Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner talks taking a leadership role on defense
Jun 16, 2016, 9:31 AM | Updated: 9:37 am
Bobby Wagner on the Seahawks defense: "A lot of guys are kind of at their peak right now." (AP)
(AP)
Bobby Wagner is only 25, but with four years of NFL experience, the All-Pro linebacker getting looked at as one of the leaders on the Seahawks’ defense. How does he feel about it?
“Being an older guy is kind of interesting,” he told 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton on Wednesday. “I don’t feel old.”
Related: John Clayton on the Seahawks’ changing Legion of Boom
That’s not to say he doesn’t feel comfortable in the role, though. After all, he said, he had good mentors as a rookie himself in players like Red Bryant and Brandon Mebane.
“I’m saying to the young guys, just come in and ask questions. When I got here, Bane talked to me every day,” Wagner said.
As for what he tells them: “You’re not the big guy in town anymore. You’re the guy who needs to ask questions, find out what Seahawk football is all about and really just make your way into this league. You gotta earn respect before it’s given to you.”
Wagner is far from the only player in a similar situation for the Seahawks, and that’s working to their advantage.
“We have a lot of guys maturing and a lot of guys are kind of at their peak right now. … I feel like our depth is really, really good,” he said.
“I feel like it’s kind of an interesting year because when I got here a lot of the team was super young and still trying to learn, but you can see now the growth from everybody. Everybody’s been in the league a little bit longer, everybody’s starting to mature and understand the defense, and we’re starting to talk more about things that we probably didn’t even talk about when we first got here. It’s an exciting feeling to be out there with a bunch of guys who have been there for a really, really long time because we’re fortunate to do that. Not a lot of teams get to do that.”
