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Jadarian “Gets Out Of The Car Again” Price
46 Plays1 month ago
Tristan and Miles talk about the Seahawks finding the right personalities in the 2026 Draft, if other NFL teams will have practice field envy this summer, and Miles delivers the 7th-round take of a lifetime.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Setup
00:00:00
Tristan Amundson
Miles, how do i how do we do this? Let me see. have the microphone. I think it's on um cameras off.
00:00:08
M dub
Testing.
00:00:09
Tristan Amundson
I testing one, two, three is miles.
00:00:11
M dub
Testing.
00:00:12
Tristan Amundson
It's been so long since we've done this. Can first of all, can you hear me?
00:00:18
M dub
I can hear you loud and clear.
00:00:20
Tristan Amundson
Excellent. Excellent. um Good to be back with you, my friend. It's been it's been about a month since we've hit the um theoretical airwaves, which is podcasting. are you doing?
00:00:33
M dub
Tristan, it is great to be with you in the middle of
2026 Draft Overview and Pronunciation Humor
00:00:37
M dub
springtime. Nice sunny day Wouldn't want to be anywhere else other than inside talking with you about the 2026 Draft.
00:00:46
Tristan Amundson
Just wrapped up a couple of days ago. So we've had a couple of days to to marinate on these picks a little bit. We were just talking about our good friend, Jadarian. You know, i'm I'm looking at the list of names you wrote down for us. It kind of just sounds like a bunch of guys that are going to come over.
00:01:04
Tristan Amundson
Jadarian and Bud and Julian and Bo, Emmanuel, Andre, Devin, Michael. They're all coming over for pizza later if you want to join.
00:01:14
M dub
That sounds good. um Wait, i sorry, sorry.
00:01:19
M dub
You hit Jadarian instead of Jadaria. Do you want to restart? No.
00:01:23
Tristan Amundson
Oh, dang it. No, listen, it's part of the canon. um
00:01:27
Tristan Amundson
i got I got too big big for my britches. So, you know, folks, you should know before we jumped on, i was just talking about how confident I was about the correct pronunciation. I was saying, you know, there was a time when Jackson Smith and Jigba seemed like a name that seemed a little little intimidating. and And now you just say it without any issue whatsoever.
00:01:27
M dub
sorry
00:01:50
Tristan Amundson
Um, and then, you know, you you step in it in the first, you know, two minutes of a podcast. So listen, man, it's part of the canon. You live and learn. I'm still learning and growing and, uh, you know, we'll just compete every day to get better.
00:02:05
M dub
You're right. Sorry.
Trust in Seahawks' Draft Strategy
00:02:06
M dub
Yes. good good Good attitude towards competing. As the draft went on, I really focused on ah creating a little phrase in my head. This actually was surprisingly helpful for me. i think I'm locked in because I thought Jadarian gets in the car again.
00:02:23
M dub
Jadarian Price. And I'm rolling with that. and And I think it's pretty locked in there. Jadarian gets in the car again. He has clarified that is the way to pronounce it. That's not what that's not what you think of first.
00:02:34
M dub
when you see this name, but that is the way you do pronounce the Seahawks first round draft pick coming in at number 32 overall, the running back from Notre Dame. Tristan, what did do you think about this pick?
00:02:46
Tristan Amundson
You know, i so so it so let me give you the really lame answer first and then I'll give you i'll give you a a more a more thoughtful answer. So my my first lame fan answer is i trust I trust John. um And so it's like I trust John. I trust Mike and what they're going to do.
00:03:07
Tristan Amundson
And so they could have literally picked a plumber. And I think I would have said, no, it makes sense because John knows what he's doing. um But the the more I thought about it now a little bit more thoughtful and and this won't be breaking news.
00:03:20
Tristan Amundson
But holy smokes. I mean, you got a thousand yard rusher who is very, very talented that you have to replace. And it just seems like a really appropriate smart pick. I do like the idea.
00:03:33
Tristan Amundson
of getting a pick like this at running back before. for For what everyone was saying, it seemed like the running back talent was going to go down quite a bit. But I have probably a more important reason, Miles, that we should really dig into. Let
Jadarian Price's Potential and Impact
00:03:48
Tristan Amundson
me ask you this. How many...
00:03:50
Tristan Amundson
how many pictures of Jadarian either wearing his cardigan or getting in and out of the car again? um But more importantly, you you need to see the sleeveless pictures of this young man. How many...
00:04:05
Tristan Amundson
How many pictures have you seen of him maybe from the combine? And is there a former Seahawk running back that that he reminds you of? And i'm I'm specifically looking at his biceps right now because i think he actually already knows a former Seahawk player just based off of how big his biceps are. Any any guesses?
00:04:27
M dub
You stumped me here. ill i'll tell you, i was listening to his conference call and his interviews. I wasn't checking out the biceps as much as I should have. um So we'll get to that. But what are you thinking?
00:04:38
Tristan Amundson
So Robert Turbin. um Turbo had the biggest biceps I've ever seen in my life. It just it was unbelievable. And I instantly just saw this picture and it's like it's hard not to want to have this guy on your team. He he kind of looks like the first guy off the bus kind of player just from I don't think I've ever seen somebody.
00:05:01
Tristan Amundson
have more defined shoulders, biceps, triceps, yeah any other muscle that you can fit in there on the arm. I mean, just unbelievable forearms.
00:05:12
Tristan Amundson
He's a monster. So, so the muscles look good. I can, I can confirm that no issue whatsoever. Um, but no, in all seriousness, he, he fills a massive need for us. That's a huge, huge piece to all of this. And, um,
00:05:28
Tristan Amundson
And yeah man, there's there's there's an excitement to the upside of what a great running back can be. um There's an excitement to me. The idea of having a running back that can break open the game.
00:05:42
Tristan Amundson
i feel as though the floor is fairly high, right? Like I think at the very least, he's going to be a good running back. And obviously the ceiling is incredible for what he could become.
00:05:54
Tristan Amundson
His his limited touches at Notre Dame. And and i'll I'll leave you at this and then give me your thoughts. My final excitement about this, I do think, technically speaking, let's say he turns out to be a great running back.
00:06:04
M dub
Thank
00:06:09
Tristan Amundson
Number 32 is exactly the perfect place to pick a really, really good running back because yeah it is at the very end of the first round. So, you know, the whole don't pick a running back in the first round conversation, it's a It's a really dumb thing to say in this case because it's the 32nd pick. it it It barely counts as a first rounder.
00:06:31
Tristan Amundson
But what it does count for is that fifth year option. And if he turns out to be great, that fifth year option becomes incredibly valuable to all of us. So, um yeah, I mean, first of all, I trust I trust John and crew, but also I really like the pick.
00:06:46
M dub
You're totally right about that fifth-year option. I thought we went on a really long journey to get here because the day or two before the draft, we hear John talking about, the team wanting to trade out of the pick.
00:06:59
M dub
And that was something we were aware of going back to the fall when the team traded away the fourth and fifth rounders for Rashid Shahid.
00:07:03
Tristan Amundson
Thank
00:07:07
M dub
we We realized trading back was an option and it was it felt affirming to hear him say that. So then when the draft night actually comes and the Seahawks do just sit there and make the pick, it does feel a little confusing or disappointing. Like, hey, did did you actually want, you know, was this plan A to stay here?
00:07:26
M dub
And then also, we've kind of heard from John over the last few years. I think the reason for this Seahawks renaissance is he stopped picking for roster need, which seemed to be his approach during kind of the dip in the in the middle of his long GM tenure. really focused on picking for roster need.
00:07:45
M dub
And things have really picked up in the last three or four years because... it sounded like he had a change in his philosophy of trying to just pick the best player in general and not really caring about where things were on the roster.
