Q. Russ, let's start at the end. In practice, the fights you've been around a long time --
RUSSELL WILSON: What fight? What are you talking about?
Q. Yeah, those aren't usually -- those are (indiscernible). What do you think of that?
RUSSELL WILSON: I think it's a competitive part of practice. I think we're all trying to compete and be the best version of us and everything else. A lot of times we have a long practice like the way we did and the way we're working, things happen. Every great team I've been on, there's been a couple of those.
But our guys are all so connected. That sometimes happens. But nothing to worry about.
Q. (Indiscernible) the draft?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, I think so, I think since the draft, yeah.
Q. So what was your reaction to them (indiscernible) and getting Jaxson?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, Jaxson's been great, man. He's a great worker, great teammate. We're having fun, all of us.
We have a really good quarterback room. Guys are so focused and working diligently every day. He's going to be an extremely, extremely good talent and everything else throughout his career.
Q. Does it change anything for you, having a first-round pick in the room with you?
RUSSELL WILSON: No, it doesn't change anything at all. I think the biggest thing is for me is just being my best every day, leading. I always think about just leading everybody, just leading every room, every moment, every time I get to step between the white lines and the opportunity of that.
We had a great dinner the other night, all the guys, all the O-line and quarterbacks and running backs together. We just had a good time, just tons of laughs and a good time together.
So just I think the fellowship of it all is the best part right now. Obviously, our work ethic and what we're doing in the field. But when it comes to just the tight-knit culture that we're continuing to build and continue to grow, and we want to have a championship football team, and in terms of our mentality and our approach and how we go about it.
And it's not just the games, but it's everything that leads up to that. And that's the fun part about the game of football.
Q. (Indiscernible) say, okay, part of my role now is to be a mentor, or, hey, I just go back to my business and it happens naturally. How do you sort of view that?
RUSSELL WILSON: I've always viewed it as you're always trying to be the best version of you, and then you're always giving back to everybody else. I think that it's not just about one teammate, it's about all the teammates. It's about everybody in the building.
It's about from all the way to the quarterback room, to the receivers, to the running backs, to the tight ends, to the O-line, and the relationship there, all the way to the defensive line, to the corners, and all the way to the training room.
Just my relationship with Bobby, my relationship with Tim, running the equipment, all the way to the staff and everybody who's helping us, all that part is everybody. And I think those are the relationships to -- obviously, Coach Wellman and what he's doing, and Coach Wilson too, and how they're leading us in the weight room.
So it's like, to me, it's all inclusive, and that's always the approach.
Q. Russ, can you give us a little insight into how the quarterback room works as far as who's taking charge? Is it a group collaboration? How does it work?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, we always communicate. I think that the best quarterback rooms I've ever been in, they're always super interactive. Our meetings are interactive. Coach Dabs does a great job with interaction. I think Kafka does a great job of interaction, Coach Shea. All of our coaches do a tremendous job of communicating.
And so I think that we have really, really good teachers of the game. That's been a really fun part, and I've had a lot of fun coming in here and just being a part of that, and then leading in every way. My role and my responsibility, obviously, to help our football team win, but also, too, to lead in every way.
And I've been fortunate to be able to see a lot of football and communicate all that and understand it all. And so we're always constantly growing, always constantly sharing and collaborating and thinking and processing.
Q. You mentioned that you're always learning. What have you learned, being -- you would think you'd seen it all, done it all now. But what have you learned so far?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, there's a lot of things I still want to accomplish. And so every day, I'm just constantly focused on that part of it. I think that, for me, every time I step between the white lines, I want to be my best every day, and understand that you're just constantly growing. There's constantly things to learn and everything else.
So I think the cool part here is just the fellowship with the guys, just knowing what JMS is like, knowing what Runs is like, knowing Theo and Wan'Dale, knowing what Nabs is like and just being next to him in the locker room, and just different guys. I think all of that is important. I think Jalin Hyatt, he's a guy that I really believe in.
And so there's a lot of guys I believe in. All these guys have been working their tails off. We spend a lot of time, me and Belly, and I've been with Dulcich before, and knowing him, but now his life's grown, and everything else.
And so I think all those relationships are significant, and I think that's the part I'm constantly learning, too, as well.
Q. Russ, when it comes to Jaxson, are you taking the approach with him where you're explaining why you're doing it, what you're doing, and all that stuff, or do you wait for him to ask the questions, and then you'll answer?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, I always share, and I always think about communication. I'm a big believer in communicating out loud, just here's what I'm thinking, here's what I'm saying. You don't hold any information.
I think that for us, it's always about us being the best that we can all be. And I think for me, when you have tremendous confidence in yourself, you have no problem sharing it with others. I think that's just how I've always believed.
Q. Speaking of that mentorship role, you were a mentor, obviously, back in Pittsburgh for Fields, and now you're going to be a mentor for Jaxson Dart. Just that transition in the quarterback room, how's that been?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, I think that it's not just the guys in your quarterback room, hopefully it's across the league, different guys you've been able to communicate with, but especially the guys in your room. I think Fields is a guy that I have a great relationship with, a guy that I believe in, in every way. We spent a lot of time together last year, and then we've talked a lot in the past.
Jaxson and I are obviously getting to know each other, and Jameis I've known forever. Tommy, I have a lot of respect for Tommy and how hard he's worked every day. That doesn't go unseen.
