoff team anymore. it's It's because of the Seahawks. That was just so dominant defensively. Seahawks even trailed most of the first half.
00:41:16
M dub
Didn't get much going, won a lot, and Kobe Bryant scored a pick six.
00:41:20
Tristan Amundson
Huge.
00:41:20
M dub
So the offense really didn't do much, but the defensive performance was so comprehensive. I absolutely loved what I was seeing.
00:41:27
Tristan Amundson
It was a stifling performance. So, so that was on my list. That was the other one. That was the one I literally just now almost switched to the first one because that was the first game that you took a deep breath and you said, okay.
00:41:41
Tristan Amundson
Mike, I see it. I understand what we're doing here. Okay, yeah, you got me buddy. um I think we're both technically wrong though. Technically,
00:41:52
M dub
I think so. I think so.
00:41:54
Tristan Amundson
Technically speaking, I think the Falcons win is probably, that's probably where the award should go for game of the year because the Falcons were a pretty good team at the time. We went to Atlanta. That was that was ah an ah Atlanta home game at the Falcons 34 to 14.
00:42:14
Tristan Amundson
I mean, it's a hard game to argue with, and it felt great when we want to remember they had just lost to the 49ers when they went to Atlanta. So that was that was a big game. They had just lost, actually, three consecutive games. They had just lost to the Lions, the Giants, and the 49ers. And the next week, you had to play the Bills. And so that Falcons game, holy moly,
00:42:39
Tristan Amundson
I mean, technically, I think that's the game of the year, but there's something about those Arizona games. And it's funny, I almost think of them as combined games because they were both so enjoyable. There's something about those Arizona games that just got me.
00:42:52
M dub
That is so funny, Tristan. I thought you were going to say the technical right answer was week 12 out of the by going into San Francisco, winning it in the fourth quarter. lot of great ah A and lot of great options.
00:43:04
M dub
maybe that I made my decision quickly, but I think there's, and the listeners may be thinking of other games of the year, a lot of great choices to pick from.
00:43:05
Tristan Amundson
Good problem to have.
00:43:13
Tristan Amundson
I mean, yeah.
00:43:14
M dub
Tristan, we're going to move it along and talk about it a hockey with no right answer. The play of the year.
00:43:21
Tristan Amundson
Man, impossible. Impossible to answer this one. I will, but it's impossible. um For me, it's, well, i you did I go first last time? Do you want to go first this time?
00:43:34
M dub
the hockey's are a blur we can we can go whichever way I'll go okay I'll go for me I know it was not the highest leverage play of the year but for me it was it was still pretty important it it was the Leonard Williams pick six in New York against the Giants just a little rewind down 21-7 with bloopers all over the place jets are in the red zone my favorite part of this play is not the fact that Leonard Williams is trucking people and running at full speed all 92 yards and finishing strong. My favorite part of the play is Mike McDonald and the many defensive plate people we talked about designed a play call specifically to get a D lineman and interception. This play had Jaron Reed and Leonard Williams dropping into coverage. This was not an accident. It's such a preposterous idea
00:44:29
M dub
It worked so thoroughly. i just loved It was everything coming together in a really beautiful way.
00:44:37
Tristan Amundson
Um, so yes, yes, yes, and yes. Would it surprise you to know that this is my play of the year as well? That would it, would that.
00:44:47
M dub
It does not surprise me. I do think the technical right answer might be Gino with the rushing touchdown to win the the Niners game, but ah I'm not surprised that we both enjoyed it.
00:44:54
Tristan Amundson
Yeah.
00:44:57
Tristan Amundson
so So can I give an honorable mention, though? Since we both since we both gave the same one, i had I had another one up my sleeve just in case this happened.
00:45:00
M dub
ah or twenty That's correct.
00:45:07
Tristan Amundson
um It's the yeah it's the yeah the Zach Charbonnet touchdown run. So this would have been actually in my game, I believe, correct? This would have been my this is my 30 to 18 game.
00:45:20
Tristan Amundson
Let's just give Charbonnet stats just for us all to remember. Zach ran it 22 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
00:45:28
M dub
wow
00:45:29
Tristan Amundson
but there was one beauty of a touchdown. It was, let's see here. Let's see, I'm trying to look at at how far it was, a 51 yard touchdown run. This is the maybe the first play that we broke down together, right? Where we decided let's break down a play every week. And this was the play where everybody did their job. In fact,
00:45:50
Tristan Amundson
This is the play where our buddy from Rialto had his beautiful pancake block, if I remember correctly, as he pulled and absolutely just flattened an Arizona Cardinal.