00:07:59
M dub
So it felt a little weird that this was the most obvious hole in the roster. This was a weird, you know, though the whole, will we trade out? Will we not? So I didn't feel super excited as it happened, but I will say I am more excited looking into Jadari and Price's college career. So 6.8 carries in ah during his entire time in college. I can't tell if that's a positive or a negative.
00:08:23
M dub
That's probably the reason he fell this far, but he he really did a lot with with those carries. So last year in 2025, what I noticed looking at his highlights and his stats, he scored 11 rushing touchdowns in 113 attempts.
00:08:37
M dub
that That is a killer ratio.
00:08:37
Tristan Amundson
There you
00:08:39
M dub
That is really trying to find the end zone. and you And you can see when he breaks one, he really does have the attitude of trying to get it all the way into the end zone. Also, even though he's a ah larger running back, he he has a lot of experience in the kickoff return game.
00:08:56
M dub
That's not an area the Seahawks need help in right now. But his average, career average in kickoff returns was 36.1 yards. And Brady Henderson, the Seahawks reporter, dug up the fact that that is the best average in college football, any position, over the last 30 years.
00:09:13
M dub
Pretty wild. and And then you hear him in the conference call and the interview, and this is a very easy guy to root for. i think a big theme of the Seahawks draft was drafting for character and trying to find the right guy, the right personality to fit in the building. And this is the very easy person to root for. So I ended up coming around on it, but I will say that for the first day or two, was a little bit like what's going on here. This seems like a bit of a regression. Those are my feelings about round number one.
00:09:42
M dub
Jadarian gets in the car again. Price.
00:09:46
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, no, I think it's all it's all really well put. um And ah yeah, it's you know it's it's an interesting it's interesting pick. i I found myself watching the film.
00:10:00
Tristan Amundson
i'm about to I'm about to say something. going to make a comparison as the first guy that he reminded me of when I watched some of you know just the ah the highlights on on NFL Network or whatever.
00:10:13
Tristan Amundson
And
00:10:14
M dub
Thank you.
00:10:15
Tristan Amundson
Even as I make this comparison, I want to almost take it back immediately because I'm not saying that his running style is like this player. I think I just mean it almost from a size perspective, like kind of the load that it looked like he was kind of bringing downhill on people.
00:10:32
Tristan Amundson
He reminded me of Marshawn. And i again, I say that and I almost cringe when I say it because I don't want to compare anyone to Marshawn. And I also don't think he has that kind of gyro ball. weird running motion that marchand has and or had and and he was the only one i've ever seen that had it i think i just mean mostly from like a top end speed perspective and from like a um a size perspective he kind of reminded me of marchand a little bit and i think the reason why well the reason why i want to bring it up is i've heard some of the detractors about him say well he doesn't have the elite like elite elite top end speed Which, okay, fair enough. Maybe he's not Chris Johnson, but few are.
Seahawks' Draft Philosophy
00:11:15
Tristan Amundson
um And I guess my point being that you don't, although that speed is excellent and you'll take that all day, you don't necessarily need that to be an unbelievably successful running back in the NFL.
00:11:28
M dub
No, you definitely don't. And I wonder what his, you know, he scored so many touchdowns. So his average of this last year was six yards a carry. Again, just 113 carries across the entire season.
00:11:39
M dub
11 of them for touchdowns. You just cut, I mean, i guess this is the case with any running back ever, but that is so many touchdowns. It almost like ah his his rushing average could be completely different if those touchdown snaps were in like different places on the field.
00:11:55
M dub
You know, i don't know if it was just further back.
00:11:55
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:57
M dub
So, Anyway, I just, that is that is a such a strong percentage. That almost never happens. 11 touchdowns, 113 attempts. Nose for the end zone. It's all about scoring the ball at the end of the day.
00:12:10
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, well, and one thing I loved about him, ah just listening to his his interview with Mike and and Brock, ah Mike asked him the question he asked every running back. You know, when let's say we're getting close to the end zone. We're in the red zone and you break away and it's just you and another, you know, there's just one dude in between you and the end zone.
00:12:31
Tristan Amundson
Are you going around him or through him? And he answered through him. But the way he answered it, i don't know if you heard this, Miles. I absolutely loved it. he he didn't just say, oh, i' I'll go through the guy, which is what every running back says.
00:12:43
Tristan Amundson
He was like, there's there's a poetic beauty in the NFL to going through someone as a running back.
00:12:44
M dub
Thank you.
00:12:50
Tristan Amundson
And i mean, you know me enough to know like that just that tickled my fancy. it was just like the idea of this guy is is kind of looking at it from that lens.
00:13:01
Tristan Amundson
Like there's a greater story about the NFL and there's a poetic beauty um about like how the purpose of a running back to go through someone instead of around them. i think he instantly made me a massive fan just with that one line. I loved it.
00:13:18
M dub
Absolutely. I did hear that. Yeah, it was great. And yeah, you just look forward to it it. It did make me wonder, because with Price and the free agent from the Packers, Emmanuel Wilson, there there is ah the possibility...
00:13:32
M dub
I hate to to bring up this rain cloud, but there is a possibility that we're we're pretty close to the end of Zach Charbonnet's tenure with the Seahawks, which feels crazy because it seems like it just started, but he just finished his third year.
00:13:45
M dub
We had this ACL injury that will take, in you know, we don't know how much of his fourth year it will take, but... We saw the team just be willing to let K-9 walk in free agency.
00:13:55
M dub
John Schneider has not signed a lot of running backs to second deals. And this this rotation seems pretty complete, along with George Helani in there, even if Charbonnet isn't able to return this year. So I hate to bring that up, but it seems to be the reality of the situation as far as I can tell.
00:14:15
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, I mean, we'll we'll see what happens. Obviously, we love Charbonnet and what he brings to this team. So hopefully he's able to come back and and they just um ah accentuate each other's skills in a really cool way.
00:14:30
Tristan Amundson
um i kind of, to be honest, forgot about Wilson. i I forgot about that free agent pickup, if I'm being totally honest with you. So that is an interesting wrinkle. Um, and, and frankly, it is interesting.
00:14:39
M dub
Yes, yeah.
00:14:42
Tristan Amundson
Like there's kind of a a similarity. i mean, i shouldn't say that. I guess, I guess price very much has like the top end speed. The other guys don't, or, or more of that, at least Wilson definitely feels like kind of more of a bruiser back.
00:14:57
Tristan Amundson
Right.
00:14:58
M dub
yes yeah
00:14:59
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, so it's it's interesting. But I guess like none of them are like super fast, I guess what I'm trying to say, right? Like you would you would kind of imagine of the three of them, right? Like one's going to be kind of be your scat back and and it doesn't seem like there there is that role on this team at the moment.
00:15:20
M dub
I do think that Price and Wilson, even though it's a totally different rotation from last year, i I guess that they will split carries pretty evenly. but Between Walker and Charbonnet, that was one of the more even splits and in running backs in the NFL. And I do feel that that it will will continue with the same level of effectiveness this year. I really do, even though that will definitely be the biggest change on this team from from last year to next year.
00:15:45
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, I mean, you know it's easy for us to, you know, you win the Super Bowl, everything just feels good now. And so it it is kind of easy to be like, hey, Ken Walker was quite great, but, you know, he had to move on and that's fine. We'll replace him.
Excitement for Seahawks on HBO's Hard Knocks
00:15:58
Tristan Amundson
And you do kind of forget, like, I mean, Ken Walker was a massively important part of this team, especially down the stretch, right? I mean, those last... those last few games and then going into the playoffs and then obviously what he did in the Superbowl, Ken Walker was unbelievably great. And so, um yeah, there is definitely shoes to fill. And, uh, I, I do love the idea of taking,
00:16:21
M dub
you
00:16:22
Tristan Amundson
Certainly the best available running back left and a major point of need for the team. So, yeah, you know, he he'll be fun to watch and just do me a favor. Just keep an eye out for those biceps. I think you're going to be impressed. In fact, you might be inspired. You might just be warned. You might pick up a couple of dumbbells after and you might just start kind of working on the biceps. Just miles. Do me a favor. Remember balance, right? You can't just do the biceps then you have to do the triceps. Um, you got to bounce out the arm. So, you know, just don't, don't hurt yourself too much. I know I'm trying to hold myself back.
