Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the team's intense manner of play is no excuse for what occurred at the end of Sunday's loss to Jacksonville.
The Seahawks under Pete Carroll have long prided themselves on a never-say-die mentality that has led to some of the greatest comebacks in team history during his tenure.
But on Monday, Carroll admitted the team took that approach too far during the final minutes of Sunday’s 30-24 loss at Jacksonville in which two players were ejected and one — Quinton Jefferson — had to be restrained from going into the stands to confront fans after objects were thrown at him as he left the field.
Carroll said he told his players Monday that the actions were not acceptable and he thinks the message got through.
“Everybody is remorseful,’’ Carroll said, a word he would use a few times during his Monday afternoon press conference. “We don’t want to play like that. We don’t want to look like that, ever.’’
The Seahawks got some good news Monday in hearing from the NFL that no players will be suspended. The NFL ruled quickly on that front since teams would need to know if they had to make roster moves to replace any players this week, which would be especially critical for Seattle facing its biggest game of the season next Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
But fines will likely be coming and Carroll knows the team’s reputation took another hit.
It was not the first time the Seahawks have not gone easily into the good night. Seattle had some similar dust-ups at the end of its divisional playoff game last year against Atlanta and at the end of the Super Bowl XLIX loss to the Patriots, to name two other notable examples.
Carroll used similar language after those games to express his disappointment in how they ended and only time will tell if this time the messy endings truly are a thing of the past.
“We never want to see football games look like that,’’ Carroll said. “The level that we play at, that’s not an excuse for going over the top like that. So these guys have heard and they understand that and we don’t ever want to look like that.’’
Carroll said each of the players at the heart of the tussles — Michael Bennett and Jefferson — each felt, to use that word again, remorseful.
The dust-ups began after Jacksonville got a first down on a third-and-11 play and needed only a couple of kneeldowns to run out the clock.
On the first, Bennett reached low to try to swipe the ball away from Jacksonville center Brandon Linder and force a fumble. