With their first pick in
the 2004 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Marcus Tubbs (6’-3”,
324), a defensive tackle from the University of Texas, and the team was able
to fill a need with a player they wanted.
“Marcus Tubbs is a
big, strong, athletic defensive tackle that we liked very much,” Mike
Holmgren said of the coveted defensive lineman. “The best player filled
the need so we got the best of both worlds. He is a big powerful man who can
stop the run.”
So if Tubbs was the player
they needed and wanted, why did the Seahawks wait until 23 seconds were left
on their allotted time to draft him?
“We were waiting for
calls. We had Marcus on the phone at eight minutes and you have to do due diligence
to see if anyone comes with anything crazy,” Holmgren said. “We
did get some calls but we said no thanks to their offers.”
When asked if there was
any reservation in the Seahawks draft room regarding Tubbs, General Manager,
Bob Ferguson, answered with an emphatic no.
“There was no hesitation’,
Ferguson said. “There were other players we would have been happy to pick
but we choose not to do so. There were a lot of people after our pick, which
surprised me because it was such a late pick in the round. We had gone through
the scenarios with the coaches, scouts and ownership with a number of players.
We had our own mind on what we were gonna do.”
The Seahawks draft day team
felt confident in their preparation leading up to the draft.
“The scouts do a great
job of canvassing the country and understanding the player’s character
and makeup, their football ability and how it fits within the organization,”
Vice President of Football Operations Ted Thompson said. “It’s like
any business. You’ve got to organize your data and make sure all things
are in the right place.”
Holmgren was confident in
the board that was created by Ted Thompson and his staff. And when it came time
to make their selection, the player they wanted all along was there at #23,
right on cue.
“I have tremendous
trust in the board,” Holmgren said. “You know it’s gonna work,
you never know the exact player you are gonna get. You know you are going to
get one of the players you covet. When you get one of the players you covet
then that’s when it’s exciting.”
And with that, the Seahawks
Draft day team walked away with seven players they hope will make an impact
in 2004.
MARCUS TUBBS INTERVIEW
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Marcus Tubbs with the 23rd pick in
this year's draft.
The 6'3", 324-pound efensive tackle from the University of Texas is ready
for the challenge the National Football League brings.
Q: You
played with some good defensive tackles there. What did you learn from them?
Marcus: "When I played with KC Embers and Shaun Rogers,
they taught me a lot of things having to do with my technique and pass rush,
and just about the tenacity for the game, and every play, running all over the
field. Most of all, they taught me just to enjoy the game."
Q: Have you ever been to Seattle?
Marcus: "Never. I’ve heard it rains a lot and that’s
about it. It’s not really cold, and not really hot."
Q: What kind of expectations come with being the first
round pick?
Marcus: "A lot of people want me to come in and be an
instant starter, and come in and be some spectacular player. I want people to
realize that I am human too, and I’m going to come in and give the best
of my ability, but on the same end, I am playing against people that have been
in the league fifteen years. So I just want people to have realistic views and
understand that I’m going to give it my all on every play that I am out
on the field. To just be there for me, and to be behind me, and support me."
Q: You’re supposed to be a rock in the middle. How
hard is it to move you?
Marcus: "I’m a big guy, and I take pride in lifting
weights and being in the weight room, so I think that all combined with being
a powerful person. I am really, really hard to move."
Q: What do you know about Ray Rhodes?
Marcus: "I really don’t know much about him. I see
him on the sideline and in the press box while watching the game. I think he’s
a very passionate person about what he does, and he’s a really football
coach and intelligent, so I’m just looking forward to being around a person
like that, who can share his knowledge with me and make me a better player."
Q: What
is your work ethic like?
Marcus: "I like to work hard. I was around Casey Hampton
for two years, and he’s a workaholic, and being around him, he instilled
that in me. After he left, I saw myself passing the torch down to the younger
guys."
Q: Did you ever watch John Randle, and did you look up
to him?
Marcus: "I watched John Randle some. I think more of Warren Sapp than anybody."
Q: Who do you compare yourself to?
Marcus: "I like Sapp, honestly. He is so full of energy.
He might not have made every play, but he helped somebody else make the play.
When somebody else made a play, he had the same enthusiasm for them, as he would
have for himself, had he made the play. That really drew me in to him."
Q: You sound like a very nice gentleman. Are you nasty
enough to play defensive lineman?
Marcus: "I definitely think I'm nasty, and I have a passion
for the game that makes me want to be nasty. People are entitled to say that,
but that’s just their opinion."
Q: What’s the nastiest thing you ever did on a football
field?
Marcus: "If I remember, I think it was the Nebraska game,
and during a pass rush move, someone just clocked my helmet off. That’s
not going to stop me, and I was still out there, and I take the quarterback
down, and I get him down without a helmet. The offensive lineman is still trying
to mash me, but that’s just a part of the football game. That was some
good stuff."