00:16:58
Tristan Amundson
Um, every time I see him, I just find myself, you know, working out a little bit more. So, you know, just fair warning.
00:17:04
M dub
An inspiration to us all. And we'll, yeah. Jadarian gets in the car again.
00:17:09
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, there you go. um All right, let's let's go to the next pick here, man. up You know, maybe the best name in the in the draft. I mean, just the guy you want to invite over for, you know, pizza and hanging out and, you know, maybe helping you out with some yard work.
00:17:25
Tristan Amundson
Bud Clark, safety. How how are you feeling?
00:17:29
M dub
Bud Clark, Tristan with this second round pick and the third round pick. This is where I really felt the Seahawks were leaning into their cultures. Hearing these guys talk, how eager they were to to to play Seahawk football, how physically they played in the secondary in college.
Seahawks' Defensive Additions: Bud Clark and Julian Neal
00:17:47
M dub
I really felt that these were the Seahawks. And specifically, Bud Clark had the quote of the entire draft process for me.
00:17:54
Tristan Amundson
yeah
00:17:55
M dub
do you know he said when he got that call?
00:17:57
Tristan Amundson
if
00:17:57
M dub
He said, my heart dropped in my butt, which which was a new one for me.
00:17:58
Tristan Amundson
okay and
00:18:02
M dub
i I really like that.
00:18:05
Tristan Amundson
I've never heard that either. That's incredible.
00:18:07
M dub
It's good to know. It can even happen to these guys. and This is going to be a member of the dark side next year. And when and even when he gives that call, his heart dropped in his butt. Tristan Bud Clark played safety at TCU.
00:18:19
M dub
He did it for six seasons. He started in 2020 and he played a total of 61 games in college football. i was I spent a long time trying to track down if that is the all-time record for most games played in a college football career.
00:18:37
M dub
That information is not that easy to find, which kind of shocked me. i don't think it is the record, but I think it's pretty close. This is literally one of the longest college careers ever.
00:18:51
M dub
And he was really became an institution there. I mean, But six years, most NFL careers, of course, don't last six years.
00:18:57
Tristan Amundson
Thank you.
00:19:00
M dub
So he he really became a leader there, was a team captain and was was kind of the center of the defense, even though he was playing at safety, just because of his longevity.
00:19:07
Tristan Amundson
you
00:19:10
Tristan Amundson
Bud Clark, welcome to the dark side. You know, um it's it's exciting. Everything that coach was talking about him, they just kept talking about Ball Hawk. They just kept talking about this guy gets his hands on a lot of footballs and is very disruptive, has ah has a sense and a feel for that. And so...
00:19:28
Tristan Amundson
yeah my My first thought was, man, just an interesting weapon for them to add into the secondary. um
00:19:35
M dub
Thank you.
00:19:36
Tristan Amundson
The other thing that I felt found like kind of curious and interesting was Mike specifically said, man it's going to be really fun to um to to get Bud in the same room as Devin and in the same room as room as Nick. And I think it's interesting that that's where Mike's brain is at right now. Like I want to get this guy in the room with, with Devin, like that's going to be kind of crazy. um And so to me,
00:20:05
Tristan Amundson
I don't know if I'm over like reading too much into that miles, but to me that almost, that seems like a really like good sign. Like that's, that's where Mike Mike's brain is at. Like, man, like this guy with Devin in in the same room, that's, that's going to be pretty wild.
00:20:17
M dub
you
00:20:21
Tristan Amundson
Am I reading too much into that? Or is that kind of, I don't know, get, get, pique your curiosity too, of, of maybe the, the ceiling and and the skill that this guy's bringing.
00:20:32
M dub
No, it absolutely does pique my curiosity. As I mentioned, I felt like the Seahawks did really good job in this draft of finding the Seahawks, the tough, intelligent, but ultimately high-character defensive players.
00:20:39
Tristan Amundson
you
00:20:46
M dub
If you're Bud Clark and you've played safety in a really physical way in college football, this is the best-case scenario. There's no other team you want to go to in the draft to be a second-round pick and to to get into that position room as skilled and as deep as it is.
00:21:07
M dub
I mean, this is a, this, the you know, the location that a player can go to at the start of their career can really make or break a lot of careers. And this is a, this is a career making situation you would have to imagine for Bud Clark. As I watched his play, I noticed actually less of the ball hawking and more of he was just making really good open field tackles.
00:21:29
M dub
So he's he's not really going to be in the Eman Worry role, it sounds like, where he's at the line of scrimmage a lot. He's going to be back there. But it did seem like when the runner got to him in the secondary, which when that happens, that means the runner kind of has a lot of momentum, like by definition, he was still really wrapping up a lot of great open field tackles. And that's great to see.
00:21:50
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, you know, the other thing that comes to mind as I think of him and Devin and Nick is... And now what's interesting, this could be taken the wrong way. I want to be careful how I say this, the chaos that he could add.
00:22:04
Tristan Amundson
And its it needs to be understood on the Seahawks side, it's not chaos. It is a symphony. It is well orchestrated. Everyone has their job. Everyone knows what they're supposed to do.
00:22:17
Tristan Amundson
From the offense side, from the offensive side, from the quarterback's perspective, when When teams played the Seahawks, there was a level of chaos that Devin and Nick represented, I think, on the field that they just create problems, right?
00:22:34
Tristan Amundson
Like, you're not supposed to be there. um Wait, now you're lining up on this side of the field.
00:22:36
M dub
you
00:22:38
Tristan Amundson
Wait, now you're in the box. Now you're now you're deep. Now you're playing nickel. Now you're playing you know outside corner. Yeah. ah We're putting these guys all over the place. um You know, maybe, you know, quote unquote positionless football when you when you talk about the secondary.
00:22:54
Tristan Amundson
And my hope is that Bud is another evolution of that and another wild card. that um that Mike can play as he is dictating to an offense what they may and may not do. And and just another troublemaker, someone who, if he's in the right area and that quarterback makes that errant throw, Bud's going to get to it. Or,
00:23:19
Tristan Amundson
you know, he's going to be disruptive and he's he's going to change the look on the field from what it was supposed to be pre-snap. So when I when i heard Mike say that specifically, and then just as I think about this role, and, you know, 64, that's a pretty high pick. So I think there is a lot of talent here.
00:23:39
Tristan Amundson
um The idea of the chaos, I think that this guy can potentially bring to the field. um Chaos to them, not to us, is really exciting.
00:23:50
M dub
It is really exciting. And personally, I really thought of Clark and the Seahawks' next pick, Julian Neal, as pretty pretty darn similar to one another and in terms of of what they're gonna ask to do in their rookie year and and the types of personalities they have.
00:24:06
Tristan Amundson
um
00:24:07
M dub
So at the end of the third round, the Seahawks did have their first of several trade downs of the weekend. They moved down just a couple picks from 96 to 99, trading with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:24:18
M dub
And at 99, they picked up Julian Neal, who's a cornerback. He played at Arkansas last year, and he did that after transferring. He played four years at Fresno State and then wanted a fifth year. You can hear him hear him talk about it.
00:24:32
M dub
a fifth year at the highest level of college football in the SEC. And I looked at, and Arkansas went two and 10. So that's a tough situation for him.
00:24:41
Tristan Amundson
There you go.
