Transcript
Tristan Amundson: Welcome back, everybody, into the world's only Seahawks podcast. We have a rest day here on Friday morning after. A very eventful. Wednesday and Thursday to start off the NFL season.
Tristan Amundson: The meaningful competition for week one in the NFC West is already over, even though we're a few days away. from our first proper NFL Sunday. ah You know, these first two games of the year.
Tristan Amundson: obviously the entire focus, everybody's focus is on them, even though it's just Friday morning. I already feel like these the two games that have taken place are already maybe talked out a little bit.
Tristan Amundson: compared to your normal Sunday, but we're gonna go over it. And just what a thrill to have these games back. I mean, just the... The level of competition and the juice in every drive and every possession. We're we're in September still.
Tristan Amundson: But just the level of juice. In every snap of these games, especially compared to the preseason. Eh, eh. a show these guys put on for us. you know Pro football is about 105 years into this thing.
Tristan Amundson: It's better than ever. No signs of stopping. A ball, a field. A ton of big dudes. i i I actually can't believe how entertaining it is over and over the exact same sport.
Tristan Amundson: uh just gets me in every time Quick recap. of this game, just ah for posterity, for the record. After unveiling the super bowl the Super Bowl winning banner, maybe about five or six minutes later, Sam Darnold gets an injury starting quarterback.
Tristan Amundson: Out for the Seahawks for the rest of the game. It's time for Drew Locke to come in for his first meaningful snaps of NFL football. since he played for the Giants in 2024. It doesn't look good.
Tristan Amundson: Seahawks p punt on their first five possessions, and they're down in a 10 -0 hole deep in the third quarter, and things are just look. Looking. Very lifeless. Very dead.
Tristan Amundson: It all turns around from there. Seahawks score on their last three drives and on the last three Patriots drives. Seahawks pull an interception from Drake May. on all three of those possessions.
Tristan Amundson: We get down at about the two -minute warning. It was an unbelievable. Mirror image of the situation. playing the 49ers in week one of last season. In both of these games, the Seahawks were up by the exact same score, 13 -0.
Tristan Amundson: But the opponent was moving the ball really well in the two -minute drill. Last year, it didn't work out so well. Rika Wolin gives up the game -winning touchdown to tight end Jake Tonjes.
Tristan Amundson: This year, it's the opposite story. A throw into the end zone. Now, when Drake May threw this ball. I thought... He was throwing it away. And I kind of looked, away I didn't, ah to me, just the body language of his throw, it felt like.
Tristan Amundson: He was just trying to get it out of bounds. I still kind of think. That's what he was trying to do instead of throwing into such tight coverage. And he just didn't get enough mustard on this ball to properly throw it away. i so I still kind of think that's what happens. Either way. whether it's that or one of the most ill -advised decisions.
Tristan Amundson: in Drake May's career. The ball is up there. Josh Jobe still has to make an incredible Santonio Holmes -style toe tap into the end zone catch, but Josh Jobe pulls in the interception.
Tristan Amundson: to seal the game and keep it at 13 -10. For the Seahawks victory. This is one of the most. demoralizing. three -point victories you will ever see just psychologically what the Patriots had to go through.
Tristan Amundson: And that's my main takeaway from this game. This... was a psychological game that the Seahawks won. with their culture. and their mental toughness. It was talked about a lot during Hard Knocks.
Tristan Amundson: Could that be, you know, is that what the Seahawks PR team maybe wanted to promote about this team, how great the culture is? how mentally tough everybody is. There probably is what they wanted to promote, but... i think it was real in this game.
Tristan Amundson: Everybody on the Seahawks stayed completely locked in, even though we got into the second half and there really wasn't a great play. There weren't that many great plays made on either side of the ball.
Tristan Amundson: But these guys these guys trust each other. They care about each other. They kept on competing. and If the clock is moving, the Hawks are competing. At their very best. And as we saw both with the Patriots.
Tristan Amundson: And in this Thursday night game on Netflix, that doesn't always happen in the NFL. But you can trust that it will with these 2026 Seahawks. And what a beautiful thing.
