Tim Ruskell Interview

by: Michael Steffes

The man, the myth, the legend. President of football operations in Seattle, Tim Ruskell was on with Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan on "Movin the Chains" this afternoon.

Here is what he said....

Ruskell said that they have their eye on Jackson since they first scouted Lofa. They have been waiting for him to finally come out. He is "solid as Sears" as Ruskell puts it. "It was a no brainier"

Ruskell was asked about Kentwan Balmer. He said Lo Jack was on the hot list and Balmer was not. The reasons are well documented.

Talking about the Bryant pick, he said the team just needed to get bigger inside. Ruskell subscribes to the "get up the field" type tackles, but coach has always wanted a dominant inside guy to take up blockers.

Tim said Jacob Green was the only guy more excited than Red. Green said it was like being drafted all over again.

He said that people often mis-understand the Holmgren offense in regards to the tight end. Part of the reason it works is because if you only have a receiving tight end it tells the defense what you are going to do. It is important to have a guy who can do it all to disguise plays properly. He thinks Carlson is the perfect guy for this.

He said the short time really helped the draft because it got people talking earlier and therefore more connections were established which led to more trades throughout league.

Ruskell said the Tyler Schmitt pick had less to do with needing a long snapper than truly believing this guy is special. They obviously don't want to go through what they did last year, but they think this guy can be around for a decade. He also said they had good intelligence he would have gone in the top of the 7th. Two teams were also very interested.

Owen Schmitt. They like him because his heart is bigger than his body. He said his game speed is much better than his timed speed. He will run right through a wall for his o line and his running back. He thinks Weaver and Schmitt do different things and will pair well together.

Coutu was their top rated kicker. Regardless they don't want to be hostage to a college kicker, some times that takes time. He expects a spirited competition.

About the receivers.... No, he keeps hearing that we are thin at WR, but they don't see it. He said Bobby is in great shape. Nate improved a ton and they expect him to be a top guy this year. He understands why people think it is a problem, but you will know these guys names before too long.

He said the team will still consider making moves if he believes it will help the team.

They asked if he was going to get out golfing....Ruskell said...only on a video game, Tiger Woods on Wii I can only hope. My personal favorite.