00:24:41
M dub
but the But what everybody evaluated was, hey, this guy was playing through the entire season. He he was not quitting on on this two and 10 team.
00:24:52
M dub
And he really brought a physical play style, as you would imagine. And I noticed him getting a lot of great pass passes defended. um in his coverage.
00:25:02
M dub
I did see a number of dropped interceptions. I think there could be more ball skills, but much like Bud Clark, I saw Julian Neal as a very high energy personality
Analyzing Seahawks' Draft Strategy and Newcomers
00:25:12
M dub
who's going to be an important part ah of of that secondary room and and who also played in the secondary with a lot of intelligence and a lot of physicality.
00:25:21
M dub
am i Did you see this the same way where were these these felt like a combo to you, Bud Clark and Julian Neal?
00:25:27
Tristan Amundson
Well, they they certainly seem like a combo in that they're they're both filling massive needs, right? And I mean, as much as I want to think of these players as individuals and their own this is their own story starting today, Bud Clark is coming in and replacing Kobe Bryant, right? And that's ah that's a tough one because Kobe, we all love Kobe Bryant. He is a very, very good football player. and was a massive resource for this team. So it's a shame, right, to to to have to like you know not have Kobe on the team anymore.
00:26:01
Tristan Amundson
And yet, here's Bud. Julian, to me, is ah is a little interesting in that I think we all knew that Reek was not long for this team and that he wasn't going to be the right fit for...
00:26:12
Tristan Amundson
um The way that Mike wanted to run the team that, you know, some of the negative chaos, if we want to talk about about bringing the chaos, sometimes reek brought the wrong kind of chaos. And you you just kind of knew that he wasn't going to be around. And so I tend to think of those two guys kind of from that perspective that they're both.
00:26:32
Tristan Amundson
coming in to replace a player, I think a fairly specific player in Bud's case. I think he has really, really big. Well, actually they both have big shoes to fill.
00:26:43
Tristan Amundson
um I think in Bud's case, like, man, you would have loved to keep Kobe, but you can't keep everyone. So, Hey bud, here we go. And, and I hope you can be even better. um And, and, you know, the sky's the limit, obviously. So there's an excitement there.
00:26:56
Tristan Amundson
From Julian's perspective, also big shoes to fill, right? I mean, Rick is a really good player, but um man, can Julian excel where Rick couldn't in in being able to stay focused?
00:27:09
Tristan Amundson
The favorite thing, Miles, that I heard Julian Neal say that when asked kind of to describe who he was as a player, he described himself as a box corner and a press corner. And the way that he was talking about himself and the aggression that he likes to play with, I couldn't help but think about Brandon Browner.
00:27:28
Tristan Amundson
I mean, that's just... if and And I'm hoping that he's some sort of a version of Brandon Browner, really playing at the line of scrimmage, disrupting routes, playing physical, um and having kind of... a different style i think of cornerback play than, than we often see in the league.
00:27:49
M dub
It's a great comparison, and obviously the The off-field comparison that's pretty obvious is is Richard Sherman. you You got the feeling that he he was just coming in with with a lot of energy.
00:27:59
M dub
Had a really great story about how he he was supposed to receive you know a box of all of hats from all 32 teams and it never arrived. So he a family member went got ah a single hat for him.
00:28:12
M dub
he He asked for a Seahawks hat and that ended up being the draft pick way at the end of the third round.
00:28:14
Tristan Amundson
Notice.
00:28:17
M dub
um It seemed to be a real story. and um Yeah, i I really like the fit here with with the team. it It does feel like they they got their guy.
00:28:29
Tristan Amundson
um for For the next pick, Bo Stevens, this was one of my favorite picks. Miles, would you mind because I know you have it here. Would you mind describing the the mechanics of us getting Bo? Because my understanding is we traded our fourth rounder our next year's fourth rounder. Is that correct to to pick this one up?
00:28:51
M dub
Yeah, that's exactly it. So as we discussed before the draft, fourth and fifth rounders were out the door for Rashid Shahid, and we were comfortable with that price because he really helped bring the Super Bowl to the team.
00:29:03
M dub
And I think that led to this. And also there was... With all the departing free agents, there's a number of compensatory picks coming in next year. So I think that's that led the team to be comfortable making this move, which is kind of expensive. So you're you're right. They did send next year's fourth round pick to the Cleveland Browns to jump into this year's fifth round.
00:29:24
M dub
At pick 148, kind of in the middle of the fifth round. So that's an expensive price. But I think with those factors, the team felt comfortable doing it to get Bo Stevens.
00:29:32
Tristan Amundson
you
00:29:34
M dub
And even in the fifth round, I do expect him to have regular playing time next year. And yeah, what do you think about him?
00:29:40
Tristan Amundson
Well, what piques my interest, what makes this maybe my my most my my favorite pick of the draft, or or maybe, let me let me put it this way. This is a better way to put it. My most intriguing pick of the draft is John Schneider's track record when he comes up to get somebody.
00:29:57
Tristan Amundson
that I think he's batting 1,000. You can tell me, I'm sure I'm wrong, but like just the way that I remember the, the years of the draft, when I think of Tyler Lockett, right, came up to get Tyler.
00:30:11
Tristan Amundson
um When I think of, and I'm, I'm now I'm going to make a fool of myself because I can't, I suddenly can't think of other examples, but,
00:30:18
M dub
Well, Nicky Manwari was the last one.
00:30:20
Tristan Amundson
Oh, there you go.
00:30:20
M dub
So there we go.
00:30:21
Tristan Amundson
Thank you. Thank you. thank Thank you. This is why you get paid the big bucks. That's right. Nick was a huge example of it. I can't remember. Did they come up a little bit to get JSN?
00:30:31
Tristan Amundson
That was one that I was struggling with my mind just now. I couldn't remember if that was a come up or not. Um, either way, when John Schneider identifies someone that he wants and he goes up and get some that, that piques my interest.
00:30:46
Tristan Amundson
That makes me think, okay, this guy is more than a fifth round pick. If, if they pick Bo Stevens in the fifth round and the Seahawks own the number 148 pick and they just pick them in as their own pick.
00:31:02
Tristan Amundson
Okay, cool. Like, let's see how good he is. The fact that they saw the guy they wanted to get and they traded back into the draft by using next year's capital um at, a you know, and it's kind of that classic ratio, right?
00:31:07
M dub
you
00:31:17
Tristan Amundson
ah Of if you want to get into the fifth round this year, it's going to cost you a fourth round or next year. So it's, it's a legit amount of capital you're giving up to get this guy. I think that John has the track record to where we should all be taking notice of Bo. And i'm I'm really curious to see just how this works out over the first, even like through, well, you know, training camp, whatever. Like, I think we're it'll be interesting to see his fit on the team and and how they kind of see that all working out.
00:31:48
M dub
We should say Bo Stevens is an offensive guard. He came out of Iowa. He did play left guard mostly last year, but he's capable of playing both sides. And I think that's what you're looking at, that training camp is going to be one of the biggest, one of the only playing time positional battles on the roster will be at right guard between Bo Stevens and Anthony Bradford.
00:32:13
M dub
This team was incredibly deep and strong last year, but he did come away thinking right guard is is a place they could improve. Now, they they didn't go for this position earlier in the draft, so that's saying something.
00:32:25
M dub
They did kind of wait later ah to pick up a guard. I thought there was a possibility they could have gone guard in the first round for the second year in a row, but They wait until the fifth round to pick up Bo Stevens.
00:32:30
Tristan Amundson
you
00:32:37
M dub
I noticed looking at his plays, especially in the run game, Bo Stevens was trying to get somebody onto the ground to finish off his plays. Obviously, the highlights all look good together, but that was definitely a a trade that came through was he wasn't just trying to complete the block.
