Multiple sources are still linking Ryan Mallett to the Seahawks, Ian Furness and co. had him on their show yesterday for what was a great interview with the quarterback out of Arkansas. Furness touched on a variety of subjects but talked specifically about the Seahawks so it's a must-listen interview. Check it out here.
First though, according to this nice writeup by Eric Williams, Michael Lombardi went on record again today to reiterate that he thinks Mallett is a good fit with the Hawks. He said on a conference call with reporters:
I think they really do like Mallett. They've done a lot of work on him. I think Miami's done a lot of work on him. I think there's a feeling within the league that Seattle is hoping he makes it down to their pick at No. 25, so that they can get him.
I think he does fit what they want to do offensively. He can run a pro-style offense, and they don't feel the problems off the field are as bad as some people might suspect. So I do feel like that's one area where they would feel like they've solved that problem if they turn that card in.
It's interesting, they're 7-9 and they're picking 25th. So they're down there in the draft and they've always been very aggressive. So I think if they wanted to go get a guy, they would go get him and move up. But I think until the get the quarterback problem fixed it's going to be very difficult. They tried to sign Matt Hasselbeck before we locked out. He turned down their last offer, so I think their expectation is they're not probably going to get him back, so they better address the quarterback.
I thought it was worth mentioning as a little precursor to the interview. If he's right, Mallett may be high on the Hawks list and might even warrant trading up for. On the other hand, John Clayton said on the Calabro Show yesterday that even if Mallett is there in the 2nd round, the Hawks will pass because of his lack of mobility and character concerns so the Hawks' interest in Mallett could all be a smokescreen. Welcome to draft season folks!
Now, before you go check out the full interview at KJR's webpage, I wanted to touch on a few highlights so I've taken down some of the interview here. First off, Furness asked him about his recent visit to Seattle and he had this to say:
The facilities out there are outstanding, outstanding facilities. I got to talk to the guys you mentioned (Carroll, Bevell, Schneider), they're great guys. Coach Carroll's a great coach. And they're looking forward to making a lot of noise, and that's a team that you want to play for, somebody that's ready to go.
On his fit in the Seahawks' system:
Yeah I think i could fit into any system really. I just got to learn it, get it down pat, and once I do it doesn't really matter what kind of system it is, you know, West Coast, if you wanna spread it out, do whatever, as long as I get it down pat, and get to know what I'm doing, I think I'd fit into any system.
I like to push it down the field, I like to see the blitz, get protected, and push the ball down the field. But, you got to have a quick game, it's just like a running game. Your quick game has to be like handoffs, you know, 5-7 yards a catch kind of quick game. Then you'll bust one after you catch a quick pass, so I think both things are really what you have to do.
On the critiques of his mobility, and are they fair? In other words, will teams just attack him and make him move out of the pocket and rush him into making poor decisions?
You know, that's what a lot of teams did, and sometimes it helped us, and sometimes they got to us, you know? You're going to have good plays and you're going to have bad plays. You just got to protect the football, because the football is the most important thing.
On the comparison to Drew Bledsoe and the idea that he'll just stand in the pocket like a statue:
I can move around in the pocket, as far as that pocket presence - stepping around in the pocket. Stepping right, stepping left, step up step back, move around alittle bit. You know, when I have to, I can get outside the pocket and make some plays. Obviously, I'm not the fastest guy, but I can get out there and get it to one of those quick guys and have them make the play for me.
On his weaknesses, and what he needs to work on:
Just keeping my weight back. I get my weight over my front foot a little too much, and that's where I become inaccurate. If I keep my weight back, I become more accurate, so that's the thing I've been working on a lot since I've had this time to work in between the Sugar Bowl and the Draft.
On why he's not rated higher:
People have their own ranking, but the teams have their own rankings too. The rankings that aren't the teams, they don't matter. (The pundits) are not drafting anybody on draft day. Me and my camp, we don't really pay any attention to that, so… (laughs)
On reports from Albert Breer about his off-field concerns and issues:
That's because Albert doesn't know me. Albert doesn't know me. Albert's never been around me and doesn't know what kind of guy I am.That's why I love these visits to be around the team, and they can see what kind of guy I am. All these reports about all this other stuff are mind-boggling to me, and I don't know where he gets his information, to me, he got false information.
On whether it hurt him personally:
You know it just fuels the fire even more. That's what it did.
On what he'd say to the fans in Seattle:
You know, don't worry about what Albert said. I did make a mistake, you know, on my record I did get a public intoxication when I was a younger kid, you know, I"ve grown up. I've been in college for 4 years now, and I've gotten older, you know - everybody makes mistakes when they're younger. But what I did from that, is I took it as a learning experience. I learned from it, I moved on from it, and I never looked back from it.
On the prospect of playing for Seattle:
Oh it'd be a dream come true. They got a great fan base, they keep the stadium rocking, its a great place to play QB.
Now, go watch this video of Gruden meeting with Ryan Mallett and I have a hard time not coming out impressed with the guy. He knows his X's and O's, his reads, his blitz hot routes, and can diagram everything easily - evidence backing up the school of thought that Mallett is the most pro-ready QB in his class. Also, he knows John Daly?