TRANSCRIPT: Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, QB Russell Wil
TRANSCRIPT: Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, QB Russell Wilson, 9-26-12
Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll – Conference Call – September 26, 2012
(On if he’s “giving back” their win over Green Bay on Monday)
“No, no. We’re fortunate we got a win under extreme circumstances and we feel very fortunate that we got that done.”
(On if he’s ever had a defense play as well as they did on Monday)
“Well, we’ve had some pretty good halves over the years. Never had a half where we got eight sacks. That was against a really good quarterback and a terrific scheme and offense and a very good football team. That was really special. Our guys… it was like a feeding frenzy there for a while. We were lucky to keep it. We needed every single one of them to stop them and we were fortunate to get out of there with a win.”
(On their defensive front)
“We like our defense a lot. We can play the run well and we had issues with our pass rush in the first two years we were here, and so we did address that. We addressed it with our No. 1 pick and we addressed it with (DE) Jason Jones as a pickup in free agency this year. We’ve been working at it for two years, but finally you got to see the impact that you get out of (DE) Chris Clemons when you have (DE) Bruce Irvin on the other side. I think that was obvious in this game. Bruce had a great breakout game, I think, for himself, but it showed you how that can affect the other side, too. Clemons had 11 sacks in each of the last two years, but he’s done a lot of that without a lot of help. We’re excited about where we’re going. We’ve got a long way to go.”
(On if this defense has the potential to be one of his best ever)
“Well, we’ll see. The reason we have a lot of potential is we’re really young. It’s a very, very young group and we had second- and third-year starters that are now… they seem like seasoned vets to us. They’re still very, very young. There’s a lot of hope for the future that we can continue to improve. It’s a very young secondary that kind of emerged last year. The thing that gives us a chance, I think, is that we are really big and we run well. It starts with (DE) Red Bryant up front and (DT) Brandon Mebane and (DT) Alan Branch. Those guys are all over 320 pounds and then the guys on the back end that are big and strong. It gives us a chance to have a formidable group. It seems that there’s a bit of a factor, the physical side of our style that showed up in all three weeks. Hopefully we can keep that going.”
(On the biggest challenge of moving on from an unusual game)
“That you drag it. You drag the conversation and you drag your focus into the next week and you don’t put it where it needs to go. We’ve had a big approach to all of that that we’ve worked on so that you just don’t just try to pull it out when the time comes. It deals with whether you’re winning, you win a few games in a row, or whether you lost a big game. The Arizona game was a game to be won on three of the last plays of the game. We could have won on any one of those and didn’t get it done. It was a very frustrating, very difficult loss to take and we had to bounce back. We went into the Dallas game on the right track and now we have to do it on the other end of the spectrum. There’s a discipline to that that we try to connect to and capture each week, and hopefully we’ll be able to do that again in getting ready for the Rams game.”
(On if it’s easy to put the last game behind them with all the media attention)
“For the other coaches it is. Because I’m in the middle of all the media stuff, I have to deal with it, but the coaches are doing fine. We’ve addressed the players from the locker room about handling this, but there has been a lot of controversy. I’d kind of like to see these officials come on back in and the focus would go to all that and this thing would be over with.”
(On the NFL and NFLRA reportedly being close to a deal)
“We’re all hearing that so hopefully we can get it done.”
(On the NFC West being filled with running teams with strong defenses)
“I think you’re right on it. I think that you can see that just in a short time, it’s totally shifted. Even our style of play is similar in that we’re all working to play really good defense. Everybody is taking great pride in the running game and in special teams. We’re becoming, I think, a very difficult division to deal with. I think it was just two years ago and we were having to try to have everybody accept the fact that a 7-9 team could represent this division. We heard a lot of garbage about that, but I don’t think it’s that case anymore. The ‘Niners had a great season last year and now we’re all going after it. The winner of this division is going to be a very good football team.”
(On QB Russell Wilson winning the starting job)
“It was an elaborate process. From the first day he stepped on the field with us in the rookie minicamps, we let him have every snap. He threw almost 450 balls or something those days, just to get it started and took every rep. He was impressive. We drafted him because we really loved his style of play and the person that he is, and then when he came here and started to mix in our locker room with our guys, you could see that he had a real knack. He’s a true leader. He’s a great, great worker. He’s applied himself as well as anybody could. He’s worked so hard to spend the time, spend the hours and hours through the summer and throughout, to get caught up where he could have a chance to compete. When he came to games… in practices, (QB) Matt Flynn and Russell, they were going head-to-head with (QB) Tavaris (Jackson). And then when we got to the games, Russell just took off. He had such tremendous production in those games. We had a feel for him that maybe he’d be able to win some games for us, we’ll build around him and we’ll watch him grow, and that’s kind of what’s happened so far. We really had a chance – just one inch away from winning the first game and we’d be in pretty good shape right now. We’re excited about his future, still very much excited about what Matt Flynn can do. We know he can play and we won’t skip a beat when he gets a chance to get in there. It’s been a very elaborate competition throughout. It’s been kind of cool because it’s a central theme in the program about competition and to put it right at the quarterback spot is really… it’s been significant around here and I kind of like watching what’s going on with it.”