00:32:55
M dub
He he was trying to get a person on the ground, which I'm curious what whatever they are, since he did go into in the fifth round. Curious what the weaknesses in his game is, but I think you really do like that mentality. I don't think it's always been there on Seahawks offensive lines, especially in the John Schneider era. So I am interested by this, and i think we're going to see a genuine training camp battle for for the starting right guard.
00:33:24
Tristan Amundson
And i you know I think that just you know with a guy like Bradford, who is a good player, right? And and we like him quite a bit. um Not perfect. He definitely whiffs. we We all kind of know the good, the bad, and the ugly of A.B.,
00:33:40
Tristan Amundson
but um it's, it's a nice known commodity, right? We know what we're gettingre getting with Anthony. He can definitely do the job at a high level. um He's a good football player.
00:33:50
Tristan Amundson
yeah yeah i'm I'm intrigued by a couple of things. One, uh, Bo is six, five, six, five and a half to be exact. Anthony six, four, um, Anthony is 335 pounds. this is according to to Wikipedia. I don't think Wikipedia has a live scale.
00:34:09
Tristan Amundson
Um, so I, I can't confirm three 35, but, um, according to Wikipedia and Bo Stevens three 15. So Bradford, you know, a good amount more, you know, 20 more pounds or so, probably more of, of girth than, um than bow. So a little bit of different bodies, but you know, interesting enough, Bradford fourth round pick one hundred and eighth overall pick, um, then of course this is the,
00:34:38
Tristan Amundson
what the one forty eight um ah in two thousand and twenty six so Pretty similar, I think, draft position. you know I don't think there's a massive difference between 108 to 148. I think you're just kind of picking your your player. So yeah, you know I think you're right. I think it should be a really rigorous battle in there, and we'll we'll see who comes out on top.
00:35:04
M dub
Throughout the draft weekend, the Seahawks mantra, you could you could tell, especially after they just sat and took their first round pick, was they were looking for opportunities to trade down and accumulate more picks. So I don't know about you, Tristan, but I saw ah a kind of a line in the sand after Bo Stevens. I think the four players we've talked about, I expect to see them play a lot for the Seahawks next year. And and I felt like after this line, and but and maybe I'm wrong. But I felt like after here, there were... ah So the Seahawks started the draft with four picks, and they ended up getting eight picks. So there's four more picks we haven't talked about.
00:35:42
M dub
i think there's interesting things to say about each of these players, but I didn't i don't anticipate them being in the regular rotation this this next year. Is that how you felt?
00:35:53
Tristan Amundson
Agreed. Agreed. Agreed. Yeah, I think i think Bo Stevens is kind of the the cutoff point here. And then and then, yeah, we're going to see what kind of um what what kind of flyers you're taking. Right. I think when you're talking about, so you know, three seventh round picks, you're you're kind of talking about. Yeah.
00:36:13
Tristan Amundson
ah three lotter I hate to say these are real people, right? yeah You know, I hate to say stuff like this, but three lottery tickets potentially. um and And to your point, depth, special teams, um Emmanuel Henderson at wide receiver in the sixth round. This team's pretty stacked at wide receiver, I think. So, um yeah, I think you're looking at special teams guys. and And then who knows, right? Who knows? we could be absolutely singing the praises of Andre Fuller at some point. We just have, we have no idea. Right. But um really fun though, man, I will say this to see this team go from what four picks to eight picks pretty impressive stuff that they were able to do. And I think in general, get their guys and certainly address um positions of need. Was there any position that you were taken aback by that, that they weren't able to get?
00:37:07
M dub
I don't think so. I was, well, I was, so what I was thinking about was I just drew this line in the sand here.
Missed Opportunities: Uar Bernard Discussion
00:37:14
M dub
i think I did that on our episode last year and I totally cut off Torrey Horton.
00:37:19
M dub
I thought he was ah on the, on the below the playing line level.
00:37:20
Tristan Amundson
okay
00:37:23
M dub
And um think for Seahawks fans, Torrey Horton is one of the great mysteries of this team because he just scored so much in his first eight career games before he was sidelined with with this crazy injury.
00:37:34
M dub
So, You really don't know. It did sound like Emmanuel Henderson, this wide receiver out of Kansas, that he was one of Jay Harbaugh's top targets. He was a player he really he really wanted to acquire in the draft.
00:37:45
M dub
So that means something to me. And then pretty interesting to end with three different seven-round picks, three defensive players. But Tristan, I have my biggest take of the draft is is about this seventh round and and about something the Seahawks did not do in the seventh round that that i I just, ah yeah i'm I'm happy to have have these guys on the team But there was a pretty interesting option out there, Tristan. Are you ready to hear the the most passionate seventh-round take? i
00:38:20
M dub
Way more passionate of a seventh-round take than I ever thought I would have in my lifetime. Are you ready?
00:38:26
Tristan Amundson
High stakes, I wanna hear it.
00:38:27
M dub
All right. So the the Seahawks had picks 236 and 242 after some trades. And they could have done. They also had picked 255. But with those first two, they could have done.
00:38:42
M dub
what the Philadelphia Eagles, how the Philadelphia Eagles used pick number 251. Okay, so this Philadelphia Eagles pick number 251 is one of the most interesting draft picks of all time.
00:38:56
M dub
They selected... Uar Bernard. And Uar Bernard is from Nigeria. And he doesn't really have a position because he has never played organized football.
00:39:11
M dub
But, Justin, Justin, the footage of this man working out at Pro Days and Combines this spring, it looks like AI run amok. It looks...
00:39:27
M dub
ah Physically impossible. This man may be the greatest athlete of all time. Just to read off some measurements here.
00:39:38
M dub
UR Bernard is 6'4", 306 pounds. He has 6% body fat. And he ran a 4.63 in the 40-yard sprint. That is... ah we We see hundreds of the nation's best best athletes come through the Combine every year.
00:39:57
M dub
And those are astonishing numbers. So the the Eagles did this a few years ago. They used a seventh round pick on a rugby player who had never played professional football, Jordan Mailata out of Australia.
00:40:13
M dub
That man's a pro bowler. And I would not be surprised if they've done it again. if they've I mean, who knows? But I... We'll be watching UR Bernard's career with a ah lot of interest and just wishing that I could have been watching it from from the correct nest here in the Northwest.
00:40:33
M dub
I just, I really recommend everybody look at this guy. There's not a lot of footage of him, but even compared to NFL players, this man is in a different category.
00:40:47
Tristan Amundson
Um, so I made a great decision while you were talking. i was paying very close attention, but I also was looking at pictures of him and it is not often that you see someone that is six, four, 306 pounds and has and insanely defined six pack. I mean, he has like a six pack that you're only supposed to see on people, you know, on dudes that are like, I don't know, six, five and like,
00:41:18
Tristan Amundson
170 pounds and it's, you know, they're, they're pretty skinny, but like, look at, look at me. I have this insane six pack, this guy at 306 pounds. The fact that he has, and your point, 6% body fat, it makes sense why his six pack is, um, is so good. And, um, yeah, I, that pretty wild, man. I can't wait to see. i' I'm now right with you. We made a massive mistake.
00:41:42
Tristan Amundson
We needed to pick him and I'm also rooting for him. Um, I'm also looking at a comparison to him and miles Garrett. Do you want me to run down, um, some numbers and you can guess, is it Bernard or Garrett?
00:42:00
M dub
Yeah, but I mean, i I'm going to go with Bernard with the more impressive numbers here. Again, i think this man was really worth a draft pick having never played.
00:42:12
M dub
he's He's been playing behind the scenes, but he's he's never been on a team that's played in front of an audience. He's been in the NFL's international player pathway program, but but not for, you know, out underneath the lights and in front of an audience before, but I don't care.
