Whoever doesn't make the 53 in that secondary, there's a chance they're gonna end up in another uniform.

And what makes it all the more fascinating, and this kind of goes off what Brandon was asking about, the idea of them playing all these nickel and dime sets when it could be two corners on the field a lot of the time.

That's what, you know, we have this really wide open third quarter competition, but you've got, like, seven safeties.

I mean, Maxx Henoc is a really good play- I coached against Maxx Henoc in Indianapolis.

That's the last guy in the NFL that I coached against.

But, like, he's a really good player.

He's, like, the seventh or eighth safety on this football team.

Yeah.

We never saw it.

So I'm going to add to this with the two-back stuff.

And, of course, this gets me excited because of my running back background.

But, like, I remember all those years that Patriots would have, like, LeGarrette Blount and James White in the field together.

Yeah.

And what they could do with that.

And how much that muddied things up for the defense.

We could see from where we were seated how much Thomas Hammock, wearing long-sleeved shirts in mid-'80s smoky weather, by the way, how much he was coaching up the running backs, including the new guy who came in, Ty Harden, as far as pass pro.

Yeah.

And, uh, he just every single day seems to show up.

And, uh, I've interviewed a...

I have now interviewed Nehemiah Pritchett, De'Anthony Bell in the secondary, and they both name-dropped him first off the bat.

That was the guy that was the most under the radar that has impressed them.

I wanna get to the offense.

Before we do, uh, let's talk some more about the pass rush.

Yeah

When you look back, what were some of the defining characteristics of that football team in particular?

Well, I'd say first and foremost they were a team.

Like th- this was, this was a really fun team to cover, because there, there wasn't really any, like, I mean, they've got personalities, but there wasn't anybody that thought they were above the team.

Everybody was bought in, and that was obvious even at OTAs and mini camp, which they continued that trend this year, like very high participation rates.

Even the guys that are 10-plus year veterans were showing up, getting work in, because guys wanna be around each other.

They wanna be around Mike McDonald.

He's got them bought in.

How much of, of Seattle's transformation or, or even their identity, Corbin, starts with him?

There's gonna be stuff that he does better, Corbin, but there's also gonna be stuff that he does differently.

Yeah.

That's, that's true.

There's no question about it.

Uh, but look, let's go to the defense real quick, because I, I, I have two players in particular, s- you know, late round picks, and Turbo's gonna understand this.

You know, even as, you know, when you're a day three guy, there's no guarantees that you're making an NFL team.

Like, you, you have to come in, you've gotta prove yourself.

Go ahead.

Mm.

I see a glider, a bi- a, a back that's not...

Like, he's not as big as Sean Alexander was, but he runs with that, that style where he's, he doesn't have the fastest accelerator, but when he gets up to full speed, defenders have a really hard time sizing him up and, and getting good angles on him.

And he just, he gets a lot of missed arm tackles as a result of that.

And we'll get to see more of that once the pads come out.

But I, I was really impressed with just the cutting ability, that gliding running style, everything translating from what you saw on his tape.

Those things were visible even though...

Yeah.

Mm.

That should tell you all you need to know.

Th- they, like I said, they had three or four guys that were carrying about equal weight as the secondary behind John Schneider.

He became the clear-cut number two the last three years.

And you just look at some of the other additions.

DeMarcus Lawrence, another player that I was told that he was involved, along with Mike McDonald, that he kind of pitched like, "Hey, I think he's still got something left in the tank," and that turned out to be a really good addition.

And I just think you look at their free agency the last three years, has been so much better.

Um, but do you know where else that network might stretch, or maybe other former Seahawks people that that network might stretch to to help us kind of project our own negotiations moving forward?

What do you think Bud Clark brings to the Seahawks defense?

Well, right now John Schneider's doing a really good job of finding quality football players that can replace departed free agents.

They got Ja'Darion Price to replace Ken Walker III, an explosive home run hitting back.

Bud Clark was my comp for the closest to Kobe Bryant in this draft class, and Kobe Bryant went to Chicago.

He is a ball hawk, 15 interceptions, two of them took back for touchdowns over the last four years, had 20 pass breakups in addition.

The guy is a magnet.

He always seems to be where the football is.

How do you think Seattle's made out so far through the first couple rounds of this draft? Was this about what you were expecting?

For you, was this a pick that you had circled in red pen on your mock draft that was a guarantee? Or did you think that Seattle could have gone somewhere else with this pick?

Well, I thought the way that the draft unfolded, you had several really good corners that fell a little further than I anticipated they were going to.

That changed things a little bit, but then Miami jumped up and got Chris Johnson, a player that the Seahawks were very interested in.

I don't know if it was to the point they would have picked him over Jadarian Price, but Seattle had multiple trades happen right in front of them.

They didn't have the ability to trade down.

And Price was the guy that they had identified from the start that they were high on.

They loved the explosiveness, the home run hitting ability.

How do you expect this running back room to shake out in Seattle this year?

For you, was this a pick that you had circled in, in red pen on your mock draft that was a guarantee, or did you think that Seattle could've gone somewhere else with this pick?

