Good afternoon, 12s.
Here's a look at what's 'out there' for today – Friday, January 29 – about your Seattle Seahawks.
Jamal Adams, "The Cool Safety"
Bill Simmons, founder of sports and pop culture media outlet The Ringer, hosted Jamal Adams for his self-titled podcast on Thursday. Simmons didn't hide his praise for the three-time Pro Bowler, saying Adams has "inherited this unofficial title, it's like a championship belt, of "The Cool Safety."
The title led to comparisons with former "Cool Safeties", which included the likes of Ronnie Lott, Ed Reed, and Earl Thomas III. When asked about his role models in the league, Adams rattled off greats on both sides of the ball. "Guys that stick out in my mind are Brian Dawkins, Troy Polamalu, Bob Sanders, Sean Taylor, Ryan Clark, I mean the list goes on and on. Then you go to offense, Willis McGahee, Jerry Rice, Peyton Manning, all of the greats that are doing the right things just to be great. That's what I was so inspired by."
In the summer of 2020, right around the same time the Seahawks were working on a trade to acquire Jamal Adams, Simmons was working with head coach Pete Carroll and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr on a limited podcast series called Flying Coach. Through that, he experienced first-hand that Carroll is a "shockingly inspirational guy" and wondered how quickly Adams felt that.
"From day one. We have this little area [at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center] where it's like two chairs out by the field and you're facing the water. Beautiful. Quiet. Peaceful. I'll never forget, [Pete Carroll] brought me over there when I first got there and he said, 'What do you want to prove? What do you want to get out of this trade? What are you setting yourself up for?' I just remember telling him, 'I just want to be the greatest to do. I just want to get all this, get all that, and win a Super Bowl.' But he stopped me and he was like, 'Hey, you don't have to do anything special but just be you. You don't have to change anything. I want you to come here and be Jamal Adams, be the best version of Jamal Adams. Whatever you want to do, on and off the field, for your future, whatever--do it to the best of your ability and just be a true pro at it.'... When he sat me down and told me that, it just really opened my eyes and took a burden off my back because I always was like, "I'm going to put it on my shoulders, I'm going to put it on my shoulders, I'm strong, I'm strong." Nah, it's not about that. When he told me that, I knew from that connection, that day, it was going to be special. To this day, that's my guy, man. I'll run through a brick wall for him."
In addition to being "The Cool Safety", Simmons also admits that Adams is "a really fun guy to play Madden with." Fans can watch Adams play this Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Pro Bowl: The Madden 21 Edition Presented by Verizon, a virtual version of the Pro Bowl. He will play alongside former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, and NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. The event will be streamed on NFL's YouTube, Twitter and Facebook channels, as well as EA Madden NFL's Twitch.
You can listen to the full episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
NFC West Champions In Madden, Too
Daniel Mycroft, better known by his gamer tag Dcroft, represented the Seahawks in the 2021 Madden Club Championship on Thursday. The Mukilteo resident claimed the NFC West Championship with a 16-10 win over Nikoma "Freethepenguins" Gugerty who was representing the Arizona Cardinals. Now a top 8 finalist, Dcroft moves on to play Jacob "Fancy" Worthington and the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Semi-Final on Thursday February 4th.
Learn more about the 2021 Madden Club Championship, which features 32 competitors and a total prize pool of $750,000.
Social Post Of The Day
Punter Michael Dickson, coming off two NFC Special Teams Player of the Week awards and a league-leading 32 punts downed inside the 20 in his third season, shared a tropical vacation photo with his girlfriend, Gianni, who he met at the University of Texas.
More From Around The Web
Sports Illustrated's Seahawk Maven takes a deep dive into the rise of Poona Ford.
K.J. Wright joined Michelle Ludtka and former Seattle SuperSonic Detlef Schrempf for Q13 FOX's Just A Bit Outside to discuss the Super Bowl LV matchup.
Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic explores this year's offensive free agents and their potential futures.
In case you missed it, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks are launching Russell Wilson NFL FLAG Football League for Seattle-area boys and girls aged 4-14.
