Speaking with All Seahawks reporter Corbin Smith, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner discusses the Prevent Defense Campaign, why he's teaming up with USAA and the Renton Fire Department to raise awareness for wildfire prevention, improvements for Seattle's defense compared to a season ago, and much more!
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00:00 Joining us here on the Locked on Seahawks podcast,
00:02 he is a nighttime all pro selection,
00:05 the tackling king for the Seahawks,
00:07 and of course a voice actor
00:08 on the new Ninja Turtles movie that is coming out.
00:10 Bobby Wagner joining us here on the show.
00:12 Bobby, thanks for jumping on
00:14 and looking forward to discussing your newest initiative
00:17 here with the Prevent Campaign.
00:20 - Thank you, thank you for having me.
00:22 - So let's discuss this,
00:24 obviously in the Pacific Northwest the last few years,
00:27 unless you've been hiding under a rock,
00:29 you know how much smoke there's been,
00:31 and unhealthy air, and tons of wildfires.
00:34 It's been a prevalent issue throughout the United States,
00:36 but especially in the Pacific Northwest.
00:38 And most of these fires are man-made.
00:40 So you were teaming up with USAA
00:43 and the Renton Fire Department
00:46 for the Prevent Defense Campaign.
00:49 Can you take me through what the initiative is,
00:52 how you got set up with it,
00:53 and what your goals are working with USAA
00:56 and the Renton Fire Department?
00:58 - Yeah, I think the biggest thing is to really educate
01:01 and spread knowledge.
01:03 I think a lot of times people don't understand that
01:04 because it rains a lot that we don't have this issue,
01:07 but it is a real issue.
01:09 It's something that happens all the time.
01:12 It's something that we can prevent.
01:13 I think, like you said, like 98% of the people,
01:16 or 98% of the wildfires are caused by humans.
01:18 And so there's a part that we can play.
01:21 I think the biggest thing is to try to protect our city
01:23 that we love, and this is one way to do it.
01:25 And I love partnering up with USAA
01:28 and the Renton Fire Department to make this happen.
01:31 - And I know that you met with the fire department,
01:34 did a meet and greet as well.
01:36 How was that process for you,
01:38 being able to pay it forward for firefighters?
01:40 And we know the value of public service workers in general,
01:43 but what has that process been like for you,
01:45 being able to give back to the people that we view
01:47 as the real heroes, the work that they do?
01:51 - It was really cool 'cause a lot of times
01:52 they don't get the acknowledgement that they should.
01:55 And so to be able to come out here and really show love
01:58 and support and show how grateful we are
02:00 for their services was really cool.
02:02 - Let's talk a little bit of football, shall we?
02:05 I know that at the linebacker position,
02:08 coming back to Seattle, and you played with Jordan Brooks
02:11 for a couple of years before you went to LA for a season.
02:14 And he comes back basically, miracle worker,
02:17 less than eight months after his torn ACL,
02:19 he's back on the field.
02:20 What have you seen from him in this miraculous return here
02:24 these first four games?
02:26 And where has he shown the most growth in your mind
02:29 compared to those first two years
02:30 when he got to play with him?
02:32 - I mean, he's been amazing.
02:34 You're watching him play, he's fast, he's physical,
02:36 he's making plays in the backfield,
02:38 got two sacks the other night.
02:39 Like he's all over the field
02:41 and I don't think anybody expected him
02:44 to have this type of production coming off an injury
02:47 that he was coming off of.
02:48 But it just says to his work that he put in the off season.
02:53 And I think he's gotten so much smarter.
02:56 Obviously the first couple of years, you gotta understand,
02:58 I think it was COVID was his first year
03:01 or somewhere around that.
03:02 So he didn't get a real off season.
03:04 Then that following off season,
03:05 it wasn't really a real one either.
03:07 And so there was a lot of plays that he had to learn
03:09 on the fly or things that he had to do on the fly.
03:11 And so he's done a tremendous job
03:14 and it's been really, really fun
03:16 to be playing alongside of him.
03:18 - You got to play for Clint Hurd,
03:20 a little different role earlier in your career
03:22 when he was playing in the defense.
03:23 He was the defensive line coach
03:25 and you got some association with him.
03:27 But then you come back, he's the defensive coordinator.
03:29 In your brief time that you've been playing for him
03:31 in that role, how have you seen him grow as a play caller?
03:35 In year two, it does seem like he's a lot more comfortable
03:38 in that role than what he was last year,
03:40 his first time being a play caller, I think at any level.
03:44 - Yeah, I think last year it wasn't only his first time,
03:47 but he also had a lot of young players.
03:48 So it was his first time and then trying to figure out
03:52 how to get everybody on the same page,
03:54 especially these young guys getting their first experience.
03:56 And I think Jordan was moving to a new position.
03:58 So there's a lot of stuff going on,
04:00 but he's done a great job.
04:02 I think he's really, really smart.
04:05 I always appreciate his smartness, even as a D-line coach,
04:08 understand run of fists, understand the pass concepts.
04:10 And I think the more and more he gets used to calling
04:14 everything, the better, better he gets.
