CROSSOVER: Rob Staton Visits The VMAC

0:00All right, a special Rob Staten crossover pod in the VMAG. Technically, do not tell Brock Heward, Mike Salk, Stacy Ross, Michael Bumpas, where we are. We are in their studio inside the media center in the VMAG. And Rob is sitting probably in the chair that Mike McDonald will be sitting in Thursday for the Mike McDonald show. So Rob, your first time here at the VMAG tell folks what you've seen. First of all, it's a good job. This is the only time. I'll be sat in my McDonald's chair. This is unbelievable. I have to say a big thank you to you, Brian, for making this all possible to come down here today. As someone who has imagined there's a lot of people who've followed the silks for a long time sort of see the footage of the press conferences or can have watched hard knocks or just see the people filming practice and stuff like that or training camp to be able to actually come here and see in person is quite an experience and just to be around in the locker room and the players are in there

1:00mingling and to be a few yards away from Mike McDonald to ask a question of Mike McDonald is, you know, as somebody who's been a journalist for 20 years for the BBC, you know, I felt like I was, I'd been doing the job five minutes today. Like I felt a little bit like going back in time to when I first started just sort of not really feeling sure of yourself. Like should I really be here? Someone to turn around any second now and go, what are you doing here? So it's been a great day. It's been fantastic. It's gone down here and see how it all works. Well, the truth is, I mean, I appreciate the kind words I helped, but if you weren't who you were and you hadn't done all the work you've done covering the sea, I've covered the draft, doing sea ice collective all that stuff, I could have said whatever I wanted, you wouldn't have been here. So like I know for a fact that people value your work in this building and that's part of why you're here and I think the fact that you love this team, the way you do, that you flew all the way here for Super Bowl,

2:01you flew all the way here for the season opening, you've done this before. I think that's part of why you're in the building. So turn our attention to anything you heard today, either in the press conference that you observed in the locker or anything else that caught your attention. Well, I think a lot of the questions about the injuries and it's something a bit of a, I suppose a running joke that my Madonna will not say much about the injuries, but I feel as if almost he doesn't need to today because I think we're going to see what they're going to be. I think Ernest Jones probably made it pretty clear this week that Nicki Minaj is not going to be playing. So then the questions are about how do Rodney Thomas come lie out, what are Anthony Bell's best qualities? Everybody's kind of looking at what's going to be next and I think my Madonna sort of managed that situation very well. I was kind of trying to judge his body language as he's speaking. He's giving off this real air of confidence and it's going to be okay. But I just wonder, what is he going to be like, Brian?

3:02I can tell you actually see there if we now have a C.O.X team that doesn't have Kirby Bryant, doesn't have Tirecard, doesn't have Nicki Minaj worry playing, how is that going to look? And as someone who, you know, in the many pods and streams that either you and I have done with Jeff and want to talk about the importance of the trenches, well that might be shown greater than ever in this game. Like can the defensive line, can you front players line back as well? Mask maybe some of the issues there. And of course there's the question marks corner back too. There's still a question as to what that looks like with, well then obviously moving on now. So definitely got some issues in the secondary, haven't they? So I think that's my main takeaway, just how that is all being handled and how that is the big focus. And you never want the focus before we want to be who's actually going to be playing in your, in your back field. Yeah, and I asked a really poorly wordy question that I wish I'd done better on. I wanted to ask Mike McDonald basically about the versatility that they've been able to build into this defense

4:05that allows them to deal with injuries. And I just botched it. But basically one of the things I'm really curious about is most teams when they have somebody in a position go down, you look at the next person in the depth chart for that position they step up. I don't think that's what's going to happen here. The Rodney Thomas thing probably straight stepping up the depth chart, right? At safety. But I think in terms of how they're going to approach this game, I think the fact that Tyree's Knights had the off season that he's had is huge. It gives them an option. If they didn't have that, we might be looking at a lot of a personal group that maybe they don't feel as confident. The fact that they've got enough linemen that they feel good about running three defensive tackles and two edges and have a five-man line, lots of them play differently behind that. That's not, I'm into this, the luxury. But these are the situations where a deep roster lets you stand out. And so that's probably the thing I'm most eager about

5:06is can the Seahawks prove in a situation like this where they're going to be down some men that they can actually beat you defensively without Nicki Minaj, without Tyree Goddo, without Kobe Bryant. And if they can look really good against really good offense, I think that'll be pretty fascinating. I've got a question for you as well. So one of the things that my my dad olden his stuff have seen to pre-good out is is either getting people ready to play in these kind of situations and we've seen to win great Thomas and to come in and Tyree Goddo and they've kind of ran with it. But we've also seen them build to sort of tweak positions and make people quite versatile as you were kind of talking about there. I just wonder, I don't know what you think. So you could completely disagree with this. But when I was watching the highlights, it is only the positive plays of Avery Smith. You sort of seen things right. It can run up and hit people. You can tackle. There's a speed to sort of go from deep to a tackle on a scrimmage. And partly just wondered, I don't know how likely it is

6:08or not and suddenly I don't think you could do it two weeks. But could they be working on, because they're not going to show the hand on this. Again, not necessarily for this game, but down the line could he be somebody who theoretically like Kirby Bryant switched from a nickel cornerback to someone who could play outside or inside a cornerback but ended up at safety. Could they at least have that as an option to them to consider doing that, to try it, to work and see if it's something they want to do, just because as the numbers get thinner and thinner without position, I just wonder if they have to turn over every rock to see what's underneath it. That's a great question. I had not thought about that. And if you look at their safety room, it's not just Kirby Bryant that has that. Julie Love was a nickel and an outside corner and a deep, quandary digs back in the day, nickel outside, like he didn't play outside, but he was nickel and then moved to safety. There's a lot of the guys that have had that kind of versatility.