00:45:57
M dub
That is correct.
00:46:02
Tristan Amundson
um but They had to send that Cardinal to the vet immediately, but they were able to rehab it and it's flying around ah the cactuses again, so it's good to go. Zach Charbonnet pulls around.
00:46:13
Tristan Amundson
Everybody blocks perfectly. everyone does their job and the Red Sea parted and Zach Charbonnet ran in for a 51-yard touchdown. It was It was awesome. I mean, it really was like, it was like watching the ballet, really. I mean, that play is the closest thing you can get. When you have a play like that, if you were to watch that with the ballerina, I think a ballerina would appreciate just the choreography, everything that happened. Everybody did their job to, you know, to to to use a phrase from ah from Bill Belichick.
00:46:51
M dub
Beautiful, Tristan, I'm gonna move it to the next hockey, and that is our McDonald nugget of the year. Tristan, we were used to Pete Carroll, who gave us so many nuggets. We gave a Pete nugget of the week last year.
00:47:04
M dub
Mr. McDonald, we love him as a coach. He does not distribute his nuggets that freely. We did not get to it on a weekly basis, but what is your McDonald nugget?
00:47:09
Tristan Amundson
Yep.
00:47:14
M dub
He does dispense pearls of wisdom though, that's for sure. But he's a ah fellow who likes to keep it the cards close to the best. I appreciate that, but what is your McDonald's nugget of beer?
00:47:24
Tristan Amundson
would Would it surprise you, you know, I have to? Because, you know, I
00:47:28
M dub
I have a, ah yeah, well, yeah, you had to get creative with this one, I think.
00:47:33
Tristan Amundson
you You know, I love um I love my coach speak. I mean, this is well documented. I love my my press conferences. So this really is up my alley. So here's the one I wrote down, but I'm going to give you another one because there is one that I use with my kids now almost on a daily basis.
00:47:49
M dub
Wow.
00:47:49
Tristan Amundson
And and so it's it's powerful. um But Listen, we're always chasing edges. That that to me, if you were just if yeah if mike if I was in charge of chiseling on Mike's gravestone a phrase, it would be chasing edges. I love it. I think it's a great phrase. um I love the mentality of it as a person. Hey, we want to we want to be Um, it really, it's really his version of always compete, right? It's chasing edges is Mike McDonald speak for always compete. and And I absolutely love it. So that that's my first one.
00:48:27
M dub
I do have to give credit to Mike. He, that is something that you could maybe hear a coach say and it goes in one ear out the other. He is remarkably consistent with that to the fact that I think the message really gets through because of his consistency. Off season, in season, post season. He's chasing edges.
00:48:45
Tristan Amundson
Absolutely. get Why don't you give yours and then I'll give my my honorary mention.
00:48:50
M dub
Yeah, so this is really the most abstract hockey maybe of all time. My McDonald's not going to be here, but was the fact that this man moves really quietly. We saw in the NFL this year, some first year coaching 10 years go really, really badly. And there were some moments where there really could have been some turmoil coming out of the Seahawks building. You had a starting player suddenly retire in the middle of the year. We didn't even talk about it, but Uh, for some reason, they benched Rick Wolin for the first part of the game in the last few weeks.
00:49:22
Tristan Amundson
yep
00:49:22
M dub
And we didn't, we didn't even get to that. There were a lot of moments where the thing could have fallen apart a little bit. I didn't think you saw the first cracks in the armor with this grub incident that we talked about.
00:49:34
M dub
So I feel a little less shaky about my McDonald nugget, but.
00:49:37
Tristan Amundson
Yep.
00:49:38
M dub
I love the fact that this man moves quietly behind the scenes. And so I'm going to give the nugget to the exit interviews that he did at the bye week.
00:49:43
Tristan Amundson
Hmm.
00:49:46
M dub
The team was four and five at the bye week. They're a tough schedule in the second half. It really could have gone south. A six and a six and 11, five and 12 finish was in play.
00:49:58
M dub
I'm just realizing right now they finished the year six and two, right? I mean, they go from four and five, five.
00:50:02
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, yeah.
00:50:03
M dub
Yeah. So the fact that he did those exit interviews, it sounds like that's what really, Ignited the team and he did those in quiet He he kept him behind closed doors and we kind of heard about it a long time after the fact
00:50:17
Tristan Amundson
I love that, man. that's Listen, it's going to be hard to deliver that nug or that that hockey. I don't know how you deliver it to that abstract of an idea, but it's but it's very good. And you're right, that was a massive...
