Steve Largent, Pro Football Hall of Famer

We continue, this is Zach Gelb Show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. Now joining us is the Pro Football Hall of Famer, Seahawks royalty. And Steve Largent here with us on behalf of He Gets Us. Steve, great to see you, how are you?

Thank you, I'm doing very well. So this past year for the Seahawks, it was awesome. Just as a football fan, to see a team that was counted out, you don't have a quarterback, Russell Wilson's not there, 4-5 wins max, to be in the playoffs was just unbelievable. They didn't have any idea that they were going to make the playoffs this year, and they still played in a very competitive division, and they did it. So a lot of credit goes to the head coach, I think. I think he did an outstanding job this year, maybe more so than ever before.

And sometimes we try to write a Hollywood script in sports, and it's like rally around someone. But I really felt like that team rallied around the coach, because everyone was saying Russell Wilson's great, Russell Wilson's great, what is Pete Carroll doing basically running him out of town? And I think those players, Pete being a player coach, really said we're going to go win some extra games this year for the ball coach.

Yeah, I think so. I like Russell Wilson, I think he's a good quarterback, I think he's a great leader. But he just started making some demands, you learn, after the fact, that the Seahawks weren't able to satisfy him. He wanted to be in the room when they were making draft choices so he could give his input on who they draft, and things like that. That's just going too far. And having his own quarterback coach and having his own weightlifting coach or whatever was too much for the Seahawks, and it had to end.

And it did. So I wish him all the luck in the world and hope he does well in the next year. And I think I'm sure he'll do better than he did this year. But it was too much, and the Seahawks are moving on, and I think they're built for the future. They've got two good offensive linemen tackles that are going to be great next year, I think. And so we'll see. DK and that Lockett fella also pretty damn good too.

Yeah, they're pretty good. What stands out to you the most about DK Metcalfe? His size. He's just a big man. And the thing is that he is a man on the field. What I mean by that is he's not intimidated by any defensive player that he plays against, whether it's a defensive lineman or a cornerback. He's not afraid to stand up to him. And I really respect him for that.

But he's a tough guy. He drops a lot of balls, but I think he's improving that. And I think he'll do better in the years to come. Where's your belief level in Geno?

Because here's what I struggle with. Geno didn't do much for almost a decade. Then he has this monster historical season with completion percentage. And I'm just like, how genuine is this? Is this just a one-year wonder or is this going to be the next three, four years of Geno Smith? I don't know. I wish I could tell you. Because I think I was skeptical as well because of his first eight or nine or ten years, like you said.

And I don't know. I guess we'll see next year. When you look at the Seahawks moving forward into this upcoming season, does complacency at all start to settle in, you think? Or is that not really a fear because this team was still counted out along the way?

Well, I don't think anybody expected the Seahawks to be in the playoffs this year at all with Geno, with two new offensive tackles. And so I think they outdid themselves this year. But I think at the same time, they saw some areas that they could improve.

And they will. And I think they'll be better next year than they were this year. When you look back at your Hall of Fame career, what's the thing that you're most proud about when you look back at what you accomplished in the NFL? Well, the thing I'm most proud of is just the leadership that I provided for the team as a team captain and just telling guys about how you play in this league and how you stay in this league. And I think that that leadership component was very important to me. And so I think I'm proud of the leadership that I gave to the team. But if there's one play that you would say, what's the play you're most proud of, Steve? It would be the tackle that I made on Mike Harden after he had hit me in Denver.

I got him back in Seattle. And it's on YouTube. Check that out. That's my play. For you, the Man of the Year, I know the goals are win a Super Bowl, go to the Hall of Fame, make a ton of money. That Man of the Year award, all these years later, Celeste, it means a lot to you. Yeah, it does.

It really does. Because to me, it's not just about what you did on the field. It's what you did off the field as well. And that that, you know, that that means the most to me that, you know, people could count on me to be a good player as a football player, but they could also count on me to be a good participant in the community.

And I think that's important for players. I was supposed to actually go to a game of Lofa to Topu in Seattle in 2020. And then because of Covid, it is where you weren't letting fans in and all that.

So it didn't happen. But that environment still to this day, I only get to see it on TV. And it's like, OK, you think the Seahawks fans, you think Eagles fans, you think Bills fans, Packers fans too.

You go to games, obviously, all the time now. Still, that environment's really something. Yeah, it is. And, you know, I always say it's more like a college environment than it is a professional environment.

You're exactly right. I think that the fans there are really great about supporting their team, but they don't denigrate the other team. They don't try to cuss the team out or that kind of stuff like you see in a lot of cities.

So I think Seattle is very unique in a lot of ways. And their fan base is no different. This game coming up on Sunday, where are you leaning towards? You know, I'm leaning towards my old school football knowledge leans towards Philadelphia, who has, I think, a great offensive line and a great defensive line. And I've always thought that you start building a winning team by your offensive and defensive line. But if Patrick Mahones catches fire and his ankle's not an issue, he could give him a very long day. That's the thing.

I go through this analysis. I'm like one through 53 on the roster. Pro football famer Steve Largent here with us. I go, the Eagles have a better roster. But then you always think there's Mahomes and then there's Kelsey. It's similar to how for years you would look at the Patriots roster.

You know the Patriots have a good roster, but it's Brady and Gronkowski. Yeah, yeah. That's right.

I think that's the way you add it up with Kansas City as well. So tell us about he gets us. Well, he gets us as a campaign.

This is unique in the game of football, I think. In that they have allowed us, they have allowed he gets us to run two commercials during the Super Bowl that talk about Jesus. And it's not preaching to people. It's not trying to browbeat him or anything like that.

It's just talking about Jesus and his incomparable love for you and compassion for people. And it's just really a cool campaign that I got behind and am talking about today. Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent once again on behalf of he gets us. The hashtag is he gets us.

Very easy to find on all social media. Thanks so much. Thank you. Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. The biggest game of the year. The Super Bowl is on Odyssey.

And Westwood one brings it to you streaming live for free Sunday, February 12th on the Odyssey app. The Eagles have been the NFC best team. It's the Eagles versus the Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl. Catch all the action from Westwood one, your Super Bowl, your Odyssey.

Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. And Matt talks with Matt Hardy. There's nothing like a wrestling fan, you know, for better or for worse. How do you handle that? We're talking about people talking about your family, what they don't know about your family or your brother or you. How does one handle that from a day to day basis? Something I joke about with the young bucks all the time. I said, if you would vanity search Matt Hardy on Twitter, I said, after you got through 100 plows, you want to quit the business and never, never be seen again. It's just you just learn to deal with it. You know what I mean?