00:42:25
Tristan Amundson
Yeah. Yeah. No, man, listen, he, he looks awesome. Um, again, I'm still just taking it back by the six pack at 306 pounds. It's not, you're not supposed to be able to do that.
00:42:37
Tristan Amundson
They're right. Like that's not humanly possible. So.
00:42:39
M dub
I do think if you look at pictures of him, and I recommend everybody does it, I think you will think what I thought, which was i didn't know it was possible for the human body to look like that.
00:42:50
M dub
I really didn't.
00:42:50
Tristan Amundson
Yeah. Yeah, no, I think that's fair. I think it's a a totally fair, um totally fair thing to say. ah and yeah, just listen, I'm not going to go through each number, but I'll just say this. Looking at the numbers, the comparisons, Bernard and Miles Garrett are are basically identical in all of their like performance numbers. So um I'll make it really quick. They're the same height.
00:43:17
Tristan Amundson
Bernard 306 pounds. Garrett is pounds. broad jump was 10.8. And then the one place, funny that Miles Garrett beat him,
00:43:28
Tristan Amundson
four six three garrett was four six four um his broad jump was ten ten ah garrett's bra jump was ten eight and then the one place funny enough that miles garrett beat him Bernard put up 225 pounds on the bench 31 times versus 33 times for Miles Garrett. um So, yeah, that it is pretty wild that the guy has movement and speed numbers comparable to
Rams' Draft Decisions and Impact
00:43:59
Tristan Amundson
someone that's basically like 30 pounds lighter than him.
00:44:02
Tristan Amundson
Like, that's pretty, pretty wild.
00:44:03
M dub
Yes. that sounds because and And Garrett is potentially the best player at his position of all time.
00:44:08
Tristan Amundson
yeah
00:44:09
M dub
A position where... These types of, you know, that that edge, that's the position where these measurements really matter a lot. You know, and Bernard's got 30 pounds and he's moving just as fast as Garrett.
00:44:23
M dub
I mean, I can't. i i I'll be looking down for Eagles preseason highlights. but this I'm so invested in this storyline. Look, if he's the best player in the NFL in five years, I just won't be surprised. I won't.
00:44:38
Tristan Amundson
Yeah. And it would probably take like that five or six years. I mean, it's going to be a lot for him to learn, but um he's starting from a good place. I mean, that that's for sure. um That's that's fun, man. I'm glad you brought him up because I was not aware of that story. So that's ah that's a pretty fun.
00:44:54
Tristan Amundson
That's a pretty fun story.
00:44:55
M dub
Yeah, sorry to take us away from the Seahawks here, but this is um this was the draft to me
00:45:01
Tristan Amundson
Yeah. Well, listen, can I give you my head scratching and I see you have it on our notes. Let's talk Ty Simpson just for a second um because it does affect the Seahawks. I do think that if if we want to talk about win now mode, right, if we want to talk about let's get back to that mountaintop experience that we had winning the Super Bowl. um you know you where that's That is the attitude, that's the mindset in Seattle. We know that that's also the mindset in l LA, that LA has high aspirations and wants to win.
00:45:36
Tristan Amundson
and one would think, and and one would be Like, you know girding one's loins in Seattle, if you saw that the Rams selected a great playmaker on the offense or defensive side to make what is already an incredibly good and well coached Rams team even better.
00:45:55
Tristan Amundson
um which I think is what we all expected. um Are they going to add another weapon at wide receiver? That's going to be a headache for us to deal with. Are they going to add a weapon at defensive end or, you know, is it going to be a cornerback? What, what problems are the Rams now going to present to us?
00:46:14
Tristan Amundson
Miles, I'm so happy to tell you that the problem that the Rams are presenting to us will be safely on the bench watching Matthew Stafford play out his potential final year. Who knows how long Matthew plays, but Ty Simpson is not going to be a problem.
00:46:33
Tristan Amundson
for the Seahawks this year, unless, you know, something happens to Matthew. And and even in that case, he's he's going to be a ah rookie quarterback. I feel like for the long term, potentially Ty was a ah brilliant pick by the Rams and they're pretty smart too. So potentially he was. But if you just want to talk about the short term of our path to another Super Bowl right now, Ty Simpson, non-factor, which I don't think we could ask for anything more.
00:47:03
M dub
Tristan, this story bamboozled me because I learned that I was on a completely different page from everybody else. I remember when the Seahawks traveled to Atlanta in December towards the end of the regular season, I brought up on this on our deer podcast here that the Rams held the Falcons' first-round pick for 2026, thanks to a trade from last year.
00:47:24
M dub
And just knowing the the most basic outlines of mock drafts at that time, I was like, oh In my mind, I didn't i wish I'd committed it to tape, but I thought, oh, the Rams are going to be taking Simpson. We know Mendoza's first, Simpson's next.
00:47:39
M dub
I know the Rams will just take him. so win it So I don't know anything about mock drafts, but I had that in my mind pretty solidly. So I was really surprised then to see there was, there's been a lot of controversy over this pick and he wasn't exactly welcomed into Los Angeles with some of the worst body language in a press conference you'll ever see by Sean McVay. Body language so bad that a secondary press conference had to be established to explain the first one.
00:48:09
M dub
I don't think, I'm sure there's exceptions. But it's pretty rare for a rookie to contribute at a Super Bowl level in in a very big way, i think. it's It's pretty rare for it to happen.
00:48:24
M dub
in and of Well, maybe the Seahawks are a bad example from last year, but I just i thought the Rams used their two first-round picks in ah in a really smart way this spring.
00:48:35
M dub
They used their own pick in a trade to acquire Trent McDuffie, Pro Bowl cornerback, guy who's won the Super Bowl a billion times before with the Chiefs. That's a dangerous move. That's what's going to help the team get closer to the Super Bowl.
00:48:50
M dub
and And I felt like the the Rams don't expect to be, in in the top half of the draft for a really long time after this. I thought this was exactly what they were going to do. And and between McDuffie and Simpson, i i I think it's a dangerous offseason and they're going to keep their program rolling. So I'm surprised that they're kind of ah have their undies in a twist about this. I don't know. um i But I seem to be the only person thinking this way.
00:49:18
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, you know, I what I thought was interesting was just and um' this is, again, you know, not breaking news, but not only McVay's body language, but also his language language. You don't often when when a reporter asks, what do you like about Ty Simpson, that you hear a coach say, I the The first part of his answer was, well, there were a ah lot of players we liked at that number 13 spot. So let me let me just start there. Right. Like the the the question was, what do you like about Ty?
00:49:52
Tristan Amundson
The answer is returned in three parts. Part one, there was a lot of players we liked at that at that draft spot. Answer two, but when you talk about his body of work.
00:50:04
Tristan Amundson
Now, answer two quickly turns into answer three because he cuts himself off instead of talking about his body of work to say in the middle of the sentence,
00:50:11
M dub
Thank you.
00:50:15
Tristan Amundson
Well, you know, when you talk about his body of work, let's make one thing clear. This is Matthew's team. It's the most cringeworthy, like, what are you doing, man? Like, this this really sucks. like Like, someone asked, what do you like about this person? And your response is, well, there was a lot of people we liked, and this isn't his team.
00:50:38
Tristan Amundson
I get... i get um I get McVay and kind of how he tried to step walk it back. I just I have to put myself in Sean's shoes. I think Sean, I'm i'm assuming if I'm going to take his words with any value that.
00:50:55
Tristan Amundson
he would have really liked a weapon. i think Sean is, is looking also at a Seahawks team that has really been a problem the last two times he's faced the Seahawks. And i think he would really part of him at least would have really liked to have a weapon, another weapon to our Matthew with to, to win this, you know, say this last Superbowl with Matthew Stafford.
