It's been a while.
It seems like it's been forever since we since we played on Thanksgiving, And in regards to that, it was a great performance. But I must say that's not gonna do anything to help us this week. You know, we got a great opponent and U NFC champs great, a good football team, well coached, a lot of talent across the board, probably the best offensive line that we've faced all year, you know, and it starts up front with Kelsey.
I consider him to be first ballot Hall of Famer outstanding player and he really makes that show go up front. Tremendous run game, does a great job in protection as well, Uh Swift, I mean their their run games. I just mentioned, it's phenomenal along with Hertz. Uh, you know, it's hard to stop. And then once you start talking about their outside threats with Brown and Smith, tremendous threats down in the field. Uh, they're great after the catch for us,
making guys miss. So there's no question we gonna have our hands for this week. And with that, I take your questions and GC Kelsey, what is it that makes him just so so different and special? Definition?
Uh? I I just really just his uh knowledge of the game. Uh.
I don't know him personally, uh, but I know that Uh he spends a lot of time uh watching a lot of tape, uh, really studying his opponent, uh, listening to the TV copy, trying to get any opponents he can get for his you know, uh calls adjustments and whatnot.
Uh.
And he's just you know, phenomenal in and really putting him in the best position to be successful up front.
You the key to the ru brotherly shove play that they do. Uh. I don't know if he's the key.
I know right now he's He's definitely uh a major component of it. Definitely hard to uh defend, you know, uh, based off what they do. And I was talking to the coaches. The only way to defend is not allow those guys to get in that position.
Is is there a way if you drew it up on paper, you know, uh attacked for stopping it, and we would would be quickness from your interior.
Uh.
You know.
I I think that's that's a complete study with physics and you know, dynamics and everything, to be quite honest, because it's about leverage, uh, you know, power and whatnot. They have leverage, then they push and they shoving. So uh, I think it's real tough right here to uh to limit that for one yard. I mean, I mean, I know it's it's funny, but you can't allow him to get in that situation. We got to try to find a way to win. On first and second down. I mean,
they operate off. I think he said, you know, first and eight for them, you know, because it's automatic they going forward on fourth down if it's fourth and one, fourth and two because of that, knowing that if if you get him in fourth and one or fourth, they might still be going forth you have third down. Well, I I I I I feel like anytime we can get him in the fourth, fourth down, it's still encouraging. You know, we still have an opportunity, you know. Uh,
regardless that we know that they're going forward. So uh, it's something that we've talked about as a staff. It's something that we definitely uh have worked on. So I'm not gonna conceide that we can't stop it. We're gonna be prepared and ready for it.
Withdora, how has he kind.
Of grasped the challenge of going back and forth between slot and outside and what's made.
Him so successful to us.
Well, I just think you know, his ability number one going back in the spring, uh is just number one showing us that he wants to do it u and has put the time and the effort in. You know a lot of things that I know you guys don't see. He spends a lot of time with coach Daniel Bullock, you know, extra meetings, coming in and just really wanting to understand all the nuances of that inside Nickel position.
He's done a tremendous job with his run fits. That was one of the things that we wanted to make sure that he improved on from the spring. His ability to cover and play out in space. I mean, he's one of the best guys that that we have that can do that. So but in the run game, he's a linebacker and that's what he's improved.
If you got you.
Got five really talented young defensive backs, how do you prepare them for this stage in this environment?
Can you talk more about it this week?
You know, it's a cliche and it's funny. I just finished talking to the guys about it. You know, we can't allow it to getting away, you know, whatever that it may be. You know, I know it was throwing earlier this week, could be snowing a raining this weekend. You can't make any excuses the the the environment there is hostile.
The crowd. Uh, they got uh great fans. Uh that can't be an excuse. Uh.
I feel like our players uh uh has rose to the cage in each and every time, particularly Mooney, those guys Ambry's stepped up. You know, Seattle's a very tough place to play as well, and uh, I thought those guys handle that environment well.
So UH, it's not really about them.