And so it's just all of us, man. It's not just one guy or one player or just me or anything else. It's all of us together.
Q. What are your early impressions of Coach Kafka?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, Coach Kafka is super sharp, man. He's a guy that's played in the league. That's the first thing.
Anytime you get a quarterback that's played in the National Football League, that's significant. It's the amount of information that quarterbacks learn and understand, how they see the game. You're really talking to a guy that's been on the football field and played, been in different organizations, won before, and everything else.
And so that's been a lot of fun, just talking to him, how he sees the game, how we see the game together, me and him. And Dabs, too, as well. So that's been really cool.
Q. You're a veteran. You played against this defense last year. You've been playing against kind of a regrouped, re-personneled group of defense this year. Do you see a big difference between --
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, I thought that, first of all, I think last year that defense was flying around up front, was obviously having Dexy up there, rushing the passers. He's a monster, man.
I think, obviously, Brian Burns is, in my opinion, one of the top defensive ends in the game. His ability to get to the quarterback, his ability to cause havoc. It's anytime you're game-planning against a team, and it's like you have these game-altering players, and he's one of them for sure.
Dex as well. And Thibs, I think he's had an unbelievable camp so far, just how he's gone about his approach. He's here early, he's here late, his thought process. And he's just a tremendous football talent as well.
I mean, in addition, obviously, Abdul rushing the passer too. He gets to learn from guys like Burns and guys like Thib and all those guys, as well, about their process. And he's already got a great one already.
I think from a secondary standpoint, just the additions of Adebo, and then also, too, Holland, and all that. Those guys, there freak of nature's back there, man, just how they make plays. I think Adebo is one of the best out there on the outside, his ability to make plays. Been able to watch him from a distance too. Had a lot of respect for him. He's very patient and calm out there. That's always a thing that you want at cornerback, his ability to see things in process.
And so I think with our linebackers, too, obviously, Big Bobby O, he's one of the best in the game, how he flies around. And so I think we got a really, really talented defense. And hopefully they can get us the ball, give a short field, make a lot of -- score a lot of points, hopefully. But I think the best thing that they do is obviously cause havoc.
Q. What's your process for establishing chemistry with receivers you haven't worked with before?
RUSSELL WILSON: I think anytime that -- I always say that playing quarterback is throwing the ball so they can catch it. It's like, when you think about it, I've always thought about this, even when I was young and went to the combine, for example, guys can get in their head about not throwing to certain guys, or whatever it may be, because I haven't thrown to this guy before, or whatever. And I'd just be like that's our job. Throw it to them so they can catch it.
So to me it's always like I think the work ethic of our guys is what sets the tone. And I think Coach Groh does a great job in that room, just the work ethic of our receivers, their diligence.
The time we spent in the offseason has paid off. The time that they've worked in their walkthroughs, all the way to how they've approached that to, obviously, our approach in practice.
And the speed that they play with. You saw Slayton catch that bomb today, I threw to him, and just his ability to make plays down the field.
Jalin, I'm really excited about him and what he's done so far. Obviously, Wan'Dale, his ability. Nabers is, obviously, one of the best in the game, if not the best in the game, what he does.
And so just we got a lot of guys. And so I think I've also been really impressed with our backs. I think that we have some really, really talented backs that can really catch the ball, but also obviously run it. But their ability to make plays in the passing game is significant as well.
Q. You're a veteran in this league, right? You know kind of how the business works. You were once a draft pick, right? You came in, you wanted the job, you won the job. How much pressure do you view it as putting on you to have success here early, knowing that they drafted a first-round quarterback?
RUSSELL WILSON: I just think about having success today. It's always been my approach. Every day is like I'm trying to be the best in the world. I just -- I think that for me, mentally, you have confidence in yourself. You have confidence in what you do, your process. I constantly stay the course and understand that if I'm the best me, I know how great that is.
And so, for me, I always just stay within. I don't really think about outside. And I know you guys have a great day job to do and everything else. But for me, it's like that would be a fine in the team meeting room. I'm just kidding. But, no, just for me, I just stay focused on the process of it all.
Q. When you talk the process, when you talk to guys in this league, from when they're rookies to when they're in your stage of the game, guys have their different mentalities of how, okay, now is when the pedal goes down to the ground and we got to push, and there are some guys who want to take it day by day. Has that process changed for you at all in terms of getting ready for the season and it's only June? I mean, there are some guys who say, Wake me up in August, that kind of thing. But for you, why is it important?
RUSSELL WILSON: I think it's important. I think your question in terms of -- if I'm understanding your question right, the process of right now, the OTAs, I've always believed in that because of the chemistry and the belief and the love of the game.
To me, if you love the game, you're always about it, it doesn't matter. We all know that every day you step between the white lines, it's a gift. I believe that God's given us an amazing blessing to play this game.
And so I've always taken the approach of never missing practice, always being there. I think I've only missed one practice before in my life and that's because of a funeral. I think it's just because, I think at the end of the day, for me, it's about the approach to it.
And so I think the big part of it is just the dedication to your teammates and what you want to do. And it's all about us doing it together. That's the fun part about it. I think to be able to play with the guys that we have and the belief that we have to create now and the belief that we have to do it.
But it's not just hoping and wishing, it's actually doing it. And I think that's the part that we have to work on daily. And so that's the part of being a champion and wanting to win and wanting to win at all costs and knowing that it's about us and it's not about just one person.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports