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Seattle Seahawks Postgame Transcripts 11/13

Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll and select players comment on their game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, November 13, 2016.

PETE CARROLL, SEAHAWKS HEAD COACH

PC: This is a really good win today because of who we just played and the kind of club this is - coaching staff, players, history, the season that they are having. We have great respect for them and so it's a really good accomplishment by our guys. A lot of good stuff to happen. Our offense did a beautiful job tonight, really felt like we were on the move the whole time. Faulted a little bit in the red zone, felt like we could have had a big night scoring. Defense just had to hang with them, they are so good. They do so many good things and so many great throws and catches by their best players and they made it hard on us, but when it got down to it, when you get a chance to on the one yard line, nothing like it in football. It's one of the great challenges that a team and a defense gets and we've had some bouts down there the last few weeks and our guys just came through and hung in there and fought for every inch. And let us walk away with a win on this one, so it was a really cool night of football and it's really because we respect them so much, is really why I say that.

Q: Pete, not surprising that a game between these two teams comes down to one final play, once again…

PC: Yeah, that was pretty good. It was a heck of a play too. Threw it up to a great player, a great player throwing to a great player, and a great guy covering. So, it was a great match up.

Q: Can you talk about going for two rather than one in that last drive?

PC: Yeah, good, we wanted to see if we could put it out of reach. Make it a two-score deal.

Q: Where your team is at now, the way they have played a short week, Monday night playing vs. Buffalo and coming here and getting this win, what does it say about your team?

PC: I am so fired up about these guys and have been throughout the entire offseason and continue to be. The resolve that they have and the focus and leadership that we have, allows us to be, in moments like this and come through and do things like this. It takes experience, guts, and grit and all the good stuff. And we have the right kind of guys to do stuff like this. We have been banged up through a lot of the early part of the season. Russell [Wilson] looked really good tonight. He had a fantastic football game, moved around beautifully and it looks like he is just about back. But he hasn't been, so as we make the turn here, I think our guys are really ready to push and see how far we can take this season. We have been through so many games in the last month, that we have been on the field for 80 plays, 90 plays, that our guys, it's no big deal anymore. They are dogs and they don't mind anymore, it doesn't matter. We came out of last week's game and nobody was worn out, we are just kind of in shape for those kinds of matchups. It's making them stronger. This game will make them stronger and we will try to benefit from this in a positive way and get after the next week and start all up again.

Q: The hitting of the team, the way you guys were hitting tonight…

PC: I thought it was a fantastic effort, I really do. And you know, historically you come across the country and you play games like this, sometimes they are hard, you know, and we have seen that. Although, our team has really responded well to that challenge. We know we have to do it, so we really set our sights on being good in these moments. And they had a bye, they had a lot of things going for them, really healthy and all that. We knew all of that, we just thought it made the challenge that much better. And so, we are pleased to get this done.

Q: Now we know why you were so excited about C.J. Prosise.

PC: Yeah, isn't he something? He is really good, he is a really good player. We've been just pumped up about him, the whole time. Ever since we had a chance, when we went into the draft, we wanted to get that guy, for exactly what you saw tonight. Johnny [John Schneider] did a great job evaluating and figuring that thing out. We fell in love with him during the draft process and then we just haven't had him, he just hasn't been able to practice. But he is dog too, he was tough tonight, he hung in there, he took some hits, he delivered some hits and I thought that was a really impressive showing by him in this game.

Q: Kam [Chancellor] said you practiced that play …

PC: Interestingly, the last play of the week of practice, was a one-on-one shot with the tight end out there and he happened to win in the same fashion. It was a big moment in practice because Kam was battling because he wanted to prove that he could do it. So, somehow that just works out. But Marcus Lucas was the guy he went against to give us the look and Kam slammed the ball and went crazy in practice, you know, just because it was that moment. And interestingly, it came down to that same thing.

Q: On that final play when it happened, first impressions when it happened, did you think a flag was going to be thrown?

PC: Well, I kind of wait through those moments, you know, I don't want to go to the negative, so I just wait through the moment a little bit. And then I saw that we got nothing, and we knew we had a game. It's kind of like a pending doom, if you want to go there. I was kind of waiting that one out.

Q: It seemed like there were a lot of similarities tonight to the Super Bowl. Did that strike you during the course of the game?

