by: Michael Steffes
I came late and left early, but here are some of the things Mike Holmgren touched on in his weekly press conference. Sorry for the formatting issues, but it was the only way I could get it to go [formatting issues are now fixed -Ed.]. To read the highlights just click . . .
- Mike was asked if Matt misses Zorn. He said he is sure Matt misses some things about Zorn, and others not so much. Coach said Bill Lazor is doing a fantastic job and he and Matt have really hit it off.
- He was asked what makes Gregg Jennings so tough. Coach said his size and speed make him a tough matchup, and now he has experience to go with his physical attributes.
- Asked if the Green Bay game is always special to him, Mike replied that the game is special because the team needs to get going this week. He said he gets more nostalgic when he travels back to Green Bay, but not so much when they come here.
- More questions about Jim Zorn. (No offense, but aren't there enough Seahawks-related questions that should be being asked?
- Holmgren says that as much as everybody else has thought about the East Coast thing, he has thought about it more. He said the time zone cannot be the reason for the terrible game the team played on Sunday. "It is bigger than that.
- Coach spent Monday with the defensive staff and Tuesday with the offensive staff. He cited the 1-11 on third down conversions as another reason for the defeat, saying that converting some of those would have taken pressure off the defense. He put the coaches on notice to do it his way, so that the responsibilty falls on Holmgren. Doing it their way means responsibility is on them. He calls the current level of coaching "playground stuff." (Sounds as if coaches are taking liberties that maybe they wouldn't have in previous years.)
- If a player comes to him and says that something won't work, that's fine, but the player needs to come to him on Friday, not on Sunday after the game. He is the coach, they are the players. Do it his way and then it is his responsibility.
- He said the team has a lot of players who have a lot of pride and when things aren't going well they start to try and overcompensate. That just makes things worse. That is how giving up the big plays happens.
- He talked a bit about unwritten rules. He said the main unwritten rule as far as players go is that nobody wants to get hurt, or hurt the other guys. No cheap shots. As for coaching, he said it is a very individual thing. He is only responsible for the decisions he makes, but other coaches see things in a different light.
- He talked about the team concept and how players have to give full effort even if they are not going to get the ball, because on another play that other guy is going to help them out. He said he talks every day about the players being careful at night. Old guys help the young guys. That sort of thing.
- He expects there will be a fair amount of carryover from last year's GB game, mainly in the way they will want to attack us and what they think we may do.
|