The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams have been longtime rivals in the NFC West, but last year it amped up to another level.
Three absolute classics between the two teams not only settled the division, but the conference and, to some, the Super Bowl title itself. Those games have led to some division between the two, both on and off the field. However, one player who won’t be partaking in off-the-field drama is Seahawks guard Grey Zabel.
The North Dakota native was on former NFL star Chris Long’s
podcast ‘Green Light’ and discussed his respect for the Rams, especially defensive lineman Kobie Turner.
“Turner is my kryptonite right now in the game of football, I don’t know what it is,” Zabel said. “It’s so cool, as much as you want to hate the Rams, they are all really good dudes across the board.”
While I have my doubts that even one in 100 Seahawks fans would use the phrase “really good dudes” to describe the Rams, Zabel’s comment came from a genuine place. Zabel said of Turner that he plays with an infectious attitude, where he’s always smiling. He added that type of player is the one he enjoys going up against most because they make the game fun.
Zabel said he spoke with Turner following the NFC Championship game to let him know about his mutual respect.
“Like Kobie, for instance, he’s out there, and he just smiles. He plays the game for the love of the game,” Zabel said. “It was a sad deal because he got a little banged up, and he couldn’t finish that NFC Championship game, so the moment after the game was done, I went over and talked [about] how awesome he was and what a great game he was and how fun it is competing against him.”
Later on in the podcast, Zabel did say that he hates the Rams, but couldn’t fully commit to the rivalry as he immediately followed it up by saying he loves that LA forces the Seahawks to play their best ball.
“You’re just sitting there trying to win every single rep. When they’re calling out plays, we can tell what they’re doing based on their defensive scheme,” Zabel said. “It’s fun football. That’s why you play the game, to play teams like that.”
The Seahawks will certainly need to play their best in Weeks 16 and 18 against the Rams after they acquired former Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Zabel said when he first heard about the trade, he checked to see if it came from a burner account, and once confirmed, said he welcomed the best competition.
“He’s probably the best defensive end ever, and I kind of want to see how good I am,” Zabel said. “He might embarrass me a few plays, awesome, been there, done that. So let’s go to war.”
