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Seattle Now: Here come the 12s

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The Seahawks are headed back to Lumen Field, and for the first time in a year in a half, so are the fans. We'll get a preview ahead of this weekend's preseason game against the Raiders from The Athletic's Michael Shawn Dugar.

PATRICIA MURPHY: Hey, good morning. It's Patricia Murphy. It's Thursday. This is Seattle Now.

Football is back and for the first time in over a year and a half, so are the 12s. We'll get a preview of the Seahawks season that gets going this weekend from the athletics Michael Shawn Dugar. But first, let's get you caught up.

A new analysis of June's three day heatwave suggests it was more deadly than we knew. State's official count for the week of June 26 is 95 heat related deaths, but a New York Times analysis of what are called excess deaths, the number reported beyond what officials would normally expect in a week found hundreds more. The Times says extreme heat may have claimed as many as 450 Washingtonians. Most deaths from extreme heat can be avoided with preparation so be sure to try and stay cool. Drink plenty of water and check on your neighbors while we ride out the weekend. There's a new legal challenge to a proposed charter amendment aimed at the city's homelessness policy. The compassion Seattle initiative would direct the city to build 2000 units of emergency housing. Then step up camp removals in parks and on sidewalks. But in a suit filed yesterday in King County Superior Court, the ACLU of Washington says the compassion Seattle measure goes too far for a voter measure and would be on unenforceable. The compassion Seattle campaign called the lawsuit a tactic to preserve the status quo brought by what it called a small group of activists.

And Jeopardy has two new hosts but none of them are Seattle's Ken Jennings. The local Jeopardy goat took it in stride though, tweeting that he's relieved the guest host carousel ride is over and it's still his favorite show. Instead, the job will be split between neuroscientists actress Mayim Bialik and current Jeopardy executive producer Mike Richards.

PATRICIA MURPHY: Maybe you saw that SODO had a bit more mojo last Sunday, thanks to about 15,000 decked out Seahawks fans. The hawks were back at Lumen Fields for a scrimmage with the 12s in the stands for the first time in more than a year and a half. The Seahawks start the preseason with an away game against the Raiders on Saturday. We've got Michael Shawn Dugar here to help us get ready for some football. He covers the Seahawks for the athletic, also co host of the Seahawks manda man podcast, Michael, Sean, good to talk to you. Michael Shawn Dugar Oh, thanks for having me. I appreciate it as always. Patricia Murphy Alright, so we both know most of what I bring to sports is enthusiasm. So the energy of a sporting event is big for me. Fans are back in the stands this year, but the team did well, last season. How did those empty stands impact players?

MICHAEL SHAWN DUGAR: Yeah, the empty stands was kind of a weird development last year. I know it took some getting used to. I've talked to a lot of the second year guys on the Seahawks this year. And they're like, just being at that mock game we were talking about from Sunday, they were like, whoa, that was only 15,000 people. So like, they now have to imagine I'm not gonna do the math, but like 1000s more I think 65 is what Lumen 68, maybe with some standing room only seats so like, those guys are excited in particular, because they've never felt the 12. Same thing with some of the guys who got traded here last year like Jamal Adams, Carlos Dunlap, who have never really played in this building, when the crowd is going crazy for them. So like those guys in particular really hype for that experience. I don't have to I'm not happy to see to the fans back.

PATRICIA MURPHY: I would imagine without fans it is it's a little like starting your day without coffee in the stands to help you out. Of course, we are still very much in a pandemic, Michael Shawn, how's it gonna go at Lumen Field? I know they're not going to require fans to be vaccinated to go in.

MICHAEL SHAWN DUGAR: Yeah, it's kind of like in terms of like interacting with the media and the players and the fans. It's almost like I'm a big movie guy. It's almost like that scene in the final Harry Potter when they're in the woods, and Hermione makes the like imaginary forcefield. So snatchers can't catch them. And this first time they encounter the snatchers, you can't see that there's something there and in the snatch has run up and boom, hit the wall. And it's like, oh, I created this forcefield. That's kind of how it is when it comes to interacting with the fans. Like, if you go to training camp, there's like a yellow line, the players can't cross they can't go give autographs or give hugs. They have to just sign a football and throw it. Same thing at Lumen Field. Usually you can go slap all the fans hands and sign autographs and you know, kissing babies, whatever you want to do. Now, you can't do any of that. There's a line that you can get right up to say Hi, Mom, or, hey, fans, stuff like that. There's just this barrier. Even when I'm at the facility, I'm vaccinated. I have to wear a mask. I can't be within six feet of Russell Wilson, right. I can't be within six feet of DK Metcalf. There's like this forcefield reminding us that we're not fully back to normal.

PATRICIA MURPHY: Yeah, they are requiring unvaccinated guests to be masked during the games. And you know, Seahawks were the only team that was COVID free last season, right?

Michael Shawn Dugar Yeah, that's correct. No positive tests among players or coaches. I think your only team in the league, they had some guys go on the COVID list. But those were like close contacts, which I imagine like family or something like that in town. But none of those players actually tested positive, which I mean, considering the rates last year and what happened with some other teams and their outbreaks. That's just remarkable.