Well, I thought the way that the draft unfolded, you had several really good corners that fell a little further than I anticipated they were going to.

That changed things a little bit, but then Miami jumped up and got Chris Johnson, a player that the Seahawks were very interested in.

I don't know if it was to the point they would've picked him over Jadarian Price, but Seattle had multiple trades happen right in front of them.

They didn't have the ability to trade down, and Price was a guy that they had identified from the start that they were high on.

They loved the explosiveness, the home run hitting ability.

Not many backs in this class have that.

How do you expect this running back room to shake out in Seattle this year?

But I've gotta ask you, what is the biggest story this week in Seattle?

Yeah, look, it's all about Sam Darnold and the incredible renaissance that he's had with his career in Minnesota last year.

And then...

But still, there was a lot of doubters because of the way the year ended, like the, the horrible game against the Lions in the season finale that cost Minnesota a division title.

And then the next week, the Rams sacked him nine times.

They ram sacked him, and i- it was just an ugly performance.

There was a lot of people out there wondering, like, "Was this feel-good story, uh, really a facade?" And Seattle made the decision that it wasn't, and it's crazy.

Yeah

Does this kind of, you know, mixture of very young, including your head coach, but also a couple guys who have been there, done that, bode well for Seahawks in their preparation going into this one?

I'm going to go a step further.

I think the Seahawks, and I mentioned this going into the playoffs because I didn't think Seattle was going to come out flat and be, you know, the lights were going to be too bright for them because Seattle, They've got a lot of guys on this team that are young players that have played in playoff settings at the college level.

And, like, you can say what you want about the FCS, man.

If you watched the Montana-Montana State game on ESPN last month, you would have thought that was the Super Bowl with the way fans were flocking.

And, by the way, it was like four degrees outside.

And these crazy people had sellout.

How do you compare their two running styles, first and foremost?

Who comes out on top in round three? Our Locked On hosts with both teams preview the matchup.

Back-to-back weeks in the playoffs, we've got a round three between NFC West rivals, and it just paints the picture of how dominant this division was this year, with these three teams getting at least 12 regular season wins, at least one playoff win apiece.

The NFC West has clearly been the NFC best, but the Rams didn't necessarily come into the playoffs with a ton of momentum.

They had that rough loss against Atlanta, the overtime loss to the Seahawks at Lumen Field in a game that felt like the Rams had complete control of, and then everything just slipped away in front of the 12s.

And barely beating Carolina to open the playoffs, going to OT with the Bears last week, and yet here we are.

We get the game that everybody expected we were gonna get in the playoffs at some point, that rubber match between the Seahawks and the Rams.

What are the Rams' vibes right now going into this game? Obviously, they won in Chicago, uh, but it hasn't always been pretty the last few weeks.

Yeah, yeah

So Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks, and Travis Rogers of Locked On Rams talk about keys to victory and so much more.

Crossover Thursday, Locked On Seahawks, Locked On Rams, championship weekend edition.

We got a Super Bowl spot on the line.

I'm Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks.

He's Travis Rogers, Locked On Rams.

Travis, let's dive into the keys to victory for these two teams respectively, what they need to do to get the job done and advance to the Super Bowl.

Both games these teams have played have been classics, just different styles.

Mm-hmm.

They're gonna be around for a long time, and they are really good, and how those chess pieces are moved around is going to be a lot of fun in this matchup as well, Corbin.

It will be, but as you said, I, I think...

I don't know that this game is decided between those two guys, the side of the ball that they coach, because San Francisco, for the most part, is much healthier, other than we'll see with Trent Williams, but they at least have most of their key pieces on that side of the ball.

Seattle, away from maybe missing Koby Bryant this week, they're as healthy as they have been on the defensive side of the ball, and both Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDonald are coming off games where they clearly were in their bag.

I mean, Carolina is the same team that put up 31 points on the Rams, and Seattle didn't even give up a nine-yard pass to them last week.

So...

A- and the run game was shut down, another game under 100 total yards.

Don't, don't cut him short, 104 miles per hour.

They're younger guys, even though Kyle's been around, he's not that old of a guy yet, they're going to be around for a long time and they are really good and how those chess pieces are moved around is going to be a lot of fun in this matchup as well, Corbin.

It will be, but as you said, I, I think...

I don't know that this game is decided between those two guys, the side of the ball that they coach, because San Francisco for the most part is much healthier other than...

We'll see with Trent Williams, but they at least have most of their key pieces that side of the ball.

Seattle, away from maybe missing Kobe Bryant this week, they're as healthy as they have been on the defensive side of the ball and both Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDonald are coming off games where they clearly were in their bag.

I mean, Carolina's the same team that put up 31 points on the Rams and Seattle didn't even give up a nine-yard pass to them last week, so...

A- And the run game was shut down, another game under 100 total yards so, both these coaches are coming off games where they, again, they were pulling a lot of the rabbits out of the hat and they were making life really hard for the other team and that means that the pressure...

Hmm.

Looking at the keys to victory, Corbin, what does Seattle have to do in order to win this game on Sunday and stay atop of the NFC West and the top of the NFC?

