Here are some selected quotes of what Pete Carroll had to say on a variety of issues Wednesday morning at the NFL meetings in Phoenix.
Pete Carroll talked for roughly an hour today at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix.
Here are some transcribed quotes of answers to questions that most pertain to Seahawks’ issues. This is far from everything he said or was asked but hits on the key questions about the Seahawks.
On Michael Bennett and reports that he has requested a trade: “We communicate regularly and I’m in touch with where Mike is and what’s going on, he hasn’t mentioned a thing about any of that. It’s never been part of the conversation. I’ll probably see Mike this week, maintain what’s going on. Like so many things that happen, those things come out of somewhere but they are not coming out of the conversations that we have had.”
On if they have thought about whether they will execute the fifth-year option for Bruce Irvin: “We are well aware that it is coming up and all of that and that is something we will deal with when the time comes.”
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On if there is a different coaching challenge this season due to the way the Super Bowl was lost: “It’s not different than any other time. It’s just a different story. It’s a different case. You have to deal with it the way you need. I know you guys want to make this like it’s different than something else. It isn’t. It’s the same. What’s happened has already happened and it’s what’s coming up that you deal with. Like last year we dealt with all of the questions about having to repeat and do all of these other things. There will be the same battery of questions like guys are asking and we just have to answer the questions. But our focus, our direction, our mentality is already moving forward.’’
On losing James Carpenter to the New York Jets: “I think Carp made it through a lot of stuff and had some difficult injuries. Got hurt in practice one day and it was a very difficult injury. To get right and get back on balance was hard for him. But he did it and he came through and made it through. Carp did a very nice job for us. He played good football for us. It’s just very difficult decisions that you face at the end of each year and that was one of them and we were unable to keep him. But other than that I think he played his best football for us at the end.’’
On if the trade for Jimmy Graham will help the team move on from the Super Bowl: “I don’t know. I think it’s a terrific opportunity for us. We are really excited about bringing him to our club and adding him to our team. Maybe (it will). I don’t know. We’ll have to see what happens.’’
On if the end of the Super Bowl will be a motivating factor this year: “I think it’s a challenge. It’s a challenge to deal with and I don’t think it’s any different from when you are challenged to overcome any other season. … Our team showed against most people’s opinions that we could do that a year ago and I think this opportunity is just another great opportunity to show that we have the makeup, the mentality, that we can do the things that we can do to do our best to get those things done.’’
On if he is concerned that the end of the game will always be in the back of their mind: “No, I think it will be like other examples we have had, 40 years whatever I have been coaching, I just think it’s just another one.’’
On the experiments to change extra points: “I think there is good conversation about it and I think there is reason to be. When anything in our game is 99.3 percent successful you want to see what’s going on with that and take a good look at it. I think the competitive approach is coming out in everybody to see if they can better the game and something may happen. We’ll see.’’
On if he is satisfied with the progress of Christine Michael: “He hasn’t had a chance to really take a hold of a lot of playing time. He’ll get another great, competitive opportunity again. He’s a very talented kid. He’s pretty fresh — Marshawn has taken so much of the work and we understand why. Christine is a really talented kid and we would love for him to kind of flourish with his opportunity this year.’’
On the surgeries of players in the secondary and how they are responding: “Everything that we are hearing from our guys as they report in is that everything is going really well, the surgeries were very successful and there is just a time period we have to take it through. We have no indications of anything other than that everything is on track and in good shape.”
On if that means the hope remains that Earl Thomas will be ready for the start of the season: “Oh yeah, certainly.’’
On Jeremy Lane’s progress: “That’s a long process to get back and we just don’t know how smooth it will be when it gets down to the real play time. He will have a great recovery and then it will just be how does he handle the final stages of it and how soon can he get back. He’s pressed for time because it happened in the Super Bowl so we’ll see what happens.’’
On Cary Williams being a good fit for the Seahawks: “He’s got the physical makeup and style of play that suits us perfectly. He’s long and tall and runs really fast and is a very disciplined player. Just looking at him we could imagine him playing our style of play. He’s got a good mentality for it, as well, and he’s going to be in a very competitive situation, as well. When Tharold (Simon) comes back and Jeremy gets back, those guys can play and I think Cary has got a chance to bolster that competition and we are looking forward to it. He’s excited about the opportunity. For us to lose (Byron Maxwell) and have a chance to come back with Cary is a really fortunate and very hopefully an integral part of this off-season.’’’