00:50:30
Tristan Amundson
um That was a massive value moment for a head coach, right? Head coaches have their value. Everyone has their value on a team, but that was a culture moment ah for Mike. And and I imagine that was that was one of those, that feels very much like a Mike McDonald move. That feels like, all right, we gotta fix this. How are we gonna fix it? we're We're gonna analyze the data. How are we gonna do that? We gotta talk to the data sources. How are we gonna do that? We gotta talk to all the players. So I love that. Here's my here's my second one.
00:51:01
Tristan Amundson
And i I say this to my daughters all the time.
00:51:01
M dub
Let's hear it.
00:51:03
Tristan Amundson
You know how you get good at something, Miles? how How do you get good? How do you get good at something?
00:51:09
M dub
I don't know. I'm looking for guidance. I'm looking for parental guidance. yeah How do I?
00:51:15
Tristan Amundson
the way you get good at stuff is doing hard things. You just do hard things over and over again and you get good at something. And that's, i it's so simple, but I love that little simple piece of wisdom because in our society, it's it's a lot of times we're not encouraged always to do the hard thing, right? Our phones are encouraging us to to take the easy way out. um There's a lot of things that are kind of pushing us to do do things the easy way. It's a great reminder.
00:51:45
Tristan Amundson
The way you get good at things is to do hard things, and you do hard things over and over and over again, and then suddenly you become a master of those things. So um that's something that poor poor kids ah in the in the household over here, they have to hear me with my coach speak, ah but i think it's I think it's a great little nugget.
00:52:04
M dub
ah What a beautiful nugget Tristan our next hockey this might be my favorite hockey actually It's shout out a hawk not the hawk of the year not the hawk that grabbed the most headlines But a hawk that you saw week to week Doing a heck of a job and maybe didn't necessarily get a lot of publicity for it
00:52:23
Tristan Amundson
For me, this is an easy one. It's Kobe Bryant. um I think Kobe, he's been such a fun story for a couple of years now, really. He's always done the right thing. He's always been a good player and he's been waiting for his moment to to be able to ascend.
00:52:42
Tristan Amundson
And even this year, it was kind of a lackluster start. Hey, he's not starting. He got his opportunity, he ran with it, and he excelled at it. and i Listen, I just heard Mike during his his final press conference talk about um how he's locked up that job. I mean, Kobe Bryant's locked up one of those safety jobs along with Julian Love.
00:53:03
Tristan Amundson
That's pretty cool, man. And I just, I respect the heck out of somebody who is willing to continue to work and do the little things. And um if I was Kobe's friend, I'd be real proud of him and I'd i'd just be really proud of the perseverance he's shown. So yeah, that's an easy one for me. It's Kobe Bryant.
00:53:24
M dub
Tristan, this one's a pleasure because we really we legitimately could do 10 or 15, shout out to Hawks. I am going with a potentially very controversial one, but I'm gonna stand by it, and it is Jason Myers. Now, when you look in the history books, it will show that Jason Myers went 25 for 29 on field goals this year. Those are not numbers that pop out to you, but one, what scratch beneath the surface here,
00:53:53
M dub
Jason Myers had 10 attempts total inside the 40 yard line. The team was not really getting that close to the end zone. Maybe this is going back to the grub incident.
00:54:04
M dub
so ten to The 40 yarder is a pretty long field goal.
00:54:08
Tristan Amundson
Yeah.
00:54:09
M dub
10 attempts inside the 40. He made all 10 of those. 19 attempts beyond the 40. He goes 15 for 19 in total, including eight for 11 beyond Oh, that's an old number.
00:54:21
M dub
He went nine for 12 beyond... Oh, sorry. Some of the numbers are a little old and don't have this game. Doesn't matter. he he barely He barely got a chance to hit take kick a short field goal all year.
00:54:32
Tristan Amundson
He killed it.
00:54:33
M dub
I'll stand by that.
00:54:33
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, yeah, he killed it. um No, that, listen, that's a great, that's a great one. JMI, talk about an unsung hero, right? Just someone who went out and did their job over and over again.
00:54:47
M dub
Tristan, we're down. We each got one hockey left on our table. Another very exciting one. ah We have to travel into the future to deliver this one. It's our breakout hawk of 2025.
00:54:59
Tristan Amundson
So for me, the way I thought about this is who's a guy who has number one, the ability to break out, um, has the opportunity he's going to be playing to break out and showed steady progress, um, throughout all of 2024 and I guess technically now into 2025 for one game, right? Um, the guy who, who.
