Tim Ruskell Interview

by: Michael Steffes

Hey all, I got a nice treat while i was running a little errand. President and GM stopped by the Sirius NFL Radio set up in Florida. He gave a nice little interview with Tim Ryan and Gil Brandt on "Movin'the Chains". I scribbled like mad to take notes, and probably caused no less than three car accidents, but hey, this is LA, and I go to many lengths to give the readers good info. To see a summary and highlights of the interview....

* The first part of the interview was talk about the state of the league. Not surprisingly, Ruskell is very supportive of Roger Goodell. He likes where the league is heading and how judiciously they handle issues that arise. Specifically, he praised Goodell for being a football guy with an education, rather than the other way around.

* The next topic was Marcus Trufant. Ruskell said he is a great guy who the Seahawks weren't going to let leave, it was just a matter of coming to an agreement. He said he knows Marcus' parents, and he epitomizes what he wants from players in the organization, saying he fits the Seahawk culture perfectly.

* Next, they spoke about Mike Wahle. He said that the moment Wahle was released, right away, he had both Solari and Hasselbeck come to him and say he needs to go get this guy. The family ties are what helped Wahle make his decision. He also said that he knows it is going to be a good signing, because the Strength and Conditioning coach already called and said Wahle is already one of his favorites. It seems to me he must be a hard worker which is great. It sounds like his shoulder is fine too.

* They, of course talked about Shaun. He said that Shaun knows and has known exactly what is going on. They have been very upfront with him. They plan on looking at his wrist and meeting with him after the Owners Meetings.

* He said that he has never seen Mike Holmgren so relaxed. He said that the coach is really excited about the make up of the team and what they can accomplish. He said that coach just seems very calm and confident. He also said that every player on the team knows it is Coach Holmgren's team until it is not, and there is no concern around the team about any coaches rift.

* About the draft. First, they tried to peg him into the 25th spot saying that they assume he likes where we are picking and there is no reason to move. He said" whoa, lets not get that rumor started. We are always listening. I see opportunities to move up and down within this draft."

* The asked him about players at the top of the draft and Ruskell said that before the Browns game last year, He and Webster went to the Ohio St/Wis game. He said Gholston had 5 sacks and ate the tackle alive. It was one of the more impressive performances he saw.

* They asked him about the DT position, and he said the team is really, really high on Mebane. They said what is hard to see unless you watch him every day is that he has great football instincts. He just has a knack for always making the right move. Also, they talked about Craig Terrill, who Ruskell praised for his stage presence, saying that guy has got a career after football. He is a musician with a CD out if you didn't know.

* Finally, he said that the one motion he was against was the playoff reseeding, which doesn't seem like it will pass. He says he understands his view is old school, but season ticket holders by tickets with the expectation that by winning the division they get to go to a playoff game. Plus the team's primary goal every year is to win the division. He doesn't ever want to hang a division champs banner and then tell the fans it wasn't good enough for a home playoff game.

* Also, he said he wasn't in favor of changing roster sizes. He said it was one of those things were the owners want 70, the coaches want 90, and somewhere in between is the best.

Hope you enjoy my summaries of these interviews, as I know sirius doesn't post them for the masses. Anyway, I do my best to provide the spirit of the interview. Hopefully it does it justice and you find them useful.