04:17 - I'm always curious talking to players,
04:19 especially somebody that's got the accolades
04:21 that you have, Bobby, talking about PFF
04:24 and all these other outlets out there,
04:25 the evaluations that they put out on players each week.
04:29 And Quadrate Digs, we've had some very candid conversations
04:32 about this, misconceptions of the safety position,
04:36 what casual fans or even these evaluators,
04:39 what they're watching.
04:41 From the linebacker position perspective,
04:43 what do you think is the biggest misconception
04:45 in terms of how these outlets evaluate the position
04:49 or their understanding of how the position is played?
04:52 - I think the biggest thing that I always had,
04:56 not an issue, but something was just,
04:59 how they calculated catches.
05:02 There was a year where they said,
05:04 I gave up a lot of catches,
05:05 but a lot of it was me hustling to the ball
05:08 or me trying to get to the ball.
05:09 So they counted the yardage towards myself.
05:13 But I think over the years,
05:15 they've done a good job of just trying to understand.
05:17 A lot of it is just, you have to feed the computer
05:20 the right information and we can either run from it
05:23 or embrace it.
05:25 Like it's gonna be here.
05:26 They're gonna get better each year
05:28 and I feel like it's done that.
05:30 - How much value do those things have for you as a player?
05:33 I know that a lot of players pay attention to it.
05:35 There's some that say they don't
05:37 and then they reference stats.
05:38 Like I believe it was a chin of new OC the other day
05:40 that said 36 pressures.
05:42 And I think pro football focus was the one
05:44 that listed that in the Panthers game.
05:45 But it's an imperfect science,
05:47 but how much does that play into what players do
05:51 as far as preparation for a week or looking back at games,
05:54 at least the advanced data?
05:55 - I don't know if people like look at it
05:58 as far as preparation for a game.
06:01 I think you might pay attention to it after the game
06:03 to see what they think or whatever the case may be.
06:05 Because coaches look at it,
06:07 guys like yourself look at it and they reference it.
06:10 And so when it's good in your favor, you like it.
06:14 When it's not good in your favor, you hate it.
06:16 So it's a love hate relationship.
06:18 - Speaking of putting out fires,
06:21 last year the Seahawks run defense was 30th overall.
06:24 It was one of the worst in the league.
06:25 You guys right now are ranked third
06:27 in yards per carry allowed.
06:29 I believe it's 3.2 yards per carry.
06:31 And some of that's with some of those Daniel Jones runs
06:33 the other day late in the game.
06:34 That's kind of boosted that.
06:35 You guys were under three going into that game
06:37 against the Giants.
06:38 You look at where this defense is at,
06:40 being the man in the middle, the leader in the middle.
06:43 What are you seeing?
06:44 You've mentioned the gap integrity,
06:46 playing better with the gaps,
06:47 but what are you seeing big picture from front to back
06:50 with the defense that really is elevating the play,
06:53 defending the run, not just shutting down running backs,
06:55 but also playing athletic quarterbacks like Daniel Jones?
06:59 - I think it's just trust.
07:00 I think you're seeing more and more guys trust one another,
07:03 trust they're gonna be where they're supposed to be.
07:06 Like I said, last year it might've been
07:08 a lot of young guys just trying to learn
07:12 and understand what it takes to be in this league.
07:16 And all of that plays a part in everything.
07:18 So, a lot of those guys have a year in their belt.
07:21 Obviously bringing myself back,
07:22 me and Jordan played with each other.
07:23 So we have that chemistry.
07:25 And so a lot of it is just trust and you can see that.
07:28 - You're coming off a performance
07:29 where you guys gave up under 285 yards, just three points.
07:32 You mentioned the youth on this roster.
07:34 You got a lot of rookies like Devin Witherspoon
07:36 that are playing extensive roles on this defense,
07:39 but you've also got veterans like yourself.
07:41 You've been around some of the best defenses
07:43 that have played in the game earlier in your career.
07:46 What do you think the ceiling is for this defense
07:49 going into the meet of your guys' schedule?
07:52 And what does that next step look like for you guys
07:54 coming off the best game you've had easily
07:56 all year on Monday night?
07:58 - I think we just got to turn into consistency.
08:00 We have to do that.
08:01 Like what we did last week,
08:02 we have to do it again and do it again.
08:04 And I think that's what makes a really, really good defense.
08:07 Like you understand what you're gonna get from them
08:09 every single time you watch them play.
08:11 And we've done it a little bit.
08:14 We've gotten better over the course of the season,
08:16 but we have to have it as a consistent level.
08:18 And once we do that, I feel like then we can start talking
08:20 about how great we can be.
08:22 - We wanna thank you, Bobby, for coming on the show.
08:24 Greatly appreciate it.
08:25 And best of luck with the Prevent Defense campaign.
08:28 That's clearly an important issue
08:30 that we need to be informing people about,
08:31 especially in the Pacific Northwest
08:33 with all the wildfires that we have
08:35 and just the way that things have changed in that regard.
08:39 - Thank you so much.
08:39 for your time and I appreciate you.