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Interview notes: Center Drew Nowak with Danny, Dave, and Moore

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

25 August 2015, 710 AM:

Danny O’Neil:

We’re here with Drew Nowak. I’m pronouncing it right? "no-wok". You started last week. You got a chance to compete for the starting C job. How are things going for you?

Drew Nowak:

It has been unbelievable just to have a chance to be out there. Getting better every day.

O’Neil:

You have become included in the list of Seahawks converted defensive lineman, but actually your conversion started before you were a Seahawk. You came out of Western Michigan as an all-conference defensive lineman. Did you officially enter the NFL with the Jaguars as a defensive lineman? How would you characterize the transition?

Nowak:

Yes, in Jacksonville, I went through the OTAs and offseason as a DT. After our scrimmage in camp, we had two of our interior offensive linemen go down with injuries. The next day they pulled me in their office asked how I would feel about playing OL. I said as long as it is going to keep me in the NFL, I’ll give it a shot.

It was a whirlwind. I didn’t really want to change, because I loved played DL. The more I played it, the more comfortable I was. Now, the switch to C I feel has been an easy transition. A lot more fun.

I have to say I’ve had some good mentors. At Jacksonville, Brad Meester was a 14 year C there. I was in his hip pocket the whole time I was there for two years. And Max being here last year, I’ve had some good mentors and coaches.

O’Neil:

As C, you have to call the protections? it's one of the biggest responsibilities. What the C has to do is complicated.

Nowak:

I just have a blast doing it. I put my hand on the ball and say "let’s go". Yes, there is a lot of thinking to it and a a lot of reading, and you have to control the front five, but there is just a comfortability to it for me. You just get in the book and show them every day you are improving. I feel like that’s what I’ve been trying to do every day, and they’ve been seeing that.

O’Neil:

What’s it been like to work with Coach Cable? You’ve had a full year here. You came here the first week of 2014 at the final cutdown. What’s his impact been on you?

Nowak:

He’s an incredibly intelligent coach. He knows how to work with each player. He’s in the head of every guy. So smart with the schemes. it's hard not to learn when you’re in the classroom and on the field with him. But really with him, he preaches doing stuff right longer and harder than anybody else does.

NOTES:

From Wisconsin. His sisters hunt deer and bear. Dad has a box at Lambeau Field. Basement of his parents house is like a Packers shrine. Played hockey growing up and was the ‘enforcer’ on his hockey team, and the protector, "if someone else was getting hit it was my turn to step in. The more physical the hockey, the more fun, I thought." Also played baseball, track, football. Had a chance to play on USA Junior Hockey Team, and had to choose between football and hockey. Says the athletics and conditioning of hockey helped a lot, feels it's one of the most athletic sports to be in, the change of direction and hand-eye coordination. "I played defense, so being able to skate backwards as fast as you skate forwards. The condition you have to be in is unbelievable, you’re on the ice for 30 seconds and you’re gassed."

Dave Wyman Comments:

Defensive line to Offensive line — it used to be that nobody would ever make that transition. This is more affirmation of Tom Cable and what he’s able to do. We kind of take this for granted. It was hard enough to play LB, my position, through high school and college and to play it at the NFL level. I can’t imagine trying to play a different position entirely.

It's still football, I mean, it's about contact, low man wins, and hands and feet and all that, but still… the way you look at the field is so different. I remember just trying to play OLB a couple of times and it was just weird, I was used to lining up in the middle. So, for a guy used to lining up on defense, and then they move guys around within the position group as well? it's very remarkable, what they are doing.

I guess you could say they are revolutionizing the game in some way. This is really an affirmation of Tom Cable and how good he is. They are doing it in a different kind of way — typical Pete Carroll. Take defensive players and turn them into offensive players. Again you know they’re smarter, they’re usually faster, and they’re better looking, and all those things from the defensive side of the ball.

O’Neil Comments:

The count was 15 offensive linemen in training camp. And 4 of those guys were converted defensive linemen, and then throw in Keavon Milton playing LG, Garry Gilliam at RT, both of those guys were TEs. They have found something, maybe you could call it a ‘money ball approach". The challenge in the NFL is you have limit's in what you can spend and how many guys you can retain. Making the most out of those with your player development. The teams that are able to consistently win find ways to get extra value. The Seahawks have been able to find extra value by taking guys who don’t play offensive line and putting them in Tom Cable’s offensive line system and letting him teach them.