Tristan Amundson: it is to see I want to start taking a look at the offense and the first coordinated game. By Mr. Brian Fleury. So with Drew Locke playing 90 % of this game.
Tristan Amundson: A lot of punts. I... I found a stat. I haven't heard anybody else say this. But I found a stat that is honestly still... A little difficult for me to believe Even though it's very simple.
Tristan Amundson: And that is. In this game, the Seahawks averaged 5 .9 yards per offensive play. That's not a stat we really talk about. Just to put that in perspective...
Tristan Amundson: That is an elite. number. It's actually the same number as the Seahawks had in 2025 with Sam Darnold playing all the way through every game. Seahawks were fourth overall in the NFL in yards per play.
Tristan Amundson: Also at 5 .9. Immediately after the game, there were so many crazy flags in this game. it was It was very bizarre. The Seahawks were on the wrong side of a ton of penalty calls.
Tristan Amundson: There also weren't really any situations where you would say like. Oh, this was a mental mistake by the Seahawks. should There's some sort of coaching point. It just it just seemed like bad luck every time.
Tristan Amundson: And I thought what was happening is that the Seahawks' offensive drives were just getting cut short by these penalties. despite their really positive yards per play. It turns out that really only happened once. It was the...
Tristan Amundson: Fourth and one play. They call the barnyard. AJ Barner has a really great... ah Cadence going into the barnyard rush. It looks successful.
Tristan Amundson: And then they they call offsides on a Seahawks offensive lineman. We never really great get a great look at it as the TV audience, which was... Very frustrating. So that was really the only offensive drive that was killed by a penalty.
Tristan Amundson: So I'm not really sure how there were so many yards per play that had such an elite number. But the Seahawks really got such a limited number of offensive plays overall. I can't quite figure out the total snap count is listed.
Tristan Amundson: at a different number in different places on the internet it's either 48 Or 50 offensive snaps. ah Seeing the difference there just started to make me question everything. but We're just going to focus back in, focus back in. That's just not very many offensive snaps.
Tristan Amundson: Really bizarre to have that that positive of yards per play and just not have many. Chances with the ball or that much chances to establish rhythm? Anyway, that that yards per play made me feel really positive about the offense overall.
Tristan Amundson: Flurry's first game in. you know You're not expecting to play Jude Locke 55 minutes. And I'm just going to take that away as like a... The blood pressure, the vital signs underneath are in really good health.
Tristan Amundson: That being said the possession the Seahawks got right before halftime I was Not expecting to say very many positive things at all about the Seahawks ah offense. It wasn't going that well.
Tristan Amundson: Then the Seahawks receive a punt with about 50 seconds left in the second quarter into halftime. And this possession was just a mess, honestly. They really need to take a look at it.
Tristan Amundson: there were just some they were so far away from field goal range and they just had some weird drives the The Patriots were then calling timeout to try to get the ball back. and there was just no aggressiveness or swagger or really game plan at all to that possession And it looked like, I would call that the low point. but But things really did improve from there. And I think it just took some time. It took some time for everybody to get in a rhythm.
Tristan Amundson: drew locks to get into rhythm brian flory to get into rhythm and everybody to understand themselves Obviously, as we saw deep into the game. The Seahawks were having a lot of trouble getting to the line and getting the... the ball off with enough time on the play clock. They were really.
Tristan Amundson: Running up against it. Even though. They were in a scoring rhythm. That's obviously something you hope is going to get cleaned up in the next couple weeks. I don't think it's that big of a deal because the 5 .9 yards per play, I mean, it's it's really hard. It just doesn't seem like you saw that even.
Tristan Amundson: Even though it was there. Another positive thing I did want to mention and I actually did call this out earlier in the week was the ball security the lack of turnovers.
Tristan Amundson: There was the one pretty kind of dangerous throw Drew Locke had in the direction of Christian Gonzalez. That could have been an interception. That would have been one turnover. There's really nothing else that was close to being a turnover -worthy play.
Tristan Amundson: And overall, Drew Locke was very accurate, 16 for 22. And looking back at it, the Seahawks needed absolutely every possession in order to win this game. They needed it for their own offense, and they just could not afford to give the Patriots like a short field off of a turnover.
