The Seahawks finished their second day of practice thursday afternoon with the continued focus of stopping a highly combustible Ravens offense that is lead quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram.
The Ravens have the top ranked offense because of their lettha ground game is also number 1 in the league. That being said the Ravens 14th ranked passing game is not be slept on. While Jackson rivals any quarterback with his feet the Ravens offense is No.4 in passing touchdowns. Third year cornerback Shaquill is playing his best football and spoke to the media after practice Thursday afternoon.
(On how he’s feeling)
“I feel pretty good, feeling comfortable, I’m feeling confident, having fun. I feel like that’s the main thing. I see myself dancing a lot more on the field so, that’s always a good sign. I’m enjoying it. Especially when my teammates are out there making plays, that’s the best feeling ever. I’m in a good place, my mindset is in a good space so I’m feeling pretty good.”
(On Tedric Thompson giving him the ball after the interception)
“He didn’t let me keep it, he let me hold it. But, he was just showing love to the fact that we got to make a play together. That’s something that we talked about when we first got here, games like that. To be able to tip the ball up to him and see him take it was the best feeling ever. He gave me the ball to let me get a feel for it because we made that play together. I’m definitely glad it was him.”
(On if there is any greater feeling than getting an interception for a defense)
“That’s the best feeling ever. When you get any type of turnover- it doesn’t matter who it is, if it’s Ziggy [Ansah] punching the ball out – it’s a great feeling for your defense to get any type of turnover, it’s just the excitement. I think we’re at a point now where we’ve got to start coming up with some celebrations. I think we’re falling behind on that so I think we’re going to start practicing. I know the receivers have been doing that for the longest now, and I think it’s time for us to pick up on that trait.”
(On how it feels to be playing at a high level after setting high standards for himself for this season)
“It’s even better. Those are the type of things that I want to bring along in the rest of my career, just having that type of mindset. Like I said before, I feel like my last couple of years was about how many stats I had, or what I could get. Instead of keeping my focus on ‘What can I do for this team, or how can I help this team win?’
Even if it was in practice, making the guy across from me better, or just doing what I need to do right for my play to make sure everything goes correctly. That’s the type of mindset that I brought in this year. I’ve been having more fun seeing guys make plays. Not just myself, seeing Tre Flowers having the first pick of his career, things like that motivate me even more. I’m having fun seeing those guys make plays. That just comes from not thinking of myself, being selfless, and watching guys do great.”
(On what the caused his mindset to shift)
“Kind of just thinking to myself: ‘What have I been doing wrong, what have I been doing differently, how can I change that?’ I feel like I was being selfish in a way. I’ve never been that type of guy, nowhere in my life have I ever been selfish. I feel like thinking the way I was thinking last year was kind of selfish.
I feel like I had to change the way I was thinking for myself. Not just helping me become a better player, but a better person, a better man. That’s the type of mindset I was thinking in the offseason. I brought it into this season. Putting others before myself. That’s the type of mindset I came in with.”
(On what he learned from Earl Thomas when he was here)
“How to be a pro. One of my teammates asked me the other day what were some things I took from Earl; was it things that he said on the field, or things that he did off the field and I got a little bit of both. He was a guy who I would go watch film with. Seeing how to watch film, what he’s looking for, what tendencies, just how to do it the right way. He led by example.
I used to watch him on the field – how serious he took walk throughs. Everything was a game rep to him, every rep. It didn’t matter if we were just walking through it, or if we were on an actual practice field running around. Everything was a game situation for him. Being able to see that type of person – how to be a vet, how to be a pro like Earl Thomas was something that I picked up on. It shows how important this game is to him. I wanted to have that type of passion, and have that type of feel for the game; to be able to treat everything like it’s my last rep. That’s what I learned from Earl.”
(On the intensity of Earl Thomas)
“He can be pretty intense, but it’s in a good way. He’ll just show you how to ‘lock in’ when you need to. I remember when I first got here, the first thing he said was, ‘Ask me any question you need to, any thing you need ask me now.’ It was during the offseason, he said, ‘Once the season starts, I’m locked in all the way. So, if I’m ever to myself, and I’m trying to figure something out, just know I’m locked in and trying to get everything ready for the game. Don’t take it personal.’
So, I asked as many questions as I could in the offseason. Then, when the season actually started you could see it, he was a totally different person. That’s the part that could get intense but, it was just about how you did it. If you want to be the best in the world, you have to take those measures and those steps, and he showed me that.”
(On if he was unapproachable) “No, not at all. But, he’s not a guy that would approach you first. If you have a question, you can’t be shy and think, ‘I’m not going to mess with him.’
You just have to go up to him and do it. That’s something about him, he never shied away from answering a question from anyone, no matter who it was. You just had to come up and ask, you can’t be shy when it comes to that. He would give you anything you needed to know, you just had to come up and say something to him.”
(On if he ever wondered why Earl Thomas was so fired up for walk through practices) “I never really knew, I just felt like he was really passionate about the game. When I saw that, it just showed the love for it. That’s a guy that loves football. Anybody that knows Earl knows he loves football. That’s the reasons he was so fired up, even if it was just walk throughs.
No matter what it was he would just show his passion, no matter what we we’re doing. If it had something to do with football, he showed his passion and love for it. That’s all he showed.”
(On facing a quarterback that throws and runs as much as Lamar Jackson)
“A guy like that who can extend plays, make plays, and use the feet the way he does, you’ve got to put him in a sport he’s not used to. Keep him in a box, keep him in a circle so he cant run outside and extend plays. In the back end, we’re going to win our one-on-one battles. We’re going to take on receivers, you’ve just got to win your battles that’s it.
I feel like our front seven is going to do what exactly what they’ve always been doing; keeping the quarterback contained, putting pressure on them, and have Lamar Jackson make those tough decisions. We’re going to put the game on him – have him read coverage and make some decisions that he’s not used to making.”
(On what it’s like to have Jarran Reed back) “It’s a good feeling to finally have him back. I know he’s excited, we’re excited for him. We’re ready to see what he’s been doing, I know he’s been working hard, I know he’s ready for it. We’re just glad to have him back, I know he’s going to make a huge impact for this defense and that’s exactly what we need.”
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