PC: No. I wouldn't do that. I'm not thinking about what happened before. We're just playing this game tonight.

Q: The way the offense as played the last two weeks. Does this remind you of what you saw the second half of last season?

PC: This is what we've been talking about, trying to take this turn. We had to kick it into gear a week ago. We'd been waiting, we had been in waiting to just get healthy and maybe we waited a couple weeks too long but we were waiting on Russ to be right and we kicked it in last week. You saw the change, [Tom Cable] and [Darrell Bevell], all the offensive coaches seized the opportunity to go ahead and go and we're really relying on our players. It was a great game tonight by Doug [Baldwin], to catch his balls and made a great read and throw to put us ahead. It's their force now. And we have a chance to really grow and be a little bit better. So, we're going to try and get better each week.

Q: You mentioned Friday this being a game against one of the top teams. What did you learn from the way your guys played?

PC: We played about the best team you can put out there. It's a great football team and they've got everything going for them. They have one of the best quarterbacks that's ever played, the best coach that's ever coached. It can't get any better than that and, you know, we had a nice little night against all that.

Q: What was it like winning here tonight considering your history with this franchise?

PC: This stadium is a lot better than that old one. Geez, this place is a lot nicer. It was nice, yeah, what do you think? I liked it.

Q: The three plays prior to Kam's stop, prior to that. Who did you really see stepping in?

There was [Ahtyba Rubin], [Tony McDaniel] and the guys up inside just battling and digging and clawing and scratching and [they] had to knock those plays back. Everybody was fighting. Those plays, it's just a clump of guys everybody's battling to get that done but it starts right upfront right in the middle.

Q: What was the thought process in going for two on the last touchdown?

PC: To make it nine instead of eight. Because they could tie it, it could make it a two-scoreattempt for them and we would be able to play that differently down the stretch.

Q: Did you know you were going to go for two ahead of time?

PC: Yeah, we had already talked about it. I liked the thought. We talked all about it, had plenty of time to figure it out and liked that way to go forward and try to put the game out of reach.

Q: What did they tell you on the review of the second down C.J. Prosise run, that you challenged when you almost got in the end zone?

PC: They just said that they didn't have enough… no, they didn't say anything. I was going to answer you but I didn't have an answer. They said that he didn't make it and they were not going to overturn the call.

PC: Plus two in turnovers in a game this close…

PC: Plus two in a game like this… this is the premier turnover team football in the last five years, you know that if you know your stats, and both of us played with the same philosophy in mind. So it's fitting that a plus-two game would get you the win. That's how ball is. I know that Bill thinks the same way. We've been dedicated to that for a long time.

Q: You would think that you would be better coming out of a game like this. How important are these games? Are they pivotal?

PC: No, they're not pivotal. I don't think they're pivotal. It's the kind of accomplishment that you put in the back of your mind that you know what you did, and you get just a little bit better because you played a really good team, on the road and in this kind of setting, with all of the stuff that's built up about this game. But what's most important for us is that we didn't play differently for this opponent. We don't do that. We play exactly the same as we always play, with the same expectations, same approach, and when it's over, you can look back and say, 'That was one hell of a football team that you played.' It just gives you that little bit in the back of your mind, you just feel a little bit better about what you can do and what you're capable of. And then that makes you stronger. It's why it's a good team to get this done.

Q: Was your intensity amped up for this game with your group?

PC: No. We play exactly the same as we always do.

Q: Prosise said that big catch down the sideline where he took a hit, but held on… has he showed you anything with his toughness?

PC: I would not question that. We saw him. We saw it the draft process that he was tough as hell. We always thought that about him. But he needed to ahead and show it, and have the opportunity, but he's going to get a lot. He's going to get a lot of work.

Q: You talked about this a little bit earlier, but when Russel Wilson is healthy, how different is your offense?

PC: It's different. It's much different. You still haven't seen this game in the yards with him rushing, but at the midway point he's been averaging, over the last three or four years, about 300 yards rushing. He's got 40 right now. So it's easy to understand that. I don't want to use that as an excuse, that's just reality. But from this point forward, we can loosen things up a little bit more with him. He just looks that much better. He came out clean again today. We're very fortunate for that and it just helps us. We know how it works, it just hasn't been the right package yet. We rushed for 96 yards today against that team, in this setting. That was important. You can see our rushing game was much different today, really for the first time in a long time.