Tristan Amundson: So I was really encouraged to see that, that the Seahawks offense knew. Even though we're just punching the ball away here, we don't need to get crazy. We don't need to force anything. ah you know, in the kind of mud of the middle of the game. And.
Tristan Amundson: It ended up coming up, ended up just getting in such a great rhythm in the fourth quarter. I do want to shout out. The play of the game, the shining moment from... From Brian Fleury. This was just such a... The execution, the thought behind it.
Tristan Amundson: The timing of it, everything was so brilliant. The Seahawks' only touchdown of the game. It comes to the fourth quarter. We got 11 .30 left. The team is down 10 -3.
Tristan Amundson: And they've got a fourth and one. with 45 yards to go. To the end zone. Pretty interesting moment that Chris Collinsworth saw this kind of developing a second before it happened.
Tristan Amundson: Hawks bring out what looks like just a jumbo package to... to slam the ball. ah ah into the line and hope to get the yard. They bring out two tight ends and a fullback. They also have JSN at wide receiver. and either I don't even know if you could call it a play action.
Tristan Amundson: Looking at it again, Drew Locke is like... making a motion to hand the ball to Emmanuel Wilson, but they're not. They're not close to one another, actually. so I don't know how vicing convincing that could have been to the Patriots. there the ah The handoff could not have happened, which feels like... um a pretty important part of the play -action play. So I don't know if you can properly call it play -action or not, but...
Tristan Amundson: The call is the short little pass to JSN. He gets out in space. He's got A .J. Barner blocking in front of him. And it ends up not just being the fourth down conversion. but the entire 45 -yard touchdown.
Tristan Amundson: It made me think back to 2024. and Ryan Grubb, and there were a lot of issues. with fourth down execution that year.
Tristan Amundson: So despite despite the issues with operation in the game clock later on in the game, This was the most important play of the game. and brian fleury had a plan had an answer and everybody was on the same page to the point where they They could pull it off with flying colors. and that's That's a really good sign going forward.
Tristan Amundson: Moving on to the defense. I'm going to use that same yards per play statistic. So is so the only had either 48 or 50 offensive snaps. Patriots had 71 offensive snaps and...
Tristan Amundson: Normally... That means the Patriots are... dominating the game. But this just had such a weird game flow to it because the Patriots... They were at 4 .1 yards per offensive play.
Tristan Amundson: And to put that in perspective... The last place team in 2025 in this stat was the Cleveland Browns, and they were at 4 .3 yards per game. So this defense, the dark side shows up and just absolutely puts on another show. I think Chris Collinsworth, he kept on talking but He would not stop talking about the Patriots' offensive line.
Tristan Amundson: And it is true that they did a better job in pass protection than they did in the Super Bowl. I think Chris Collinsworth was maybe missing that that's an extremely low bar to clear. I mean, the Seahawks pass rush in the Super Bowl.
Tristan Amundson: Completely dominated. the game so okay that wasn't happening this time But man... This Seahawks defensive line was absolutely... winning.
Tristan Amundson: the line of scrimmage in the rush game. Now, Drake may have had a few good scrambles. That really elevated the Patriots total. Offensive rushing yardage. But the Patriots are running backs. 24 carries.
Tristan Amundson: for 62 yards. And the Seahawks had six tackles for loss. And a sack also gets... Gets counted as a tackle for loss. I'm dropping the three sacks. The Seahawks had six tackles for loss in the running game.
Tristan Amundson: And it did feel like every time Chris Collinsworth would give the biggest compliment. to the Patriots offensive line. Next thing that would happen was a tackle for loss coming from somewhere on this Seahawks defensive line. It was.
Tristan Amundson: It's just absolute mastery. The Seahawks shut. Off. The running game. Four. every single opponent. They just do. It's it's it's really crazy. it's And it's so subtle, you know, you can really miss it. It's such consistent effort across the entire game.
Tristan Amundson: it's It's never making a mistake. It's never letting one break free. It's... Awesome. to watch. Meantime, Patriots offensive passing attack.