00:51:20
Tristan Amundson
And instead he was given an investment for the future. And, Listen, we can all relate to, you know, the the delayed gratification versus getting the thing you want today, right? Would you, do you want the Ferrari today or do you want to put that $100,000 in a mutual fund and let it grow for the next couple of years? Well, we know which one is is is wiser, right? It's wiser to to make the investment because it's going to have a really big return down the line. Yeah.
00:51:52
Tristan Amundson
But man, the Ferrari would have been nice and that would have been really fun to play with. And so I i have a feeling it's kind of that simple. um And I do have a feeling that this was more of a less decision in l L.A. and less of a Sean decision. i think if if Sean was fully calling the shots, he probably would have.
00:52:09
Tristan Amundson
chosen the weapon today versus the the investment in the future. But I agree with you. I mean, I think from a, it's funny that you were thinking about this pick the whole time. From my perspective, um you know, I didn't really have an opinion on who they would pick.
00:52:24
Tristan Amundson
I just was relieved that it wasn't a weapon because I was like, okay, that's one last one less problem we're going to have to deal with when we face the Rams. And we all know it's a it's the best matchup in football. So I would rather them not have an extra weapon to to give Matthew.
00:52:40
M dub
Oh, man, I feel the opposite. I feel like the Rams have had a really strong offseason, and this is part of it. that In the first round this year, they got Ty Simpson and Trent McDuffie. That is a monster first round, and I think it keeps the team dangerous for 2026 and beyond, is my opinion. So...
00:53:03
M dub
It's really interesting to, I feel better about the Rams off season than Sean McVay. Clearly I rate it higher.
00:53:08
Tristan Amundson
It seems like it.
00:53:10
M dub
I'm more scared of it. And I, I, I agree. I think Rams Seahawks will, will be the pinnacle of the NFL in 2026 yet again. And I just, I i mean, ah how else were they going to get a star quarter?
00:53:24
M dub
I don't know. I, it, I think it was really smart, but but hopefully I'm wrong.
00:53:27
Tristan Amundson
Yeah. No, I mean, listen, you got to pull that trigger at some point, right? You're totally right. You have to pull that trigger at some point. And this has worked with other teams. Like, we'll see how it works in this scenario. But having a guy that you know, he knows,
00:53:43
Tristan Amundson
Week one, I'm sitting on the bench. I'm watching Matthew. Week two, I'll be in the same spot. Week 10, Lord willing, I'll be on the same spot, just learning and absorbing. um It's a really great thing to do for any young player in any sport. And frankly, anyone in any profession, right? If you can...
00:54:01
Tristan Amundson
watch someone do something at an incredibly elite level so um for the sake of ty i hope that he has a great career and i wish him the best and of course for the sake of the the rams i i hope that um it's absolutely miserable for them but um no to your point knowing the rams and how smart they are i bet he is pretty good and uh he will probably be a problem but i will say this again I think I'm willing to say that's that's a problem for another year.
00:54:30
Tristan Amundson
And i'm I'm grateful that he's a problem for another for another year, if that makes sense.
00:54:36
M dub
Yeah, I can see that. I really think if Sean just came out in that press conference with a lot of enthusiasm, this this whole, the like the pick seems a lot smarter.
00:54:47
M dub
you know I think he really sent out a red flag with how he acted.
00:54:48
Tristan Amundson
It does. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:54:52
M dub
which He's been in the NFL long enough that he knows he shouldn't do that.
00:54:56
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, yeah. he Listen, I think, honestly, do we want to turn this into a psychology session with Sean McVay? Because I do feel like we've learned a lot about Sean over the last year. I mean, the way that he acted during this during those last two
Anticipation for Seahawks' Hard Knocks Feature
00:55:12
Tristan Amundson
um ah games against the Seahawks, um the the fact that the Rams...
00:55:19
Tristan Amundson
put in to change the rules on two point conversions because that didn't go their way. And then at the last minute decided, no, you know what? We're going to take that out. Like we're we're not going to submit that rule change because it like because it was the right call. Obviously it's hilarious. um You know, the fact that, uh,
00:55:39
Tristan Amundson
He blamed the Seahawks for but for for busting the coverage that prevented his team from scoring a touchdown and that it was the Seahawks defense ineptitude, I guess, is the way he was thinking about it. That is the reason why.
00:55:55
Tristan Amundson
Why they they prevented that touchdown because um because Lawrence never should have dropped back into coverage. um that there's There's enough things about Sean these days that it's kind of we're kind of seeing like his. um What is it? Is it lack of self-control? Is it kind of a.
00:56:17
Tristan Amundson
i maybe he's just become like very comfortable as a head coach. And again, he's, he's one of the best has head coaches in the league. So I'm not, this is in no way like throwing shade at him in in his professional life.
00:56:30
Tristan Amundson
But, um but certainly like there's been kind of a lack of self-control or, or something going on over the last year or so. And I mean, the Rams have given us a lot of, ah a lot of entertainment with, you know, kind of this Puka Nakua saga as well. And, and how that's kind of been another like kind of sideshow of what's gone on. So it's, it has been quite an active year for the Rams.
00:56:55
M dub
Yes, and they've they've also, ah between Cooper Cup and Ernest Jones, they've let some very important players out of their building to get in the Seattle building and then beat them in the NFC Championship game. So that as as smart as they are, they made some pretty crucial mistakes there as well.
00:57:11
Tristan Amundson
And we thank them every day for giving us Cooper and Ernest. Unbelievable. I mean, yeah, Cooper Cup. I really i mean, really, what a great example of it's not all the production on the field. Like you're you're really bringing in a whole person. So, Miles, I'll tell you what, I can't wait.
00:57:34
Tristan Amundson
to see all these guys on the field. You know, we're talking about the draft. We're talking about being able to to to see this this matchup, right, with Bo and with Anthony at right guard. um And I guess, I mean, tell me if I'm right. I guess my next opportunity to see these guys, I'm i'm just going to have to go on Seahawks.com and kind of watch some some training camp and some mini camp kind of highlights, right? There's not going to be any other way.
00:58:04
Tristan Amundson
for me to to see what's going on with the Seahawks, which which is fine. That's how it is every year. um But man, I just, I wish there was another way that I could just kind of just keep tabs on this team.
00:58:16
M dub
Yeah, Tristan, I've got some great news for you. So for the last, you know, 50 years of Seahawks history, in order to get to know this team in July and August, you've had to log on to, you know, let me take you back to where You know, nobody was posting anything on YouTube and you just had to try to get that quick time player to work just to see a Mike Holmgren July 17th after practice press conference.
00:58:41
M dub
But no more this year. for One one year only. Tristan, we are going to see the Seattle Seahawks in full HD and with covered by the world's most efficient camera crew and editing team.
00:58:56
M dub
on HBO's Hard Knocks. It's very difficult to believe that it's actually happening to Seattle. What do you think about it?
00:59:06
Tristan Amundson
Man, i I have agreed with Pete Carroll this whole time. Keep it away from us. Like, we don't want the distraction. Give that to Jerry Jones. We we want nothing to do with it. we You know, just let us play football.
00:59:21
Tristan Amundson
I feel so excited for Hard Knocks coming to town. um I think mostly because... Again, man, we're we're kind of in this beautiful moment where we're still enjoying the Super Bowl glow, right?
00:59:37
Tristan Amundson
And and we we still can kind of bask in this idea that we're Super Bowl champions.
00:59:42
M dub
Thank
00:59:44
Tristan Amundson
And I hate to say this, but kind of anything can happen next year and it really doesn't matter that much. Like the the ring is on the finger and and that's a pretty good feeling.
00:59:55
Tristan Amundson
I'm not saying I don't want another. I'm not saying... that that I want to settle for for second place, but I'm just saying we are in a pretty good spot and we know that there's some pretty great personalities on this team.