Q: Is the scramble touchdown to Doug Baldwin  a good example of how Russ is aggressive?

PC: I think so.  It was a number of him. He had Doug another time and we didn't convert. He hit Jimmy [Graham] on really good one inside. He hit Lockett on the sidelines as well. Those are all huge plays that weren't going to happen if he couldn't throw on the move.

Q: Are the young guys in your offensive line starting to get it?

PC: They're getting better. Yeah, they're getting better. [Germain] Ifedi's played, I think it was his fourth game or fifth game, I think. And this was George's [Fant] third game. You know, they never even played football before, so they're just getting started, but taking the turn and moving down the stretch of the second half of the season, in the hope that they're going to continue to get better, more confident, and [understand] what's expected of them more so, and we should get cleaner.

RUSSELL WILSON, QUARTERBACK

RW: Tough win. Tough place to play in Foxborough. They haven't lost too many games here and to be able to come here and play a great football game - that's what you want on Sunday Night Football and it was a battle until the end. On offense we executed really, really well. We had a chance to score a lot of touchdowns, and we didn't even, with the opportunities that we had in the red zone, but we'll capitalize on those later. When we really needed it - against a great football team - we came up clutch. I thought the defense was tough as nails and it came down to the 1-yard line and we were able to find a way to stop them and it was huge, so it was a great game across the board. We've got tons of respect for who they are as a team. Coach Belichick, obviously, Tom Brady, their crew and just everybody else, so obviously, the hard work plays off. The preparation that we had all week, I thought we prepared at a high, high level. 

Q: Were you ready for the Patriots to do some much man and zone mixing?

RW: For sure. We anticipated them to show different looks and especially the way we were trying to throw the ball and making plays. We were throwing it really well and guys were catching it and making plays. It was a spectacular night, I think so many guys made plays across the board. I could name every receiver; I could name every tight end. C.J. Prosise had a great game. Obviously, him catching the football, him running the football too as well; I thought he ran the ball really well and made a lot of plays for us. I thought [in] third downs we came up clutch when we really needed to, that was huge [we] stayed on the field. I thought Jimmy Graham came up with some big catches on third down too. That two-minute drive where we were able to score, I think there was a minute and one second or something like that on the clock, and we were able to score a touchdown there. That's all the practice, that's all the preparation that we do in walkthroughs and in practice all the time and it paid off. The belief in each other, the belief in our teammates, the belief in one another - I thought Coach Darrell Bevell called an unbelievable game once again tonight and really gave us a chance to make a lot of great plays and I thought the offensive line did a tremendous job as well.

Q: Coach Carroll said you're starting to feel better physically. Can you just describe the process it's been to get you to where you are now?

RW: It's been a tougher year in the sense of obviously the injuries and [I] hadn't faced that before, but there was no way it was going to stop me. The mentality was to do whatever I could to play the games and ready and just continue to battle and continue to have that mulish approach and continue to stay steadfast, so that was kind of my mentality the first several weeks. The first week I had the ankle injury, a pretty bad high ankle sprain, so that slowed me down quite a bit in moving and all that kind of stuff. Then in week three I had a severe knee injury and was able to overcome that and just tons of treatment. I'm grateful that God has given me the opportunity to play the game. I'm grateful that I have such great people around me and teammates and all that. We've had a lot of guys get dinged up and then battle through it. It's a testament to the character of the guys we have on our team and the will to win and the will to continue to fight no matter what the circumstance are and we're getting some guys healthy and back again too so that's a key thing. Going into next week, we've got another tough game next week playing at home, I believe it is, so we're getting prepared for that one.

Q: As you're watching the goal-line stand what's running through your mind?

RW: First off all, I'm always prepared for overtime just in case. Just thinking about always wanting to be prepared, but was believing in finding a way to get a stop, a huge stop, we've done it many times before and we trust our defense. They came up with a big, big few plays there and it was just an unbelievable stand and like I said, it was a testament to the character of the guys that we have on our football team.

Q: The way the offense has played the last two weeks does it feel like what you guys were able to string together the second half of last year?

