Since linebacker Kirk Morrison entered the league as a third-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2005, he’s never recorded fewer than 116 tackles. Last year, he finished the 2009 season tied for sixth in the NFL with 133 take downs, all while forcing three fumbles and recording two sacks despite playing most of the year with a dislocated elbow.
In April, the Raiders selected Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain with the eighth overall pick and Morrison knew his future in Oakland had come to an end. Shortly after McClain’s name was announced, Morrison was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fifth round pick.
The trade offered a new beginning for Morrison, who in five seasons with the Raiders had never came close to playing in the postseason. While speaking to us from his new digs in Jacksonville, Morrison expressed his excitement about his new surroundings, teammates and head coach Jack Del Rio. He also gave us insight on how to defend guys like Peyton Manning and Chris Johnson (two of his new divisional opponents) and what players and teams he enjoys watching when he’s not playing.
The Scores Report: Hey Kirk, how are you, man?
Kirk Morrison: Doing good, doing good – how are you doing?
TSR: I’m doing real well. Are you at OTAs right now?
KM: Yeah, we just finished up for the day. So, I’m just relaxing now and getting ready to spend another week in Jacksonville.
TSR: So, you get done working out and then you have to talk to me. That’s a rough transition!
KM: (Laughs) Hey, I’m just relaxing right now!
TSR: (Laughs) How do you like Jacksonville so far?
KM: So far it’s been good. The team has been really stepping up and I’ve just been out there getting a lot of opportunities to meet everybody and be a part of the community. So far, over the last couple of weeks that I’ve been here, the people, the fans, the media – everything has been great.
TSR: Did you have a feeling that you would be traded either during or around the draft and if so, did you have any inclinations that it would be Jacksonville?
KM: I did feel as though I would be traded. When you look at the way things went down this offseason, you know, being the tender that I got from Oakland, I kind of thought that something was going to happen. I didn’t know when or where, but I just thought that with the tender that they gave me I knew that they were looking for something in return. I thought it was a business decision on their part that, having me there for one year and not getting something in return, wasn’t something they wanted. I just knew a trade was going to happen when they drafted Rolando McClain with the eighth overall pick. It just told me that a trade was going to happen soon and then it happened pretty much right after.
TSR: Were you surprised with what the compensation that the Raiders got in return for you or with what teams are getting for proven players this offseason? You have been an incredibly productive player over the years, are still young and yet, you were traded for a fifth rounder. The same goes for Santonio Holmes and a couple of other veterans. Were you surprised or do you not pay attention to that kind of stuff?
KM: I just think that’s the way the NFL was this year. A lot of teams were trading players for a fifth round pick, like myself, Santonio, LenDale White, or guys like Anquan Boldin who have marquee names in the NFL that were traded for similar compensation. If you were to ask me if I would take Anquan Boldin for a mid-round pick, I would take Anquan any day. The same goes for Santonio Holmes. So I think that teams just wanted to get something in return.
TSR: Sure.
KM: So, I’m never going to be angry or upset with the Raiders for their decision. I just move forward and I’m in a better situation down here in Jacksonville.
TSR: What’s it like playing for a head coach in Jack Del Rio who has played in the league, who is a defensive-minded guy and who has played the linebacker position before?
KM: You know what, I like it. I’m happy down here – I can’t lie about that. Jacksonville has always been a place that I’ve thought about coming to because I visited here before the draft in ’05. At the time, I kind of envisioned what it would be like to be drafted here. And you have a linebacker who played a long time in this year who is also your head coach, so it’s like having another pair of eyes that has seen the game, has played the game and knows the game. I was ecstatic when I found out I was being traded to Jacksonville, because I knew what kind of player I could be playing for the Jaguars and having a coach like Jack Del Rio.
TSR: Talk to me about your new teammates and some of the first impressions that they’ve made on you.
KM: I like the guys – everybody’s cool. Jacksonville is more of a laid back city. It’s very quiet and not too much going on in terms of the big city life like I was back in the bay area being around San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. It feels unified down here. The guys on the team pretty much all hang together and I’m excited because they’ve welcomed me with open arms. These guys are fun and we’ve all swapped stories, and they want to win just as bad as I do.
TSR: I don’t want to get you into trouble and if you want to plead the fifth I’ll understand, but were you excited to get out of the circus that has become Oakland?
KM: I wouldn’t say that I was excited, but it did offer a new beginning. You spend five years there and you never win more than five games in any given season. After a while, just the strain that you put on your body, you know…I was telling somebody that you go out there, you play those games, and take the hits and the pounding, and there’s nothing to show for it because in five years we only won so many games. You know, I had four head coaches in five years, a couple D-coordinators, a couple linebacker coaches and sometimes you say, not that you’re happy to get out of there, you’re just happy for a change. You’re happy for something new. So, when I heard that I got traded to Jacksonville, the first thing I thought of was that I was going to a new place with a new opportunity and it felt like I was getting drafted all over again.
