Good morning, 12s.
Here's a look at what's "out there" for—Thursday, September 7—about your Seattle Seahawks:
Brandon Marshall "Still Trying To Prove Myself" 13 Years Into His NFL Career
Brandon Marshall, who signed with the Seahawks as a free agent this offseason, is a six-time Pro-Bowler who has had eight seasons with 1,000 or more yards and six seasons of 100 or more catches. Yet despite all he has done, the 34-year-old Marshall comes into this season feeling like he has a lot to prove, but he's also confident in his ability, especially now that he feels healthy following ankle and toe surgeries last year. In fact he even responded to a fan's question on social media saying he plans to win Comeback Player of the Year in 2018.
"I absolutely believe that—I'm a competitor," Marshall said Thursday. "That's why I'm here and I think the reason why I'm still playing is because I never felt like I've ever arrived. I always feel like you can get better. Definitely had to overcome a lot of obstacles but that is the goal. That's my mindset. It's a long season. Last week was the first week where I felt like 100%. Now it's just, knocking the rust off and getting in game shape. Two days before the Oakland game is when I was like, 'wow, OK, this is what it feels like to be where I was for most of my career,' so I'm excited about that. With that in mind, they haven't seen a lot of that. There's a lot of things that I haven't been able to do because I've been nursing this or nursing that or recovering from this or that. I'm still trying to prove myself to not only the world, but also most importantly my teammates and my coaches here. On paper, it's a 34-year old receiver with two down years, so every day I go out there, I remind myself I want to prove to (Russell Wilson) what type of receiver I am and what he has out there, and Coach Schotty (Brian Schottenheimer) the same thing."
Here are some more highlights from Marshall's press conference:
(On why Seattle is a good fit) "I've been around a lot, played with a lot of quarterbacks, had a lot of OCs, so I knew it'd be special playing with 3, but Schotty, he's special. Really talented, smart, so I'm excited to see what he puts together for us week-in and week-out."
(On the importance of fulfilling a mentor role as a veteran on the team) "Well I just think that's part of the process. It's something that should happen naturally, we're family and we're all interconnected so, when those guys are doing well, then it means I'm going to do well. So you try to find a guy or two that you can pour into that's willing to receive and listen and you give them your all. It doesn't matter where you're at, or what position, it doesn't matter if it's on the field or off the field. Tre (Flowers) is definitely a guy that—I mean, just the other day he came to me and he said, 'Yeah man, I downloaded this thing called RedZone, NFL RedZone, where you can watch NFL replay, where you can watch all of the games, and I was watching Chicago Bears in 2009, watching Peanut Tillman,' I'm like, 'Huh, what?' So, he's a special guy. He's a guy that's shown that he really wants it. It's one thing to have talent, to be tall, and fast, and smart, but are you willing to put in the work? That's the guys I gravitate to and I really appreciate."
(On returning to Denver, where he played from 2006-2009) "Yeah, I haven't played in Denver since I've left. I've played against the Broncos down in Miami. That was pretty cool, going up against Champ Bailey pretty much beat me up that year. It's fun going back, that's where I started, and it's a first-class organization. It's a special place."
(On whether he's played against the Broncos' Brandon Marshall before) "Never. Never, I met him for the first time at our charity event. We go back every year or so and raise money for the mental health there in Denver. This off-season, I think we raised like $150,000 and he was one of our guests. We did a jersey exchange and it was pretty cool."
Social Post Of The Day
Today's "Social Post of the Day comes from Hall of Fame left tackle Walter Jones, who spent part of Thursday checking on former teammates as part of his 96 Check initiative. 96 Check, named for fellow Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy's number, encourages people to check in with friends and loved ones, not just on September 6 (9/6) but throughout the year. And sometimes, as Jones found out, you can check in with a stranger:
More From Around The Web
Here at Seahawks.com, we took a look at the relationship between quarterback Russell Wilson and new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, which the Seahawks hope will take the offense to new heights this season.
If you missed it, here's Thursday’s practice report for the Seahawks and Broncos.
The Associated Press' Tim Booth looks at the impact rookie linebacker Shaquem Griffin is making off the field. And if you missed it, we covered that topic as well this week.
The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta looks at what 2018 could mean for Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll.
The Athletic offers five things to watch in Sunday’s opener at Denver.
The News Tribune's Gregg Bell looks at the work Doug Baldwin is doing to try to make a difference off the field.
Ben Arthur from SeattlePI.com previews Seattle’s offense.
You can add NBC Sports Northwest as a place to turn for Seahawks coverage this year, with Aaron Fentress and Dani Klupenger providing on-location coverage of the team.