RW: For sure. We've got so many great guys, so many great players that we want to get the ball to those guys. You've got Jimmy Graham, you've got Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jermaine Kearse. Paul Richardson made some great plays tonight, C.J. Prosise made some great plays tonight; Christine Michael is a phenomenal running back too [and] we're getting Thomas Rawls back here soon. I can't wait to get Nick Vannett involved and obviously, we have Luke Willson and Brandon Williams, two great tight ends as well. There's arsenal that's exciting to watch and exciting to play with and exciting to go to work everyday with and it starts with the guys up front giving us enough time to make the plays. There are so many playmakers and you just want to get the football in their hands and let them go to work.

Q: This is obviously not the Super Bowl, but it's your first shot at the Patriots since then. Did it mean anything extra?

RW: No, it doesn't mean anything. All it means is that we were 1-0 this week, and we were able to find a way to win. You don't look back on the past, and you don't look too far forward either. Just stay in the moment. That's why we've been successful, and that's why we've been able to win a lot of football games in four-and-a-half years. We want to stay that way. That doesn't mean anything though. I'm just looking forward to the next opportunity to play the game of football again.

Q: Since New England's last game they traded away one of their top pass rushers. Is that sort of thing something that contributes to your game plan, in more of an aerial attack this week?

RW: No, not at all. We just wanted to do what we're trying to do best and make plays, and we were able to make that. We made a lot of game-altering plays, so that was exciting.

Q: When C.J. Prosise makes a catch like he did down the left sideline, where he takes a huge hit and holds on to the ball, what does that show you about a rookie?

RW: Well he's tough as nails. He's got great skill. He's done it all. He did it all tonight. And I know C.J. would say this himself, but it's just one game. He played great. He played an unbelievable game. I thought he was lights-out all night. And so now we just want to continue to be consistent, continue to come back, continue to fight, and continue to prepare at a high level, and he's doing that. He's a true professional. C.J., even though he's been battling some injuries and overcoming some stuff through training camp and all that, he's a true professional. He loves the game and loves to learn, and that's key. He's able to look at a lot of other guys for that. It's not just certain guys. He's able to look at a lot of guys across the board, and understand what it takes to be successful. It's exciting for him to watch, and you've got to give him credit. He made some unbelievable catches. I mean, that catch at the end against tight coverage, I just tried to put it in there for him. He made an unbelievable catch.

Kam Chancellor, Strong Safety

(On what this win says about the team)
"It says exactly what our creed says, 'We fight until we can't fight no more.' No matter what the circumstances are we never look back. We keep pushing forward and we keep fighting."

(On the Patriots last pass play)
"That was something we saw on the film study and of course all of my help was on the inside. I kind of knew he was going to a back shoulder fade or a jump ball.  We kind of got engaged and it just went from there."

Frank Clark, Defensive End

(On the one-handed sack)
"I do hand strength workouts everyday, and it paid off there. I refused to let him go. I play with a motor 100% of the time. You won't catch a play where I'm not out there giving it my all. Whether I'm tired or not, I give it my all. Once again, I had an offensive lineman that pushed enough to keep him in the pocket, and I bent that corner, grabbed him, and took him down."

(On the late goal line stop)
"It's hard, but it's easy because we practice so hard at it. When you get to the game, everything comes naturally. Everything comes easy. We don't take a play off against each other in practice. We've got o-linemen that fire off, as you can see, and they've gotten great over the week. They stepped up big time and put up the points that we need. We're doing our job on defense as much as we can to hold them down."

Jermaine Kearse, Wide Receiver

(On the game)
"I thought we played well. There were a lot of opportunities that were still left out there. We just have to keep getting better and just keep trying to progress."

 (On Russell Wilson)
"He knows where he wants to go, he's making the decisions quick, and he's out there playing his tail off."

Tyler Lockett, Wide Receiver

(On the team)
"We feel good; the biggest thing is each game is going to throw something different at us. We have to learn how to capitalize on that. At the beginning of the season Russell [Wilson] stayed in the pocket and threw it and I think that allowed us to be able to have a lot of growth. We know that he's is going to be able to run around and get open, and we are going to be able to get open. So with him getting back to normal, I think it allowed us to get more big plays."

(On the offense turning around)
"Usually it is like this every year, the second half of the season we take a turn. The biggest thing is as long as we continue to do well on third downs, and we get better in the red zone, then we'll be a great team."

