00:00Morning, happy Friday, Robert.
00:03How's it going, guys?
00:04Well, maybe actually I should say good morning and happy Friday, Captain.
00:09Well, thank you. I appreciate it.
00:11What's that mean to you?
00:14Oh, it means my teammates trust me.
00:18They put a lot of faith in me and they want me to go out there
00:20and lead them and lead myself by example.
00:24And, Robert, when you look at this year,
00:26every year you self-evaluate and look at things you want to do better.
00:31What are some of the things that you feel like, all right,
00:34you want to do better this year to make you not only a better player
00:36but also a better captain?
00:39You know, that's a great question,
00:40and I think it's just focusing on the little things each and every day,
00:44controlling what you can, staying true to the process of the week
00:48and not getting too ahead of yourself.
00:50So just focus on one thing at a time
00:53and just keep stacking good days one after the other
00:56and for me that's going to provide the best results possible on game day.
01:01You said post-game Super Bowl that you were angry
01:05and there was a chip on your shoulder.
01:07Are you still angry and is that chip still there as you get ready for Seattle?
01:12No doubt.
01:13I don't think that that loss will ever leave me.
01:16I don't think it will ever leave a lot of people that face that.
01:19It's something that you've got to learn from and grow from,
01:22and I'm really proud of how our team has worked this offseason,
01:27training camp especially.
01:29It felt like we take it to a new level and a new expectation that we have
01:34for us individually and collectively as a team.
01:37So we're really excited here.
01:39I know today is Friday in the world, but in our eyes it's actually a Tuesday.
01:44So we're pretty much in a Tuesday right now in game week.
01:48It's our off day.
01:49Tomorrow will be Wednesday, and we'll go from there.
01:53Robert, I don't believe you've ever played in Seattle in your career,
01:56but everybody knows that that is a tough stadium to play in.
01:59What's it been like preparing for it?
02:00What have you heard about playing there?
02:02And has Mike Rabel given you guys any insight on how to prepare,
02:06especially for the younger guys?
02:08Yeah, I've heard that the field there is 120 yards, 53 and a third yards wide.
02:15You know, it is a place that I have yet to play.
02:19I've played in a lot of these NFL stadiums across the country,
02:21and I'm really excited to get out there to play in Seattle,
02:25a place that I've yet to play at.
02:26It's going to be loud.
02:28It's going to be an atmosphere.
02:29It's going to be energy, and we're excited for that.
02:32Robert, when you look at the Seattle Seahawks,
02:36and I think a lot of people have the conversation about familiarity
02:39and the fact that you played them in the Super Bowl.
02:42When you go into this, you know that obviously things are going to change.
02:45There's going to be things that are going to be different,
02:47but does it help you out a little bit to play a team that you know a little bit
02:52about and have an opportunity to see them again?
02:56You know, these teams are a brand-new team.
02:58They are bringing back a lot of guys.
03:00They have a brand-new offensive coordinator.
03:02They have a new runner behind the quarterback,
03:05a rookie who's an exciting young player for them.
03:07So, yeah, you can take what happened last year
03:11and learn from a few of the altercations that you may have had on the field
03:16and see how people were blocking you.
03:18But at the end of the day, we're going to have to trust our eyes.
03:21We're going to have to communicate well as a defense
03:23and really just all be 11 on the same page each and every play.
03:27And I think the consistency of that will help us get stops.
03:31As a captain, are you on the same page with Christian Gonzalez
03:34and his situation with the organization?
03:38Yeah, I mean, that's a private matter.
03:41Contracts are always more of a private matter between the team and the player.
03:45Gonzo knows he has our complete support from the players.
03:49I love Christian, not only as a player but as a person.
03:54And through this all, I'm just so proud that he has remained a leader on our team.
04:00He's been pushing guys to perform better.
04:03He's been challenging guys to be better in meetings and on the field.
04:08So, for him to stay so locked in while I know he's dealing with a private matter
04:14is really impressive to me.
04:16Robert, you talk about, you know, the loss and the Super Bowl loss.
04:21I've been on that side before, but I've also been on the side where I've won one.
04:25How does it?
04:26Oh, brag of the week.
04:27I mean, it is what it is.
04:30Tell him to go, you know what.
04:33But I will say this, though.
04:36After losing a Super Bowl, I went to a different team
04:40and the expectations weren't as high.
04:43Does it give you a little bit of, like, does it make you feel good when you look at,
04:49hey, even though we lost, we're still a good football team
04:52and we could, if we take care of business, we could possibly get back there
04:56knowing that that possibility is still on the table because of the team that you have.
05:01Does that cushion the blow a little bit?
05:05That's a good question, and I feel like, no, that is what it was,
05:12and we will never be able to get that day back.
05:15We'll never be able to change the outcome of a 2026 Super Bowl,
05:19but at the end of the day, that does infuse life,
05:22knowing that you have Drake May, an elite quarterback.
05:25To win in this league, you're going to need a quarterback,
05:28and to play with him on the team is very exciting to me.