(On WR Golden Taint)
“First off, it’s been a few years to get him to this point. It’s taken us a while. I’ve loved his talent and his playmaking ability. It’s just taken us to year three, but we totally are counting on him. We expect him to be a factor in every game. We want the ball to go his way as much as we can. He’s such a tough competitor and he has such great catching range. We’ve just seen it all along, but now he can finally play on a regular basis for us, so we expect him to be a significant part of our team. As far as that play, it’s an extraordinary job that he did to get up - there’s a pass interference in there, without question, that isn’t called - but to get up in the air, to get his hands on the ball and pull it down and fight for it and compete to the very end of that opportunity. And then the official looks down, he sees that both of those guys got the football, and so that goes to us. That’s an amazing, amazing thing to add to an already good football game he had. He scored the other touchdown as well. We expect very big things. I think he can handle it. I remember playing against him when he was at Notre Dame and he gave us fits. He’s still giving us the kind of play that we’re hoping can give our opponents fits now.”
(On CBs Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman)
“Both of them – there’s interesting stories on both of them which we don’t have time to do it all – but we knew Browner all the way back in high school. He went up to Oregon State, had a great career for a couple years and then left and got lost up in Canada, as far as we were concerned. When his name came up, I was really excited about the fact that he was still playing. He had been All-Canada for four years or something. He came in here and made an immediate impression. He’s 6’4” so he’s so long and has such a knack for playing and such a competitive spirit about it that he’s really a great fit. Richard Sherman was a guy we had recruited and knew him as a receiver in high school. I watched him at Stanford play on both sides of the ball through his career and knew the kind of stuff that he had that was so special in terms of his instincts and all, just for the football. It’s really come out to give us two really good corners, factors. It’s their second year as starters, so they’re both just learning how to do it.”
(On what challenges the Rams present offensively)
“It starts with (RB) Steven Jackson to me. He’s such a hammer and he’s such a fantastic football player. I’ve been playing against him for years, even before coming here. I’ve had great respect for his toughness and his playmaking ability and his versatility and all of that. He’s just such an amazing player that it starts there. We have to try to find a way to slow him down. With (QB) Sam (Bradford) back there as a legit guy that can do everything you want your quarterback to do and with receivers across the board that can do stuff, it’s a very difficult offense, just in the structure of it. They’ve got the right guys to make it a really tough team. That’s kind of how we look at it. It’s real simple: if you can’t stop them in the running game, they’re going to run it down your throat. We’ll have to do everything we can to get that done.”
(On what challenges the Rams present defensively)
“I see the scheme. I recognize the scheme from Gregg Williams’ stuff that he had done in New Orleans. We played them a couple of times, so I see a carry-over from that. I’m sure with (Head Coach) Jeff (Fisher) being involved, who’s always been a great defensive coach, they’re going to give us nothing but problems. They’re very versatile, they do a lot of stuff, they’ve got good players, they have really good edge rushers. (LB James) Laurinaitis inside and with (CB) Cortland (Finnegan) causing you problems all across the board, this is a very aggressive group. Every game is hard. Every game is so difficult and this is no different. We’ll have to figure these guys out in a shortened week and see if we can get a game plan that will help us out.”
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson – Conference Call – September 26, 2012
(On if playing quarterback is more exciting than playing shortstop)
“Yes, definitely. There’s nothing like playing the quarterback position. I’ve been working for this my whole entire life, so it’s a blessing to be the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.”
(On what went into his decision to play professional football instead of professional baseball)
“Well, I experimented with baseball and everything and I just knew that I had this unbelievable passion for the game of football. Like I said, there’s nothing like preparing for a game, trying to be a leader for your football team, the attention to detail that goes into it and the competitive nature that you have to bring every single Sunday. There’s nothing like it and not just every single Sunday, but every day. The preparation you put into it is unbelievable.”
(On if the team has been able to get back to normalcy following Monday’s game)
“Yes, we’re focused on the next game, obviously. We play the Rams. It’s in the division. It’s going to be a big, big game, obviously, playing on the road, so we have to be focused on what we need to do to be successful.”
(On how difficult it was to move forward after Monday’s game)
“I don’t think it was too hard just because, no matter win or lose, you always have to move on. That’s the game of football. That’s the great thing about this sport, you’ve got another great team coming up right behind it, obviously. You really have to prepare and stay in the moment, stay focused on the now and what you have that’s lying in front of you at that current moment. So, it’s one of those things where we don’t really have time to waste, obviously, especially since the game was on Monday and now it’s a quick turnaround a day later than it would normally be, so we really have to get focused.”
(On if he thought Seahawks WR Golden Taint made the catch at the end of Monday’s game)
“I definitely thought that it was a simultaneous catch. It’s one of those things that it’s a tough call. The refs are doing it the best way they can. Like I said though, it’s obviously a good thing for us that we won. We fought extremely hard for that game and they did, too. It was just a battle to the very, very end, the very last play. (Seahawks Head) Coach (Pete) Carroll always says compete to the very end. Golden did a great job of doing that and same with the rest of our football team.”