Tristan Amundson: They weren't really challenging. Deep. At all. So. They didn't have their running game going. So that was what the Seahawks were bringing. But the Patriots weren't really trying that many...
Tristan Amundson: Deep throws. They had 33 passing attempts, and Drake May had 178 yards. That's just not... and That's how you get to 4 .1 yards per play. I mean, that's just really not challenging down the field.
Tristan Amundson: And that is with... The Seahawks not. playing. they're they're preferred secondary players this is a different group than the than that They had the same Seahawks uniform on, but we had some different players out there.
Tristan Amundson: ah Players who have never really played a full game for the team before. compared to the Super Bowl. I'd like to give those guys a shout out. Going into the game, we did not know how these snaps would be distributed among the team.
Tristan Amundson: Here's what happened. Cornerback three was Nehemiah Pritchett. After all the storylines about Trayvon Diggs and Terryon Arnold, what a career game from Nehemiah Pritchett, playing about 70 % of the defensive snaps.
Tristan Amundson: He has the play of his career. in the second half AJ Brown unfortunately gets injured on the play. It looked very incidental. You know you couldn't really tell. it wasn't It wasn't a very big hit, but A .J. Brown does get injured on the play.
Tristan Amundson: But it's Pritchett coming in with an absolutely gigantic pass breakup on third down. Third year for Pritchett, that was... Absolutely the play of his tenure with the Seahawks.
Tristan Amundson: So awesome. Playing every snap. was safety Rodney Thomas. This was the player that the Seahawks signed in the offseason who spent the last four years with the Colts. and played his college football at Yale, which is just so wild.
Tristan Amundson: He comes into the Seahawks this offseason. Actually, just a week ago, he is moved off of the 53 -man roster and onto the ready squad. And you got to be, I mean, that shows how, you know.
Tristan Amundson: that That deadline of the 53 -man roster really does mean less than ever because week one. Rodney Thomas not just elevated to the active roster, but playing every single game. And these two guys combined for one of the big plays that turned the whole game around. Very start of the fourth quarter. It's one of the very few deep pass attempts by the Patriots. Maybe this is why.
Tristan Amundson: they didn't they didn't attempt it but ah you You just, it was It was still, as much as we believe in the practice squad and the ready squad of the Seahawks, this was still, it was shock. You know what? It was shocking effort.
Tristan Amundson: Rodney Thomas gets the pass break up. Ball is floating in the air, and Nehemiah Pritchett catches it for the interception and starts running it back, the first of the three interceptions. It's really unbelievable that the Seahawks patch up. every hole they have.
Tristan Amundson: injury -wise, with a stellar performance. From somewhere on the roster. it's It's remarkable and it it keeps on happening.
Tristan Amundson: All right, I'm gonna just empty the notebook here, just just kind of a bullet point from a lot of different directions, just a lot of random stuff that was going on with the team. Last time out, I was hoping Emmanuel Wilson and Rashid Shahid would each have pretty significant roles with the offense. That didn't really happen. Part of that was the low snap count. There wasn't really room for it.
Tristan Amundson: very many people to get involved with the offense at all. Still would love to see more for those guys so you think you can really count on them as weapons as the season goes on Another player who barely had a role in this game, I noticed, was Elijah Arroyo at tight end.
Tristan Amundson: He had zero targets and just 11 snaps. Another player that you would love to see. established as a weapon and a positive presence. A player who did play. a lot more than I would have thought, was Brady Russell. At fullback.
Tristan Amundson: He plays 34 % of the offensive snaps, which isn't... Well... over the last and this is Over the last three years with the Hawks, he's averaged 4%. of the offensive snaps. So this is a gigantic promotion.
Tristan Amundson: in his playing time He also gets the first two catches of his playing career. You might remember last year late in the regular season, he had his first career target. That was a pretty unfortunate drop.
Tristan Amundson: Love to see the improvement. Two targets. Two solid catches. And with Robbie Oots out for the year, it does look like Brian Fleury is planning to have Brady Russell.
Tristan Amundson: as a regular part of the team. Another guy with a pretty established role, it looked like. is George Helani. at running back two. So this is Helani's third year with the Seahawks, and he's been around for so long, and I don't know, you see him in the preseason games.