00:55:24
Tristan Amundson
who can put it all together and I think was putting it together in 2024. So this is a guy that I think had a good year in 2024 that I think can can ascend to one of the best players in the league and that's that's Byron Murphy. I think that Murph has the opportunity um especially with the other leadership on that defensive line to ascend to be one of the premier defensive linemen in the league Everybody has kind of a different um trajectory into stardom in the NFL, right? And I'm gonna use a great example here, Jared verse with the Rams. He was a couple of picks after Byron Murphy and he's had a star year. Jared verse became a star his first year in the NFL. That would have been kind of neat, right? I mean, that's obviously what we were hoping Byron would be would be able to do.
00:56:14
Tristan Amundson
But you have to remind yourself that everyone has their own path. And listen, for goodness sake, JSN is a good example of it. um Had a fairly underwhelming year one. And, you know, I would say became a top. Is it fair to say a top 10 wide receiver in the NFL in year two? I mean,
00:56:33
M dub
I think so, yeah.
00:56:34
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, I mean, he really did it. And so um I'm really looking, and I think he can do it, and I think he will do it. I'm looking for Byron to take that that next step. And listen, if we learned we learned a lot of things from Pete, but one of the things we learned from Pete was, and I think most coaches would agree, the opportunity for a player to ascend from year one to year two, that's the biggest um Typically, that's the biggest growth moment of a player's career is that that freshman to sophomore year. So yeah, for me, it's Byron.
00:57:07
M dub
Tristan, I do think you have objectively the correct answer. I went a little off script here with ah with the Hawk. I maybe don't expect to break out, but that I really want to break out and I think could be really crucial. And that's Jake Bobo. Tristan, we've seen this guy is a player unlike what most NFL teams have. You have a legitimate wide receiver. He's not a tight end. He's a wide receiver.
00:57:35
M dub
who really can block people. And the player that I think about a lot is Kyle Juszczyk. I know they have different roles. Juszczyk's a fullback with the Ravens and the 49ers. He's been around for forever. But the comparison is that you have an offensive player who there's only one or two of in the league. There's not very many of these guys. And we saw with both Baltimore and San Francisco that Juszczyk unlocked so many things all around the offense.
00:58:05
M dub
I was looking at it. Bobo's played about 30% of the snaps both years. Use check is at about 50% of the snaps each year in his career. I do think that there is a a catalyst and an unlocking potential with Jake Bobo in both the past game and the run game. And I think it it would help to get him more targets. I think he's done well with the targets he's he's gotten. And and you have you have something going on that teams aren't used to seeing.
00:58:33
M dub
week to week. if ja boba is a real The numbers don't have to necessarily be that high for him to have a gigantic impact, much like Kyle used to.
00:58:42
Tristan Amundson
and It's a it's a really interesting one. And listen, to do it you have to have the opportunity. And I say this with a guy who absolutely loves Tyler Lockett. But I think the assumption is that we we probably just watched Tyler's last game in the NFL for the Seahawks at least.
00:58:58
Tristan Amundson
And I would kind of assume we kind of just watched his last game in the NFL. He had ah a good year, but like you could see that that Tyler was slowing down you know throughout this year. And and it looks like it it might be the end of his career, which opens up the opportunity for um ah for Jake. Can I say one quick thing? and And you just talk about, I think this connects with JSN as well. You talk about development, right? And JSN has been very um vocal about Tyler's role in his development. and um And then if you think about the opportunity for Jake Bobo to ascend the way that you're hoping he will, and I think those things are kind of connected, right? The the older player helping the younger player along. So um yeah, I like that one.
00:59:46
M dub
Tristan, funny that you mentioned Tyler Lockett and his potential last game with the Seahawks. it's The season has ended. This episode has gone longer than we usually like them to go this year, but it is time to wrap up our segment of the year, Lockett Watch. We have watched Tyler Lockett ascend from 92nd all time in the NFL in career receptions. Tristan, he ends the year in 74th place A few weeks ago, he passed Adam Phelan of the Panthers. Phelan got healthy, and he roared right back. Phelan is up at 68 all-time. He really passed him. Tyler Lockett ended up one catch behind 73rd place. As far as I can tell, Tristan, and I could be wrong, but I kind of don't think so. The only person who I can figure out in NFL history who has spent a career in the game
01:00:41
M dub
and never been fired, demoted, cut, or moved. And that is Ozzy Newsom, who's still the executive ah vice president of player personnel for the Ravens.