(On if he ever wished that he was taller when he was in the process of getting drafted)
“No, I don’t wish I was taller at all. I believe that God made me this way for a reason and I think it’s for a pretty awesome reason – prove to people that it doesn’t matter how tall you are, how small you are, or whatever. You use the gifts that God’s given you and maximize that talent and try to master your skill. That’s what I’m trying to currently do right now, is just try to master my skill. I’ve got a long ways to go. I’m always continuing to grow and I’m just going to keep focusing on that and keep learning as much as I can. It’s a process and it’s a fun process to be able to do what I’m doing playing the quarterback position.”
(On how he tries to overcome playing against defenses that are several inches taller than him)
“It’s nothing really to overcome. If I was 6-1, they’d still be taller than me, most of the defensive linemen. The height difference isn’t as drastic as some people make it seem. I never had a problem seeing at all and I think a part of that’s because I’ve played so much football, obviously ever since I was little, but also at a high level in terms of Division I to play in the ACC, played in the Big-10, played behind University of Wisconsin’s offensive line, where the guys are averaging 6-foot-7 and it was no problem there as well. I work at my craft, obviously. I try to have a high, quick release, throw the ball on time and all that, which helps, definitely for sure. But also that experience, that work ethic, and that knowledge of the game, I think, really helps.”
(On if he imagined himself being the starting quarterback after he was drafted)
“I definitely believed that I could be a starter. I knew that I had the capabilities, I had the ability to play at a very, very high level and I knew I had the knowledge of the game of football, obviously. I knew that I was going to have the work ethic to learn the whole offense as quickly as possible, just dive into it. That’s because I love the game. I love to play the game of football. I definitely believed in myself. I had full confidence in myself that I could become the starter for sure and my height doesn’t define my skill set. I know that I had all the other things that were necessary to be an elite quarterback in this draft class or whatever. The only knock on me, according to other people, was I maybe too short. It’s one of those things where you always have to have confidence in yourself. You can never let that waiver, no matter what the situation is. You always have to believe in yourself first of all and then just go from there.”
(On what it was like being the center of attention in the media after Monday’s game)
“For me, I just ignore the noise. I always try to do that. You have to ignore everything that’s kind of going on outside and what people are saying. You just stay focused on what you can control and that was playing at a high level and trying to put our team in a great position to win that football game. So after that, win or lose, no matter what the situation is, you always have to ignore the noise and just stay focused on what’s going on and what you have to do to be successful.”
(On if there’s been a big adjustment for him in his transition to the NFL)
“No, to be honest with you, no. I think that my experience from college and starting in 50 plus games in college has really helped me transition for sure. Also going against our defense every day has really prepared me, too. Obviously, our defense can fly around. It’s a very, very elite defense that can do a lot of different things and to go against the DBs we have, the talent that they have at the defensive back position, on a daily basis really prepares me. I push myself to get better every day. I never settle for being average or being good. Whether if I have a good day, great day, bad day, whatever, the next day has got to be my best day ever. That’s the way I look at things.”
(On what goes through his mind when his defense is performing extremely well in games like Monday)
“Well, just keep being smart with the football, putting our team in great position to win the game at the end. That’s the type of game it was – two great teams going after it. We knew that it was going to come down to the end, just like most NFL games. Almost all of these come down to the end. So, you always have to be prepared and have a clear mind and clear focus on what you need to do. Obviously, it was a pretty impressive night by our defense by some of the plays that they were making and some of the things they were doing on the defensive side of the ball.”
(On the challenges the Rams present on defense)
“Well, obviously, they fly around. They’ve got a lot of talent all across the board, and so you really have to be smart with the football. They do a lot of different things. They create some turnovers and all that kind of stuff. So you just have to be smart with the football, make smart decisions, get the ball out on time, and just play great football. That’s the thing, obviously, especially when you’re playing on the road, you have to always be really, really smart and make sure you’re making the right decisions.”
(On how much it helps him as a rookie quarterback having RB Marshawn Lynch in the backfield)
“It helps a lot. Obviously, he’s one of top running backs in the National Football League. He can do a lot of great things. He can run the ball, obviously, he can catch the football. Just his mindset that he brings to gamedays is pretty remarkable, so it definitely helps. He’s a guy that I talk to a significant amount throughout games and also throughout the week just to get to see what he’s thinking and how we can improve just as an offense just in general as a team, and everything else. So, it’s a great thing to have. Obviously, he’s got a lot of talent and a lot of experience.”
(On what Lynch’s mindset is that he brings to game days)
“Just that relentless mindset. Obviously, you see the way that he runs the football and he’s got that desire to get into the endzone. You know on gamedays, he’s pretty quiet to be honest with you, in terms of being out on the field. He’s just focused and lazered in and I love that about him. He wants to work and wants to be the best at what he does and so he just focuses on what he needs to do and plays at a relentless level.”