Tristan Amundson: He had that really fantastic. Special teams touchdown against the Steelers last year on the Steelers blooper. I don't think I really realized how little... George Helani has actually played in the Seahawks offense. so Before this game this week...
Tristan Amundson: George Helani had In the regular season. 41. Total. Offensive snaps for the Seahawks. So that's barely... Barely playing at all.
Tristan Amundson: And it really shows, speaking of elevating guys, you know, from the ready squad. They team, they dead now. Zach Charbonnet was injured, so there wasn't that much of a choice, but the team still played Helani 24 snaps in the Super Bowl.
Tristan Amundson: So that's crazy. Jordan Alani basically has as much postseason. He also played in the other two playoff games. He has about as much. postseason snap experience as he does.
Tristan Amundson: regular season snap experience. and um When I noticed him in pass protection, it was still really solid. and Kudos to him. One of the smaller running backs in the league, but really...
Tristan Amundson: excels in that area of the game. The headline is Jadarian Price. 10 rushes for 52 attempts. Really great start. Really great average. Again, 10 attempts, not that many. I think that's a function, again, of this really low offensive snap count for the Hawks overall.
Tristan Amundson: I don't want to take. Jackson Smith and Jigba for granted. But man, eight catches for 122 yards. It just, it just, it just.
Tristan Amundson: It feels wrong to say that you don't notice it, but it it it integrates so smoothly that it doesn't. jump out to you that he's absolutely he's having an absolutely bananas performance.
Tristan Amundson: That is slightly more yards per game than he did end up with last year. his On his climb up the NFL record books. Really liked. It ended up being, I think, kind of the perfect game for Jason Myers.
Tristan Amundson: converts all three of his kicks. The two field goals were from 30 and 26 yards. Converts the extra point as well I think this was the best case scenario after the preseason. Got a good handful of kicks in there, none of them from too far away, and hopefully just a really nice...
Tristan Amundson: confidence -boosting effort. I wanted to focus in on a special team's play in the third quarter. It's the last punt from Michael Dixon, and it is coffin cornered.
Tristan Amundson: At the six -yard line by Valus Jones. Another one of these guys, Bayless Jones. I think that we've kind of missed the addition of Bayless Jones onto this team.
Tristan Amundson: Unlike a lot of these Seahawks special teams players, this is not a guy who was just like picked up as an undrafted or or some sort of rookie. or has been in the team's facility for a long time.
Tristan Amundson: This is Jones' fifth season in the NFL. He's previously played for the Bears, the Panthers. and was with the Saints at the start of last year. and Then was picked up by the Seahawks in October He mostly plays special teams throughout the year, but not always. He does he doesn't actually appear in the NFC Championship game.
Tristan Amundson: And then much like George Helani, he gets called in when the lights are the brightest. He has 23 snaps in the Super Bowl. And I bring up Bayless Jones 23 snaps because I was watching the highlights of the soup of the Super Bowl game.
Tristan Amundson: Earlier this week. And. This? Same. Thing. happens. Michael Dixon punt. Bayless Jones gets the Patriots in a coffin corner situation.
Tristan Amundson: ah It happened in the Super Bowl, and it happened again on this nationally televised game. And then... in In both of these games. This week, one game in the Super Bowl.
Tristan Amundson: When the the Patriots are backed up against their end zone. They can't move the ball and they have to punt. It gives the Seahawks great field position. And the Hawks end up grinding a field goal out of it.
Tristan Amundson: So in the Super Bowl, that helped the Seahawks go up 9 -0. That was the halftime score. of about low It was a low -scoring first half. And in this game, it helps the Seahawks get their very first points on the board.
Tristan Amundson: and change it from 10 to 0, 10 to 3. I mean really? this This play is when the tide starts turning. you know very underneath the surface if you will but the the tide does start turning on this play And it's just another great example of the Seahawks special teams.
Tristan Amundson: Just getting wins, just generating wins out of. out of thin air.
Tristan Amundson: That's enough for Wednesday night. Moving on to Thursday night. Well Thursday night here in America. It was Friday morning down in Australia. Big ups to the people of Melbourne, Australia.