7:09So I think that's a great question. And I wish the Avery Smith movement made at the time where we could watch practices and even a game and see kind of how he fits into here. My instinct for now is that they're going to be looking at him for the cornerback situation where they've got some need. We'll see what happens if Trayvon digs ends up being someone they feel good about if they do ever get Terry on Arnold back. Then they might have a different math situation with that position and that might force that kind of evaluation. That's a good question. And something I'll definitely be keeping an eye on. Yeah. And also with the other thing I'm going to remember here is that I think we've kind of got to the idea that the sea looks have been so deep, some talent that are across so many different positions that now that they've got a question or two to answer safety in a cornerback and stuff like that, there's a temptation sometimes to react a little bit to that. But this is a lot of what other teams are facing. I've not necessarily, everybody seems to talk about the Rams. And yes, they've sort of well-stocked in every position.

8:12They seem to have avoided any sort of serious injury issues going into the season. But most of the teams have got a position or positions where you're working through it. You're trying to find solutions and so much can change over the next few weeks. And you just don't really look. If they've stopped the first month of the season and things are not going well, we've seen with this province office before that they'll go and try and make things happen. They'll find solutions and not just linger on the problem. So we don't know what they could potentially do in the next month or six weeks or close to the deadline if needs be. So there's still lots of options there. But it is going to be interesting. In that first game, there's just, and it's a bit of a different first games in the next. It's the one that's launching the season. All of the eyes are going to be on this team. Last year, yes, it was hugely disappointing to watch the seal clues to the 14th Annas and Leumann field. But ultimately, it was kind of like contained within our own little world of disappointments. Whereas if the Seahawks play badly or lose on Wednesday, the whole world's going to be reflecting on that, at least for 24 hours before the game in Australia kicks off. So eager for them to just sort of never get through this one.

9:15Met and I think you mentioned earlier today when you were talking to somebody else that if you can get through this one, commanders and carinals to follow, it gives you a bit of breathing space, not that you're going to assume that you're going to win those games. But maybe you can sort of just get through this little run here. And if you can, I think it'd be important, because I think the Rams have got real potential to go on to start the year. And I think they may drop a game or two. It'd be great, so it's going to be a bit of an early advantage on them. Yeah. One of the things the last thing I'll probably bring up here is Mike McDonald's was talking about the different team, different year. And most of that, I get. I mean, the reality is you have the same players in most places. But you think it'd be even the 2013 Seahawks versus the 2014 Seahawks. Those were pretty different. Like the offense for the 2014 Seahawks really came to the fore. They were kind of on the sidecar for the 2013 squad. That was the year Russell Wilson ran for almost like 900 yards. And like the offense just became crazy good.

10:17Do you look at this team and think like, what do you think the chances are that we're going to be talking more about Sam Darnold and this offense in really positive ways, the run game, the offensive line, then we were a year ago compared to how the defense clearly was like the dark side that the brand of this team. Yeah, I think we've got to lead on it. If I think if the Seahawks are going to win as many games early on as we hope, that's either that's going to be the main storyline. It's going to be some Donald Jess. And I think at times like this, when you've got a few injury issues, that might, you know, it's possible they'll give up some plays. Like it's possible that Drake May has gotten arm. You know, he's got a new toy to play with on the outside. You know, the Josh McDaniels is a good offensive coordinator. The chance will make some plays. And therefore, it's up to your court about your Super Bowl and your court about your offensive player of the year, the assortments of weapons you've got beside JSN to really come to the fore and deliver. And I think that's what's going to be key here.

11:18And it will be interesting because you've got a first time play caller who may have been waiting for this opportunity for years with a very clear philosophy on what he wants to do. And we just don't know what that is yet. Maybe it is driven around the wrong game. I mean, many of Kyle's teams have been driven around a very productive run game. So do they try and force that? He's that going to be the best thing. I mean, if Gideon in Price has an amazing debut, fine. But if he needs a bit of time himself to sort of work his way into the league and then you're sort of sticking with it, or you're saying, well, he's a bit rough around the edges. So we'll hand them on to George Alani. That might not be the best thing to do rather than, you know, you might have to throw this 35, 40 times in this game. Sam, you might have scored 30 points a couple of times in the first month of the season. I'd personally feel more comfortable with that. Not for the long term, you know, I don't necessarily want to set records for passing attempts to cheer on you tonight like that just because of a couple of issues. But it might be the early on, you have to do that and you have to lean on who are your,

12:18I would imagine, tried and trusted players and offends. And that is Donald, yes, far from flawless, but still a very good quarterback. And so when it is nearly flawless, is your main receiver? So get him the ball. And if coverage is blanked, it's him, opportunity for somebody else. Well, I will say this before we wrap. I'm glad that I don't do a lot of shows in this room. It is like a cave in here. I can understand why sometimes Mike McDonald comes in here and maybe not in the mood to do with Mike McDonald's show. But Rob Matt has been great having you here. And we will be back together tomorrow night for the CS Collective. Yeah, looking forward to it. And he's like a tent, isn't it? It is. He's just like a tent and with a door and a desk. And not the most appealing. However, I have to say, I have done shows in worse. So there is always that. There's always somebody worse than you. Yes, 100%. Thanks, Matt. Appreciate it. We'll do.