Seahawks LG Robert Gallery was on the Kevin Calabro show a week or two ago and talked a little bit about the zone-blocking scheme Seattle is going to be using this season, so I thought it might be of interest. You can listen to the entire interview, but I've transcribed some of the things he had to say.
On the youth of the offensive line, and how he plans to be a leader:
"I've played a lot more games than all of these guys put together. I can help them with the things they see, and you know it's tough right now. They're behind. As much as some people like the lockout, having time off, for those young guys, that tough. We play a game in a week. I know this is the preseason, this is the time to learn, but it's a big deal. There's a lot on their plate, obviously there's going to be mistakes, but they really have to get this stuff fast, there's no choice.
They're going to start, and they need to get it. Anything I can do to help them, that's what I'm here for."
On the zone-blocking scheme and how quickly this young line will take to pick things up and play effectively:
"This is a system that you can come in and, the way the system is run, and if you know what you're doing... it's not a real complex system where you have to take perfect steps and do man down the middle and you can't get thrown, that's the great thing about the zone system: you get on your track, you got somebody protecting you on your backside or on your front side, and you can just come off the ball and strike the guy. So it's just all those things. This is a system that will help some younger guys.
There's going to be some ups and downs, obviously, there always is on a young team, but I'm looking for some good things from these guys. Once they get it, I think that we'll surprise some people."
Calabro and Moore then asked him what kind of things they'll need to iron out before the season starts. Gallery replied:
"You obviously have to know the guys. You have to know how Russell plays the back side of me. Different guys can get lower in their cuts and whatnot. I got to get a feel for him, I'll change some things up, you know, things he does well, or maybe things that I need to do better to help him, or that he learns from me how I do things, that he may need to change.
That will come with time. You know, time is limited, but that's why we're here to work."
Gallery on his strengths, on what he brings to the team:
"I feel that I play the game the way it's supposed to be played. It's not always pretty, but you come out, it's a hard nosed game, and you come out and play to the whistle. You play the old-school, hard-nosed football mentality. I pride myself in getting downfield, cleaning up piles, doing those things, finishing cuts and finishing blocks, and I think that's the best part of my game."
Listen to the rest of the interview here:
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