01:00:07
Tristan Amundson
um And I have a feeling that Mike will do a pretty good job of keeping what needs to stay in-house, in-house and, you and, and allowing, you know, the entertainment to happen. That's, that's appropriate. um Obviously the structure that this team has leadership on the team from the players, the, the pro personnel staff, the coaching staff,
01:00:29
Tristan Amundson
I think this is just going to be fun. And I'm not there was many years where I was very worried about this. It felt like getting hard knocks was going to be kind of the black spot.
01:00:41
Tristan Amundson
You know, if you think about like pirate movies like I we don't want that to happen. i just I don't feel that way. How do you feel about it?
01:00:50
M dub
I feel a couple of emotions about it. One problem is just if you just look at my behavior a as an HBO Max subscriber.
01:01:03
M dub
There are a lot of recent seasons of Hard Knocks and there's a lot of situations where you see my little bar with how far I watched. It ends in the middle of the season.
01:01:14
M dub
I remember so long in like the aughts and the early tens. Didn't have HBO. ah HBO was not around that much back then. and And Hard Knocks was such a precious commodity to find it. and I remember being on Hulu and seeing they just had like random Hard Knocks seasons that were like a decade old. and And that was solid gold. And it is interesting to see this beautiful show. It has changed a lot over the years.
01:01:42
M dub
the players are aware of the, like the, they kind of move the real action off camera in a lot of ways, you know, and and it kind of becomes a bit of a stage of what's happening. So I'm very curious to see if it's an interesting show and I'm riveted now that it's the team that I'm interested in or if we still had that kind of like, is this a PR thing happening right now? Is this, it's just like a PR advertisement for the team that's just going, but I have one more thought.
01:02:13
M dub
and know Seattle has this reputation about all the rain. Tristan, I think almost every player in the NFL is going to be genuinely gobsmacked when they see the team's practice facility.
01:02:27
M dub
Just to get the lay of the land for people, Seattle, it's a moderate summer, doesn't get above 80 very often. we got We got trees and forest everywhere, and and we are right on the lake.
01:02:39
M dub
I think teams, are I mean, there's there's training camps in the NFL that are are hot and humid in the middle of the South. And I remember seeing this clip of the the Cincinnati Bengals have to walk across a street in Cincinnati in their uniforms to get to a practice facility. i I remember to get to their practice field from the facility. I remember seeing that and thinking, well, the Seahawks are not doing that. The see the Seahawks are, it's completely ideal. and And I think it will really shock hundreds of players around the NFL.
01:03:10
M dub
That's what I'm thinking about.
01:03:12
Tristan Amundson
i yeah I was going to say the exact same thing. I think that
01:03:19
Tristan Amundson
so many people have no idea. Oh, I've always wanted to go to Seattle, but I've never been. oh I know it rains a lot. And it does, as you and I both know very well. ah So few people fully understand that in our country,
01:03:36
Tristan Amundson
The best, most elite summer that you can experience is in the Pacific Northwest. And I don't even think it's close. It is I tell people from around the country that that talk to me about this.
01:03:49
Tristan Amundson
It is from I'm going to I'm just going to make a ah ah a general statement from June 1st to September 1st. There is not a better place on the planet to be.
01:04:00
Tristan Amundson
than in the Pacific Northwest. It's it's unbelievable. it's It's absolute paradise. It's the best weather, to your point. It rarely gets, a you know, it's it's those mid eighty s It's not high humidity.
01:04:08
M dub
you
01:04:14
Tristan Amundson
It feels perfect. It's cool breezes off the lake. It's cool breezes off the sound. um Yeah, man, I totally agree. I think it's going to turn a lot of heads. I think, unfortunately, maybe or maybe fortunately, whatever, like a lot of people might watch Hard Knocks and be like,
01:04:29
Tristan Amundson
Oh, yeah honey, we should we should visit. Hey, we should... I know we were thinking about moving out west. Maybe we should look at the Seattle market um because it is just an absolute magical place. You you know i I get home as much as possible in the summertime because...
01:04:45
Tristan Amundson
um Even living in Southern California that basically has perfect weather. i I just love the Northwest in the summer. So I can't wait to watch it. I haven't watched Hard Knocks in probably 10 years.
01:04:57
M dub
you
01:04:57
Tristan Amundson
um Really just don't care about it um that much when it's other teams. um But I'm excited. I'm excited to see inside the facility more. I'm excited to see what the cafeteria looks like and and just to see them enjoying it. And and I'll take it back to what you just said, man. I'm specifically excited for these to see the reaction of these draft picks and these undrafted free
Cultural Adjustments and Season Excitement
01:05:24
Tristan Amundson
agents.
01:05:24
Tristan Amundson
when they get there for the first time, because I do think that's going to be some gold. I think it's going to be almost hilarious. Some of these guys that are like, wait, this is seriously like, this is what I'm doing this summer.
01:05:31
M dub
Thank
01:05:36
Tristan Amundson
I'm, I'm, I'm playing football here. It's not terrible weather. It's not high humidity. It's not 95 degrees 90% humidity. it's just,
01:05:47
Tristan Amundson
wait, really? Like just this this environment all summer long? I think that's going to be a really fun reaction as you see some of the guys from the South that are just shocked.
01:06:00
M dub
I completely agree. And I am the other thing i'm interested in. I think coach Mack talks to the team with a side of his personality that we haven't really seen before. And I'm not sure if we're going to be able to see it on the show, but thats that's just my feeling that there's a side of himself that he saves for the team when, when he addresses everybody and it and it really means something.
01:06:24
M dub
And I don't think we've, I don't think we've seen, I don't think he shares it with anybody else, but the team is, is my little theory.
01:06:30
Tristan Amundson
And you know what? God bless Bo Stevens. I have a i have this stereotype that you know living in Iowa, you're you're mostly probably, you know Dairy Queen is probably high-end dining for you.
01:06:43
Tristan Amundson
And so i just I can't wait to see his mind blown that there's other food available, um that it's not all um you know Dairy Queen and
01:06:50
M dub
Thank you.
01:06:53
Tristan Amundson
um I don't even know ah other things that they eat in the Midwest. I don't even know what they eat out there. um he I just, I can't wait. They they need to have a segment where they take him to the water and like take him to Elliot's or take him to um you know, someplace and give him like a, you know, a whole crab or something like that.
01:07:13
Tristan Amundson
And just, just see his mind get blown. Yeah.
01:07:17
M dub
That's a great idea. love Love to see this team at Hamahama Oysters or something. Is that says that something they do?
01:07:23
Tristan Amundson
That's that, that, that'd be, that'd be interesting. That would be fun to, fun to watch. And I, I just want to um pre, you know, preemptively apologize to all of our Iowa listeners. I'm sure it's a lovely state. Never been. I've been there once actually been there once um is a lovely state.
01:07:42
Tristan Amundson
God bless.
01:07:43
M dub
Beautiful in the summer. Beautiful.
01:07:44
Tristan Amundson
the There you go. There you go. But yeah, man, it's going to be, it's going to be super fun, super fun to watch that.
01:07:53
M dub
Tristan, I think that about wraps it up. I think we've covered this draft pretty comprehensively.
01:07:58
Tristan Amundson
Um, I'm good to go. It's been, it's been super fun. Um, you know, I'm looking forward to miles just finishing on hard knocks here. There's going to be a moment and it's gonna, I think it will kind of feel like the start of the season. I think there will be kind of a, a sense of here we go when we're watching hard knocks And we just hear that phrase that we love so much. And I think it's going to be a harbinger of, of the season has started. we're'rere We're going to be watching the show. We're going to be seeing Lake Washington.
01:08:38
Tristan Amundson
We're going to be reminded of our old friends on the Seahawks. And then someone's just going to look at the camera and they're going to say, Hawks.
01:08:47
M dub
Go Hawks.