01:00:45
Tristan Amundson
Hmm.
01:00:52
M dub
Ozzy Newsom went to Alabama under Bear Bryant, gets drafted by the Browns, and that's it. He plays 12 years for the Browns. He moves to their scouting department.
01:01:03
M dub
He moves with the teams of Baltimore. And ah anyway, so Tyler Lockett ends up one catch behind Ozzy Newsom, Lockett in 74th place, Newsom in 73rd place.
01:01:16
M dub
In total, Kristin titled Lockett had 49 catches, 600 yards, and two touchdowns this year, and he sits second in franchise history behind only Steve Largent in catches, yards, and receiving touchdowns.
01:01:32
M dub
Wow.
01:01:32
Tristan Amundson
pretty Pretty cool. great Great year for Tyler. I think a little less than we expected. right I think we thought it would be a little more than that.
01:01:40
M dub
i think I thought about that and then also 49 catches 600 yards. That's pretty good for a down a down year. That's a down year?
01:01:47
Tristan Amundson
Yeah.
01:01:48
M dub
Yeah, that's that's pretty good.
01:01:49
Tristan Amundson
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and and and pretty good for a year where a guy that you have been mentoring ascends, right? And and JSN ascends. And i I think that Tyler is such a good dude and and does things the right way that he was, ah in fact, I don't even, I'm not even gonna use the word think. Tyler Lockett was happy that JSN was ascending. you know I think Tyler's just one of those guys, he has that great perspective.
01:02:15
Tristan Amundson
um Consummate Pro, ah you know all the things that we hear all the time about about people who do things the right way. um I've really enjoyed this segment. It's been, I think, my favorite part of this year is is the Lock It Watch because he's such a great player and and just such ah a joy and such a fun guy to watch. So thanks for thinking of it, man. um I've enjoyed it. And I have to say,
01:02:39
Tristan Amundson
If you're going to, and who knows, maybe Tyler will be back next year with the Seahawks or another team. But if this is the end, the idea that he's 74 right next to Ozzy at 73, if you're going to have a roommate, Ozzy seems like he'd be a great roommate to have. I talked about another consummate pro, right? So, so not a bad place. if If you, if you got to set up your tent, set it right up next to Ozzy and enjoy, you know, a campfire.
01:03:05
M dub
Yeah, this is a Hall of Fame player. Ozzy was a tight end, by the way. So when Ozzy retired, he was the NFL's leader for tight ends and receptions and receiving yards. ah Yeah, we were' were there were a lot of Hall of Famers that were passed in Rocket Watch.
01:03:16
Tristan Amundson
Crazy.
01:03:21
Tristan Amundson
Pretty cool. Pretty cool. Well.
01:03:22
M dub
I'm glad that we watched it. we really gave you know Tyler gave so much to the team over the years, and I think we sensed the end was coming, and I think we really gave a lot of respect and credit by watching that very near weekly march up that all-time perceptions chart.
01:03:39
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, that was that was pretty fun, especially in the beginning of the year where, yeah, it did seem like every week he was he was jumping over multiple ah multiple guys. so um Well, man, great episode. This was fun. um What was a great season?
01:03:56
Tristan Amundson
I guess I'll just talk to you next September, right? I mean, is that kind of the plan, Miles? We'll just next September, we'll, you know, the game one will happen and we'll just record again. I think that's that's probably what will happen, right? yeah Episode 50 will be week one.
01:04:11
M dub
episode 50, year 50 of the Seahawks, Tristan, Tristan, these boys are gonna be busy in this and this organization over the off season and we'll be there the entire way.
01:04:23
M dub
that There's a lot of key decisions to be made this off season. Tristan, I know we've just returned to the Shire right now and I'm putting down my knapsack and my walking stick and I'm lighting my pipe, but guess what?
01:04:33
Tristan Amundson
Yep.
01:04:39
M dub
I got another knapsack right there I'm ready to pack this thing up and take my hairy feet out the door and and go on another journey again right now.
01:04:49
Tristan Amundson
Well, listen, I'm going to go in the bathroom and and wash my feet. I think I'm a hobbit in this analogy. Um, but yeah, Hey, it's been a fun, and it's been a fun, uh, a fun year. Um, I'm sure we'll talk here in a couple of weeks as we get a new offensive coordinator, as we get into free agency, um, as we start rat, you know, rounding into the draft, which is going to be right around the corner. Um, until then, miles, go Hawks.
01:05:19
M dub
Go Hawks!