(On the game)
"It was a great game. It was a Sunday night game, with two great teams going at it. Everybody wants to be able to win, and it's those types of games where whoever has the ball at the end, nobody knows what is going to happen. It seems like every one of our games, it comes to the end. It makes it fun and dramatic, it makes the fans go crazy, and it is what football is all about."

C.J. Prosise, Running Back

(On what this game means to him)
"For me, it means I've got to come back next week and repeat what I did. I don't want this to just be a first time thing. I just want to keep making plays for this team."

(On having patience and waiting his turn to play)
"I knew what I was capable of and that it was just a matter of time. It definitely showed at the right time, a road game against the Patriots. It's tough, but we talk about it all the time. You can only control what you can control. I'm going to go out there and do my job, and do what they tell me to do. If it's blocking all week, I'm going to block. This week they had me out making plays in the passing game, and also running the ball. That's what I was called upon to do this week, and I did it."

DeShawn Shead, Defensive Back

(On the interception)
"The receiver went outside of me and I kind of tripped up. My first instinct was to get right back up and I saw Brady scrambling. I got my eyes back to the receiver and got to him first. I looked up and the ball was there. Just go get it! It's definitely great to pick off a Hall of Famer, but there is even more satisfaction to help my team win this game. That is even more satisfaction, to get the turnover and celebrate with my brothers."

(On the win)
"You have to treat every game the same.  This week it just happened to be the Patriots. Next week we have to go and play another good team. Hopefully [we will face them again], that is the goal. They kept throwing balls my way and I am going against a Pro Bowler and potentially a Hall of Famer in Gronkowski, a Hall of Famer for sure, and Tom Brady is throwing him the ball. I love those matchups and the opportunity to go against those players."

Richard Sherman, Cornerback

(On playing the Patriots)
"We have had some tough games this year. We have battled in every one of them. Obviously when you play against a Hall of Famer [Tom Brady] it is going to be a battle and it is going to be a fight. They haven't won all of those games for nothing. We respect the heck out of them and I think they respect us."

(On the Patriots last pass play)
"It came down to the 1-yard line, and the last pass for us to win the game. Kam [Chancellor] did a great job in great coverage. He [Rob Gronkowski] tried to bulldoze him and you just can't bulldoze him

(On the possible no call)
"You tell me. We are entitled to our ground and I think Kam played it as good as you can play it."

Earl Thomas, Free Safety

(On the game)
"You have to give credit to them, they have a great team. It was a great battle. I have to say our offense played a hell of a game today. Russ [Wilson] played a great game. C.J. [Prosise] came in and it was so unexpected to see him ball up like that. I think that this is what it is all about, it is growth. We saw a lot of guys just stand up and grow. Kam [Chancellor] played an excellent game. You talk about a goal line stance. We have been battling all year and we make it tough on everybody we face when we get down to the red zone."

Bobby Wagner, Linebacker

(On the win)
"It's a big win. To come in here, in Foxboro, and get a win against a great team, is definitely something we appreciate."

(On the end of the game)
"We just balled up. Our backs were against the wall and we kind of knew what they were going to do so we made plays."

(On the run defense)
"We just cleaned up our mistakes. The last few weeks we made mistakes. We cleaned up those mistakes and made better tackles than we did last week."

(On the offense)
"They did an amazing job. It seemed like they were scoring every single time, at least getting a field goal. They did a great job, they were really clicking."

(If this win avenges the loss in the Super Bowl)
"There really is no satisfaction because at the end of the day they still won a Super Bowl. This is just a regular season game. Our main objective is to get back to the Super Bowl. They are a great team and they are amazing at home. Of course [I want to play them again]."

K.J. Wright, Linebacker

(On the run defense)
"We didn't shut it down. They got too many yards, they got way too many yards. We did better. We improved but we have little things we need to still work on. We tackled much better than last week.

(On how the Patriots offense is different from other teams)
"They've got number 12 back there. He is one of the best in the league and one of the best ever. He did a great job out there. He has a lot of weapons. That team is good and I believe we will face them again."

(On the offense)
"They were on fire. I felt refreshed out there. They were controlling time of possession and executing on third down. That helps us because we got to relax by sitting on the bench and watching those guys have fun."

(On the win)
"Every win is a big win. We battled all the way to the end."

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