It's about keeping the focus on us and uh going to do what we need to do to win this football games.
About Jalen Hurdson was the key to defending him.
I think number one just as a person. I don't know him personally, so don't don't take this wrong. I think he just shows a lot of poors. Very confident. You can see that over the years and what he's been able to accomplish. Has a great command of that offense, and as we've seen the last couple of weeks, Uh, he has the ability to never be out of it.
He can bring those guys back.
I think they do a great job in really putting him in a position to be successful. You know, no, no slight to this offense because it's phenomenal. But you know it's a RPO college type deal, so you know there's certain reads that they tell him to look for it. That's why we got to do a great job on the back end and not tipping those reads.
Off, says Gyre. Brown's first start, I thought JayR did a great job.
You know, it was nothing glaring that I felt like he was out of place again. I felt confident with Gibson back there along with you know, Fred and the guys that we surrounded him with, that he was gonna do well. Uh, he's doing a great job with his communication. I saw that yesterday in practice, just been assertive and certain things on the back end. I feel very confident when I can hear and see that he thought, how
much thought that he thought. Eric Arms and Javon Hargrave really started to work together much better.
What have you seen from them since? By Oh, well, I see that there.
Uh they got their legs back. You know, they're fresh. They have completely in my opinion, uh, controlled the line of swimmers the last couple of weeks. You know, it's gonna be a challenge this week, But that's one thing that we talked about. You know, we gotta do a great job inside with our tackles. I know you guys probably have talked to hard Grave you haven't already know he's excited about this game, But in the same token,
it's just another game, you know. So, uh, we got to go and do the things we got to do upfront to be successful to help us win this game. Various travel with TK obviously last week hadn't done that to my knowledge this season. How hard a decision is that to make?
How complicated is it? And we did hear that John Lynch and Kyle kind of had some input on that. How did it all work well?
To be quite honest with you, we talked about this back in the spring because we knew at some point in time that he was gonna have to match up and we started going left and right. Mooney came to my office partly about a month ago talking about can he eventually get to that point? And we looked at it against Evans, against Tampa. We had the mindset of doing it. We talked a lot of part of the
week and they felt more comfortable staying left and right. Uh, that was our mindset going into it when I first got here watching cutups. He and that was one of the things that jumped out to me was his complete domination of DK when they matched up. So that was something that we wanted to do all week, and I think it was just a conversation of U a misque and what we wanted.
He went out, you know, and and got it done.
So U, I think he's fine and we'll see exactly where where he is this week.
For was matching up.
What's your philosophy on your philosophy on having a spy against a running quarterback.
Is that anything that you've done in the past.
Oh yeah, I'm trying to advocate for for twelve this week, but uh, they I didn't get that rule pass. But yeah, I think you know, anytime that you know Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, you know, you better have someone that's allocated for him because at any point in time, he can win with his feed and make things happen.
Uh.
The great thing about him, he's not looking to run. Uh he can you know, escape, but his eyes will stay down field and he's still trying to put the ball in the air celebrate on Moody just getting to the point. What did you want to see from him to get to the point where he's following a receiver? I it's it's it's not really anything I wanted to see. I just feel like, you know, uh, he's one of our better cover guys.
Uh.
And that's the reason why you know, we paid him, That's the reason why he came here. And uh, he's he has stepped up uh to to that responsibility. And for him, like I said before a month ago, to come and asks me for that, Uh, it just shows me where he is and what he wants to do.
Uh.
So Uh, I'm looking forward to once again as we progress and move forward to see exactly uh what teams is it this week of moving forward that he would match up again?
What makes Brown such a handful uh size?
Strength, his ability after they catch, He's just so strong. Uh you put him in the in the class of the guys the last two weeks d K and Evans you know, uh, and very deceptive speed you know as he gets down the field, he's a you know, a gold ball kind of guy, can create separation and then uh at the point of attack. You know he's strong going up and trying to you know, push you off to go get the ball. So again, great challenge for us this week.
Thank you a beast or