Tristan Amundson: This was the seventh best attended NFL game of all time. Between the 49ers and the Rams. I'm recording this on Friday morning. American time and it it is occurring to me.
Tristan Amundson: The Rams. have still been in the air this whole time. um there Now that is a long... Long flight back. Because you just flew there and then you just got destroyed 27 to 7.
Tristan Amundson: They're on a long flight back. And this is obviously the biggest story. in the NFL right now. What were the Rams? Thinking. but about this about this travel plan.
Tristan Amundson: it It really it is. it It's funny. It's... ah Also, the Rams go up 7 -3 in the second quarter. To celebrate the touchdown, they hit the group nap celebration in the end zone.
Tristan Amundson: That makes it even funnier. So the the Rams kind of played and acted in this game. As if it seems like the Rams. The Rams know they win the off and they.
Tristan Amundson: Nuke. Excuse me. The Rams know. They were the offseason winners. Far and away, the Rams won this offseason. Everything we're getting from the Rams, it's kind of looking and feeling like they were expecting...
Tristan Amundson: That the wind would just come to them. Because... They won the offseason. Okay. And so the... That's that's just... It's subtle, but it's so different than the Seahawks psychology and approach going into these games.
Tristan Amundson: Much prefer how Mike McDonald is setting up the Seahawks team. Now, just a few days ago, I did mention that this 2026 Rams team could be One of the all -time great. squads, which I still...
Tristan Amundson: do believe is true. it's it's It's possible. Now, it's it's pretty unlikely. It's less likely now. After getting waxed 27 -7 in week one.
Tristan Amundson: I did also mention though that the ramps had self -destruction potential. And to me, this is self -destruction. I mean, it it was. It was really funny. it's i mean we've We've been hearing these stories about the ram how the Rams are sending out members of their scouting team to Australia on all these flights like two years.
Tristan Amundson: ahead of time. And it's just such a funny overthought. compared to just... Just the the common sense of like. This is not going to work to fly your team into Australia about 24 hours.
Tristan Amundson: before the game starts. The 49ers had days off. They're trying Australian coffee. They're on vacation together. they're they're They're setting up this like summer camp environment and then they get this dominant win and get to fly back together in harmony. It's just so funny that the Rams.
Tristan Amundson: what the Rams have done to themselves. And it's not over because they're landing they're landing back in Los Angeles at some point here on Friday. And they have... 30 cumulative hours of plane flight and an NFL game like on on the body system.
Tristan Amundson: And good luck recovering in time for week two.
Tristan Amundson: Wanted to mention a small roster move at the end of the roster for the Seahawks. Bryce Cabledew. the offensive lineman. Picked in the sixth round by the team in 2025. Seahawks end up waving him, and he is...
Tristan Amundson: Just like Cody White the week before. Also picked up by Clint Kubiak in Las Vegas. He also joins Dariq Young over there. Very small subplot, but I do just really enjoy that Clint really trusts these guys ah down at the end of the roster and wants to reunite with them.
Tristan Amundson: over in his new team. As I mentioned, week one for most of the league is still in front of us. We haven't had the first Sunday, but... here with the Hawks, already looking ahead to week two. We're still nine days out from the next game.
Tristan Amundson: That'll be on the road at Arizona against the Cardinals. This whole the Seahawks have their starting quarterback injured And what a unique situation it is where.
Tristan Amundson: It doesn't really feel like that big of a, it's not. Really front of mind with everything going on With this team. Sam Darnold is obviously QB1. The team won't be able to compete at the Super Bowl level without him. But.
Tristan Amundson: At this point in the season. and especially facing the Cardinals, I have a lot of confidence. in Drew Locke to help lead this team to victory. Cardinals will be facing the Chargers between now and then.
Tristan Amundson: We'll get a good gauge for if the Cardinals really are. the 31st or 32nd best team in the NFL, as is expected. And yeah. I have a lot of confidence in Duloc to get the job done as well as everybody else.
Tristan Amundson: Thanks so much for listening, everyone. catch you Enjoy the mini -bye already with the Rams 0 -1, the Hawks 1 -0. Go Hawks.