PATRICIA MURPHY: I think that's fantastic. Michael Shawn Dugar It is incredible. I don't even know how they pulled that off. Because I mean, you got guys come it's not just the main guys on the team, you know, you got guys coming in. Like from the practice squad, they get signed from another team mid year because someone rolls an ankle or something like that, like they weren't there for the training camp speeches. And they're like, hey, let's lock in this year. They're just coming from like, New England like, hey, I need a job like for those guys even come in and have the discipline to follow orders. stetter button a hotel, lock in, wear their mask, make sure nobody from out of town was coming to visit them that wasn't you know, masked up or anything like that. I wasn't getting tested, though. It was just an all out effort. Top down. Like I was really impressed by Seattle last year.

PATRICIA MURPHY: Yeah, notable for sure. Notable, like I said, Michael, Shawn, I am here for the Hawks, because they're our team. But are they gonna be any good? Michael Shawn Dugar Yeah, I think so. I mean, the Seahawks are an interesting team this year, because their problems were I mean, they had problems on the field. But it was more of what was going on behind the scenes. And that's, that's hard to see even for like, if you know all the X's and O's of football, you know, all the players and their birthdays and their, you know, what year they're born and all that stuff, you still can't really see what's if there's friction behind the scenes, or if things are going well, behind the scenes. And it was a little of both last year. And when things are going poorly behind the scenes that reflected the unfilled product. But we couldn't tell why. You know, even when the defense sucked for like the first eight weeks, we just really couldn't we knew it did, right? We had all the numbers in the film. We just didn't know why. Right. And that was more of a personnel thing within when the office started to stink in the second half of the season. We didn't know why. So we had to go do some digging. So while I can watch practice and say, Oh, this looks great. You know, this looks fine. Everyone loves each other. You know, the thing about football and August is everyone loves each other. The chemistry is great everywhere. Everyone's in the best shape of their life. It's just like cliche.

PATRICIA MURPHY: The new school year.

MICHAEL SHAWN DUGAR: Yeah, you know, everyone's best friends, we love each other Kumbaya, like we're gonna just be best friends all year and like, things are gonna go. But it's very much the honeymoon phase of a relationship here. But as Seattle learned last year, the honeymoon phase fades. And it does, you got to be able to handle that too. So they'll probably start the year great on both sides of the ball, but I will be paying close attention to how they deal with the honeymoon phase ending. You know, there's just so many things that happen outside of what we see on Sundays, that influences the on field product. So as long as if everything's fine behind the scenes of Seattle, there'll be a team that can compete to play in February which would be the Super Bowl. If not, they could be a team that like no one has any plans after like New Year's because the seasons over.

PATRICIA MURPHY: Alright. Football is back Seahawks play their first preseason game against the Raiders Saturday. Do we usually learn much from these games? You said it's kind of the honeymoon period? The stars don't play much. What are you looking for?

MICHAEL SHAWN DUGAR: Um, yeah, I'm actually looking for stars. I just want everybody to come out of there healthy. I mean, that's, that's the biggest deal when you have to find superstars on your team. Like, you have to balance the like, okay, what's worse, a rusty Russell Wilson because he hasn't played all preseason? Or is it better to throw him out there and potentially have him get hurt, but if he doesn't, then he's in tip top shape. You know, he's all well conditioned and everything that cost benefit analysis is what teams like Seattle have to deal with, or what the Buccaneers you know, have to deal with with Tom Brady of the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers and teams to have superstars because there's a cost benefit. So the first thing is like, Alright, if Russell Wilson comes out, runs out on the field, hopefully he runs out under his own power. That's like start number start number one. And I mean, honestly, I just wanna see some cats hit some other people, man. I haven't seen that, like football. Football is a little barbaric in that way, but it's like it is what you know, make the sport the sport, right? Otherwise, it'd be like, you know, rugby or some of these other like, non contact, like not super violent sport. So I am looking forward to that because that if you don't have the tackle into the ground, and you don't have football, every coach will you teach like once they put pads on then it feels like football. Once they start hitting, then it feels like football. So I've really wanted to see some people hit some other people, it won't matter who wins or anything like that. I think the year Seattle won the Super Bowl, they went like 0-4 in the preseason or something like that. Or maybe it was the other way around. But either way, the results don't matter. It's really just about hitting some folks. seeing some of the young guys get out there and feel what it's like to play in an NFL game in front of fans. I think Vegas is gonna be packed. Because this is the first time they get fans in their stadium. Allegiant Stadium thing is called. Yeah, so the pageantry of it will be cool. Hoping everybody gets out of their health. It will be cool. And then yeah, just you know, folks hitting each other will be cool.

PATRICIA MURPHY: Yeah, well, the only other thing I bring to this besides enthusiasm is a love of junk food. So stadium food, will be back too.

MICHAEL SHAWN DUGAR: Yeah, I'm like quietly I honestly I'm like just every stadium I go to this year, just like hit the concourse and find the coolest thing. I'm with you. I am a big fan of all that only thing I haven't tried is the crickets that the exhibit the Mariners game? Oh, yeah. I'm just not at the place in my life where I'm eating bugs. You know, it's just not maybe I'll get there one day but currently I am.

PATRICIA MURPHY: Michael Shawn Dugar covers the Seahawks for the Athletic. Thank you so much for briefing us.

MICHAEL SHAWN DUGAR: Oh, thank you for having me anytime.

PATRICIA MURPHY: Thanks for listening. Are you following us on Instagram yet? Hang out with us @seattlenowpod.

Jason Pagano produced today's show. Our production team is Caroline Chamberlain Gomez, Matt Martin, Diana Opong, Jennie Cecile Moore, and Claire McGrane.

Matt Jorgensen does our theme music. I'm Patricia Murphy. See you tomorrow.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai


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