I think it starts and it finishes with their ability to make Carolina one-dimensional.

Take away their ability to run the football and make it that Bryce Young has to beat them with the offense being on his shoulders, because Seattle should be...

They may have a few guys out in their secondary, but they're going to be close to full strength in this football game.

They're going to be looking to get after the quarterback.

This has been a run defense that now has had 24 consecutive games without giving up a 100-yard rusher.

They're going to be looking to get to 25 in this contest.

Any other closing thoughts? Potentially, do you have a pick for this game, Corbin, on Sunday?

So, Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks and Zach Hicks of Locked On Colts talk about which match-ups are really key in this one and who will come out with a win.

Welcome back to Crossover Thursday, Locked On Seahawks, Locked On Colts.

I'm Corbin Smith, host of the Locked On Seahawks podcast.

He's Zach Hicks, host of the Locked On Colts podcast.

Seattle and Indianapolis set to duke it out at Lumen Field on Sunday.

And look, I can tell you this, b- being a resident of Indiana for 27 years, uh, to start off my life, I know the Indianapolis natives understand the whole weather is optional in terms of forecasts.

The forecast may or may not be right.

It's, it's that big of a difference between these two teams right now.

4:25 kickoff time at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Joe is over at Locked On Bills.

Chris is over at Locked On Steelers, part of the Locked On Podcast Network.

Your team every day.

Next up, the Vikings and the Seahawks.

The Vikings' quarterback situation right now, it is certainly dire.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks playing in the NFC West.

That has to be the path, that has to be what they go for.

Um, but the offense is never getting there and that's really going to be

where we, we see an issue.

Yeah, and you know what? I look at the matchups in this game, you know, flipping the script here a little bit, obviously with Minnesota being where they are at right now with their quarterback injuries and McCarthy not playing in this game, everybody's going to look on the outside at Justin Jefferson going up against Devin Witherspoon, Reek Woolen.

I feel confident that the Seahawks can at least keep those guys on the outside at bay with the talent that they've got at those cornerback spots.

At the same time, the matchup that concerns me the most in the middle, you mentioned with Jalen Redman the way that he's playing.

It concerns me a little bit against this Vikings offense.

And with the way that the Seahawks are playing, I'm just still wondering about getting those tight ends and running backs involved in the passing game.

That has to be what they go for.

Yeah, off tackle.

This feels like a game where that wide zone, some of your wide split zone concepts that you like to run.

And I could even see him sprinkling in some gap plays as well, attacking off tackle.

I think if the Seahawks are able to do that, I like Ken Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and George Helani, who's starting to get more opportunities.

I like those three all being able to run that outside zone against this Titans defense.

So, I'm gonna go a specific number.

I think they get to 125 rushing yards.

Right.

Respect, respect.

And (laughs), and this is, just like they would say with two seven and two teams, trying to come up with a prediction in terms of score is gonna be tricky, but, uh, uh, one thing I really do like to look at on these crossover shows though, and I know you're in agreement with me on this, it's kinda an X-factor on both sides of the ball.

Or maybe a special teams X-factor that could really impact this game.

And some of these, sometimes I go deep sleepers, especially in games like this.

Uh, on the offensive side of the football though, I'm not gonna go that route.

I'm going with a guy who has been a big part of this offense for a good chunk of this season, that's A.J. Barner.

I, I think Barner's ability to create in the passing game, he's become their, their tush-push guy (laughs) that they use under center.

A bye, yeah.

I mean, what is the strategy to try to neutralize them any way you possibly can? Look,

I'm going to give you a straight answer here.

Nobody stopped him.

He has been last week.

He would have got 100 yards if the Seahawks would have played him.

I mean, second half, they didn't even use him.

Really.

But what say you about prediction-wise heading into this one?

So, that is a big issue, but what is your, uh, what do you have your eye discipline on Marshon Lattimore for?

I, I have my eyes there because I'm waiting to see who is going to step up.

Is Lattimore the guy? He's coming out of a game where he had an interception and made some plays.

There were some struggles early in the year for him.

I want to see if Lattimore in the battle of Ohio State alums, I wanna see how he does against JSN, because to this point, nobody has stopped Jas- Jackson Smith-Njigba.

I think a lot of people in the Texans game were thinking, "I think Houston's got an elite secondary." I thought this might be the game we see JSN get shut down a little bit, and Seattle's gonna have to rely on secondary targets, and that didn't happen.

He was still (laughs) running open all over the place.

Easier said than done, of course, but that is the blueprint to beating the Seahawks on Sunday night.

James Yarko of Locked On Bucs and Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks talk about whether this could be a game where the Seahawks win it, or could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take this one instead?

Welcome back to Crossover Thursday, Locked On Seahawks, Locked On Bucs.

I'm Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks.

He's James Yarko of Locked On Bucs.

We've got a pivotal NFC matchup that...

Look, I know it's week five, but this is the kind of game at this early point in the season that is carrying some playoff implications in seeding, because you're talking about two teams, Seattle and Tampa Bay, that are three and one.

Tampa Bay is atop their division.

Mm-hmm.