On the signing of defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin: “Well we are really fired up about it. I think the fact he is big, physical, strong, tough guy 325 pounds, built well, works out hard. Very, very strong man. Really gives us a great feeling that he can add right into the mix and roll in there. He can play the nose, he can play the three-technique and either spot he plays he will be a physical addition so I think that was a very, very fortunate move for us to make and really looking forward to it.’’
On if they will add any more to the defensive line: “We are working on a number of things, still. We’ve had a lot of stuff we have done so far and things have worked out beautifully so far but we have a few more things hope we will be able to get done.’’
On Cassius Marsh’s health: “Yeah, he’s in great shape. That’s a tremendous addition to bring in, it’s like a brand new draft pick to us because he didn’t get a chance to get started last year. He is a really, high energy, creative productive football player for us and we cant wait to get him out there. He’s had a very strong off-season, in great shape, looks terrific and really chomping at the bit to get back.’’
On Jesse Williams’ health: “Coming back. It’s been, very ,very difficult for Jesse and we are hoping he will be able to make the turn and we are going to manage him hopefully impeccably so he can get back and get right and do all the things he is capable of doing and it will be a great addition if we can get him out there. He has had a very good offseason and he is very enthusiastic about it and we are looking forward to making something happen.’’
On re-signing Tarvaris Jackson: “Our conversations have been good. He knows and we know that he wants to be part of our team and so that’s a really good sign. We want him to be there and he wants to be there so we should be able to get this worked out.’’
On the depth at center after trading Max Unger: “As we get back the guys we have, we think we have a very competitive situation I think Steve Schilling did a nice job this year — we hope to get Schilling back. We hope Patrick (Lewis) will be in the midst of all of this. It’s a very good look for us. We wouldn’t have been able to make the move if we didn’t think we would have an opportunity with the guys we have. We may never be able to get another guy — we don’t know. But we are on it and the draft may allow us a couple of opportunities. We’ll see. Free agency isn’t over and there may be some opportunities there, so we’ll keep working it. But we think we are going to be pretty good.’’
On the progress of contract talks with Russell Wilson: “It’s tracking very well. It’s been a process that we have laid out. It’s really putting all the pieces together in due time and it’s happening very well. We have continued concerns about putting it together with some of the guys as well as Russell, but it’s been a big focus for us and the timing is coming. All of the talk and the conversation, the big stuff that came out, I don’t know where it came from (a report that a deal was very close). But we are stepping along this process I think in very good fashion. We are not way out ahead of ourselves. There are no big claims about what we are doing that have been made that are accurate.’’
On the recent news regarding the USC penalties: “There’s a lot happening right now, yesterday there was ore stuff happening and people are still fighting for the truth there and hopefully it will come to light again. I’ll appreciate that. I don’t think it was dealt with properly, I don’t think it was handled well at all by the NCAA. ‘’
On the challenge for the team coming back from the Super Bowl loss being any different than any other year: “It’s the same. It’s exactly the same. The very next step you take — you have to get focused on it and maximize it. It’s exactly the same. And that’s why I’m confident that this team is going to come back and fricking roar. We are going to roar back into this offseason. These guys are working hard for it. They know the margin of what just happened. They understand that. They know that. What are you going to be like the next step? We should be good. We should be stronger. We should be better in a lot of areas. We are growing, we are still a young team that’s maturing. It couldn’t be more exciting, really. And yeah there’s this story but that’s already done. So I can’t wait to get going and I know that’s how our guys are talking. That’s what I’m hearing from all of them. They are chomping at the bit to get back and it’s a very, very exciting challenge and we’ll try to make the most of it. Hopefully we can surprise you again.’’
On how long it took him to get over the loss: “I’m over it. I’m way over that. But I’m still answering questions about it and we have to be prepared to do that and as we revisit the memory, we have to go there, put our toe in the water and get going and that’s what we’ll do.’’