TSR: Not to say that the Chargers and Broncos weren’t competitive, but you’re going to a division that is extremely competitive. As a competitive guy yourself, are you excited that you’ll get to face the defending AFC Champion Colts twice a year?
KM: I’m excited for the challenge of playing a MVP candidate every single year in Peyton Manning, who is one of the best quarterbacks in our league. The Indianapolis Colts have been a good team for so long. Then you look at a Titans team with Vince Young and Chris Johnson, who is arguably the best running back in the game right now. And then you look at a team in the Houston Texans, who I feel is climbing to the top of the league now after the season they had last year. They’re not far away from being in that top tier, so each week is going to be a dogfight in this division. There are no easy games here.
TSR: Give us some insight about what it’s like trying to defense guys like Peyton Manning, Vince Young and Chris Johnson. I realize extensive game film goes into it, but what else? How do you beat guys like that on Sundays?
KM: They’re great players so they’re going to get theirs. You just have to limit the big plays, especially when you go up against a guy like Peyton Manning. He’s going to complete his throws, but you just can’t allow him to put the ball in the end zone or complete passes that are going to set up scores. That’s how you beat a guy like Peyton Manning. As you saw in the Super Bowl, he’s going to make his throws but when he makes mistakes, you have to make him pay for it. New Orleans did that last year.
TSR: You seem like a fan of the game. Who do you enjoy watching when you’re not playing yourself? Or who do you like going up against?
KM: Well, as a player you always want to go up against the best week in and week out. You always want to play whoever the best team is. But, I do love watching the Ravens defense. I love watching Ray Lewis play and the intensity that he brings, how he picks his teammates up, and makes the guys around him better. That is one team that I enjoy watching and if they’re on, I love checking out their games. I’m more of a defensive guy – I don’t care much about the offense.
TSR: (Laughs)
KM: I want to see good defensive play and with any team, just watching that has been great. I’ll always enjoy watching a good defense play on Sunday.
TSR: Give me one running back that you know is going to bring it every single time and that you appreciate the way he plays the game.
KM: I would have to say LaDainian Tomlinson because I played against him so much in Oakland. I faced him a good 10 times and he always had some of his better games against Oakland because it was such a rival game – an in conference matchup. He brought it every single play and while people have talked about him being down over the last couple of years, I still think he’s one of the best running backs in the NFL. Watching him play and going against him for so many years, I wouldn’t change my mind about that at all.
TSR: Give me one Jaguar that you think is ready for a breakout year.
KM: For me, I would say Daryl Smith and Rashean Mathis. I know Rashean has been to the Pro Bowl a couple times, but just seeing those guys work everyday, I feel they’re ready for a standout season. I’m just hoping we can put it all together and get to the playoffs. I think even though we don’t get a lot of nationally attention since we’re not in a big market, if we get to the playoffs the whole NFL will see what kind of talent we have down here in Jacksonville.
TSR: What’s it like going up against Maurice Jones-Drew and seeing what he brings to the table every day?
KM: I know him too well. I played against him in college and now in the pros. He’s one of the best at his position because he does everything well. He’ll catch the ball out of the backfield, he’ll run outside, he’ll run in between the tackles, he’ll break off long runs…so I’m really looking forward to practicing against him every day. He’s going to make me better in coverage and also with my tackling.
TSR: Do you have any individual goals that you would like to see play out this year?
KM: I just want to win. I just want to get to the playoffs – that’s my goal. I’m in my sixth year and I’ve never had a winning season in the NFL, so that’s what my biggest goal is right now. Go out, be a part of a winning season and that would be more enjoyable than any individual goal for me right now.
TSR: You’re a west coast guy and now you’re in the South. What has that transition been like?
KM: It’s not too bad. The weather has been nice, although it’s a little hot. I’m used to that in Southern California, but you don’t get the breeze down here in Florida. I think it was a change that I needed as a football player. You know, you go through five years and it was nice to play for my hometown team, but now it’s time to move on and go somewhere where I feel like I have a real good shot at making the playoffs and have the opportunity to win a Super Bowl.
TSR: What do the Jaguars have to do in order to take that next step, get back to the playoffs and then hopefully a Super Bowl as well? I know you haven’t been there very long, but what do you feel is the most important thing?
KM: I just think we have to be persistent. Last year, going into the last quarter of the season they were 7-5 and going into a nice little stretch of games where if they would have won two or three of those games, they may have gone to the playoffs. If that happened, we would have been talking about a return to the playoffs or maybe even a Super Bowl. They just couldn’t stay persistent. Now that I’m a part of this football team, I want to make sure that that doesn’t happen again, because I don’t think that this team is that far off at all. We’re right there on the brink of it and I want to get to the playoffs.
TSR: Well Kirk, I wish you nothing but the best and I really appreciate your sitting down with us today. I really see some good things coming up for the Jaguars.
KM: Man, I do too – I appreciate it. It was nice talking to you.
TSR: Yeah, you too! Take care.
KM: All right, you too!
Photo from fOTOGLIF
