Doug Baldwin says Seahawks didn’t have much reaction to ESPN article
May 30, 2017, 9:29 AM | Updated: 10:07 am
Doug Baldwin says the Seahawks' locker room has been "pretty quiet" about Seth Wickersham's ESPN story that describes resentment toward Russell Wilson. (AP)
(AP)
The Seahawks are beginning Organized Team Activities on Tuesday, which will include their first official on-field practice of an offseason that’s been marked by drama. That hit a climax last week with Seth Wickersham’s ESPN story that portrayed how cornerback Richard Sherman’s strained relationship with the team is rooted in the Super Bowl XLIX loss, and that there is a perceived favoritism toward quarterback Russell Wilson. The article was denounced by defensive lineman Michael Bennett and center Justin Britte on Twitter, while Sherman himself told SiriusXM NFL Radio that it’s “nonsense.”
But when asked on “Brock and Salk” on Tuesday about the team’s reaction to the ESPN story, wide receiver Doug Baldwin said, “there wasn’t much, honestly,” and that it has been “pretty quiet.”
710 ESPN Seattle’s Mike Salk asked if there was any truth to the inference of resentment over the treatment given to Wilson. To that, Baldwin replied: “I don’t know. I mean, it’s an article. Honestly, I didn’t even read the entire article. I read parts of it. Didn’t’ really have time to read the whole thing. But, nah, I think (coach Pete Carroll) does a fantastic job of handling different individuals differently. We all have our different personalities; we all act different ways and Pete does a fantastic job of accommodating those personalities. He’s done it with me, he’s done it with, of course, Russ, with Sherm, with Marshawn (Lynch), with all of us, and he does a great job at it.”
Baldwin was asked specifically about an excerpt from the story that states that incoming free agents are “shocked at how savage” the locker room can be. To that Baldwin said: “I would say we have savages in that locker room. I don’t know if it’s a savage place. Our locker room is a very warm and inviting and welcoming place to be at. We’re a big family in there. I don’t know what he means by a savage environment. We get along, for the most part. But like anybody else, just like any family, you have your fights, you have your disputes, you have your disagreements but at the end of the day, we’re all fighting for the same thing.”
Other highlights from the conversation:
Thoughts on the rookie receivers: “All of our receivers, they stand out to me a lot because they don’t have that mentality of ‘I was drafted’ or ‘I made it to the NFL.’ They all have that work-ethic mentality that they’ve come in, they’re asking the right questions, they’re willing to learn. And they’re much more talented than you would think, so I’m excited for our group as a whole because we have a lot of talent at the position right now.”
On job security: “Honestly, it hasn’t really sunk in that like, ‘OK, I’m in the NFL and I can be confident that my job is secure’ because your job is never secure in the NFL. So I never have that complacency or that mindset that I’m OK, because it can change at any moment.”
On becoming a “savvy vet”: Baldwin said he watched film this offseason of veteran receivers such as Steve Smith, Brandon Stokley, Wes Welker and Randy Moss. “I’m trying to be a savvy vet, more of a savvy vet, than just an athletic receiver.” So, in other words, he’s learning to cheat? “A little bit,” Baldwin replied.
Is Carroll’s message still as resounding in Baldwin’s seventh season? “If I’m being honest, no. I’ve heard it for going on seven years now so I know what he’s gonna say when he says it, but it doesn’t get lost. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that it doesn’t have the same impact – it doesn’t have the same impact because I’ve heard it, but it doesn’t get lost. The first meeting that we have, he raises up the ball and he says, ‘It’s all about the ball. We’ve got to take care of the ball. We’ve got to steal it from the offense and take care of it when we have it on offense.’ Those things don’t change and that’s probably one of the things I love most about Pete is his consistency when it comes to his philosophy. And he’s not gonna waver on that. He has a solid foundation on the way he wants to run his program – his philosophy on defense, on offense, on special teams – and he sticks to that. He can be adaptable when it comes to the different personalities, but when it comes to his philosophy, it doesn’t change.”