More on the talks with Wilson: “It’s a long process. It’s extraordinary ramifications and it’s ongoing and we’ve had great talks. The timing of it has been handled beautifully, expectations of the timing are clear, everybody knows what is going on and it’s clear and we’ll see what happens. There is so much magnitude in this deal and it affects so much and we are very well prepared and it is almost that time.’’
On the final play of the Super Bowl and managing the fan reaction to it: “I coach the way I coach and they get the end result of whatever that is. And that’s based on years of experience and that’s based on extraordinary, steady preparation. I don’t have all the answers. I just have my answers. I have the answers that we have as a staff and we try to stick to that the best we can trusting that the way we prepare and practice over a long period of time is going to give us the best chance to execute when the time comes. And so we have our way of thinking. It’s the same way of thinking that everybody could have challenged had we missed on the second touchdown at the end of the half. That was part of how we think and our preparation just like it was at the end of the game. I wish the play would have turned out differently and there are other choices we may have called a different play and next time it probably won’t be that exact same play. But it’s all part of the process, that’s why my thinking is clear. I knew going into the situation, we knew we were going to throw the ball down there. If we assume it’s going to take all four plays to score we knew we were going to throw the ball down there and that’s because of the clock situation and we had prepared for that for years. So it was not a difficult situation. The fact that all of the focus goes toward it, it is what it is. I can live with that. What I’m feeling from our fans, they are ready to get going, they are ready to move on. They have been so strong and clear that they understand that ‘hey let’s go.’ They are like we are. We are coming together in our mentality and our players will be the same. We will look back at this time period someday and that game will be a marker just like the game a year ago was a marker and we’ll see what it all means when we add it up. But that play was that play. That was that play and it was the result that wasn’t good.’’
On if Russell Wilson will be wounded by it: “He is so strong by his conviction to understand what is coming up and what is next. He is so solid, stationed there, I don’t think he’s going to have a problem that is going to hold him back. If anything it is going to make him work harder and be more diligent and more committed in doing everything to its utmost. I can’t think of anything else. … I’m not worried about it. I think he’s as well-equipped as I am to figure that out and he’s going to do a great job at it.’’
On if it’s a torturous question to wonder if the play would have been different if they had Jimmy Graham then: “That’s not a torturous question. We didn’t have him. No big deal. Now if we are in that situation again he presents an extraordinary dimension to your offense and we will see. We’ll see how it will unfold for us. But we are looking forward to his factor down there. It’s obvious. … Only two guys have scored more touchdowns (in the red zone since 2011) than he has and one of them is Marshawn. So we’ll still be doing this and this and it’ll still be well how come you didn’t give it to him or you could have thrown it to him. That’s a good conversation to have and a good position to be in and we’ll make the most of it.’’
On Kevin Williams and Demarcus Dobbs: “Dobbsie, I think you will see in the next day or so that he is coming back. And Kevin, we are still talking to him.’’
On B.J. Daniels being used as a returner of kickoffs and punts: “B.J. is going to get a chance at both those spots, yeah. He has shown us enough and he’s worked so hard to position himself to have this opportunity and he’s going to be playing receiver for us as well as quarterback and that’s something that we also pulled out of the past season. He has got a really big range of athleticism and we want to see if we can get it on the field in many ways as well as continue to be a quarterback for us.’’
On his reaction to the change in the concussion rule and in light of Julian Edelman being allowed to continue to play in the Super Bowl: “ I could care less about that (that it wasn’t in place for the Super Bowl). Nothing we can do about that. … (He’s for it) but not for that reason. I just think it’s protecting our players with one more level to make this a fail-safe process and keep guys healthy and safe. That’s a good thing.’’
On Paul Richardson’s rehab: “What we are hearing he is doing exceedingly well. His mentality is good. He is working hard at it. He has been through it before so he does have a background and he does know the staging and all of that so we expect him to have a full recovery.’’
On if Richardson can be ready for the beginning of the season: “I don’t know. Like I said about Jeremy, it depends on how they finish that process and if they click properly and if they get back cleanly and all of that. He will be as able to come back as quickly as anyone can his body style, history of injury and all of that should make for a great return.’’