05:32It was very exciting for me to come out here,
05:35and he showed what kind of quarterback he was last year,
05:38and I can't wait to see him take that year three leap,
05:41and just really excited to go out there each and every day.
05:45I have a feeling this season is going to be hard.
05:48It's going to be difficult.
05:49We're going to have to fight through a lot of adversity in these 18 weeks coming up,
05:54but we're excited for it.
05:56This is what we work all our lives for all offseason since we lost that game.
06:01We've been working for these moments,
06:03especially Wednesday here coming up shortly.
06:05Robert, an elite quarterback who also is another captain on this team,
06:09Mike Vrabel said that the biggest area of growth for him
06:12has been his command of the locker room.
06:14Do you agree with that, and when did you notice that change?
06:18Yeah, I mean, I don't critique Drake.
06:20I don't go over his film,
06:22so I couldn't tell you what exactly he's getting better at or best at.
06:26All I know is he is a man of the locker room.
06:29He brings great energy every day.
06:32He pushes his teammates to get better.
06:34He has high expectations of himself and others,
06:37so really proud to be able to play on a team with Drake.
06:41I know he's going to continue to do great things in this league,
06:46to push people, to make strides,
06:47and just exciting when you have that type of player on your team
06:52and the offense that we have.
06:54We know as a defense our job is to get the ball back to Drake
06:56or to make him punt it to Marcus Jones, who's another all-pro player.
07:00So our job is easy as a defense, just get off the field.
07:04Well, Robert, you talked about Drake Mayen and being an elite player on offense,
07:08but give you guys your defense some credit.
07:10Last year you finished top 10 in most major categories.
07:14When you look at this defense
07:15and what you guys potentially could be this year,
07:21is the goal and the mindset like we could have not only just an elite offense,
07:26but we could be one of the top defenses in the National Football League
07:30because of the talent that we have?
07:32Without a doubt,
07:33and that's the type of expectations that we go into every game with.
07:37We want to win the game,
07:38and we want to be the number one scoring defense,
07:40and those are our two goals.
07:41And each and every day we are trying to formulate plans
07:45that we can just be consistent enough to keep the ball in front of us,
07:50make the plays, and then get off the field on third down.
07:53And every day is just part of that process.
07:56And some days are better than others,
07:59but as long as we just keep stacking consistent days
08:01and we get to know where our teammates are going to be on the field
08:04for different plays,
08:06that's where all these hundreds and hundreds of walk-through reps,
08:10of practice reps,
08:11they just start feeling like deja vu
08:14once you actually get in the plays during the game.
08:16Robert, before the season starts,
08:18this is kind of not related to the game this weekend
08:20or it's just a general NFL question.
08:22Curious about what you think about a team playing permanently in London or Europe,
08:28like an NFL team based outside of the United States.
08:31Is that something that you think could ever really work?
08:34Again, another question that's kind of above my pay grade.
08:38I haven't spent enough time thinking about it on first thought.
08:42I think it sounds ridiculous.
08:44It sounds like it wouldn't make sense,
08:46but at the end of the day,
08:46I'm sure the NFL is trying to figure out a way to make it happen.
08:52I mean, based on what the dude makes,
08:54every question is below Roger Goodell's pay grade.
08:58Yeah, not bad.
09:00Not bad.
09:00$60 million a year as a commissioner.
09:02He's like an elite quarterback in the NFL.
09:05That's pretty good.
09:06Explain.
09:07Imagine that.
09:07You're talking about a six-hour plane ride from Europe
09:10to wherever you're playing every week
09:12just to get to the States.
09:13Yeah, I ain't doing it.
09:15Yeah, it seems logistically like a nightmare.
09:18And I don't know how many guys want to go live in Europe
09:22and what that would entail if you sign up for the NFL draft.
09:27Are you agreeing that you would go live in Europe?
09:30So I'm sure they're trying to figure out all the logistics of that.
09:34I'll ask you, too, because we've been talking about it this week.
09:37Where are you on NFL guys returning to play in college another year?
09:44It does not bother me one bit, and the outrage that it's caused.
09:49People seem to think it's going to be like a yearly basis,
09:52guys going back left and right.
09:54But these are players that had a fifth year of eligibility
09:58that were told that they didn't.
10:00So it's a very – it's a situation where, of course,
10:04I want these young men to go find a team and play for a team,
10:07especially if they had a fifth year that they weren't told about.
10:11But the outrage that some people are having, to me, seems ridiculous.
10:16I mean, it's, what, 20, 40 kids going back to play in college?
10:20Go for it, kids.
10:22But then again, I'll always support the player for the most part
10:26as long as they haven't done anything ridiculous.
10:31Go back and play.
10:32I hope they all do well, too.
10:34All right, Captain.
10:35Well, can't wait to see the lingering anger from you on Wednesday night.
10:42I appreciate you guys.
10:43Thanks for having me on.
10:44All right.
10:45That is Robert Spillane.
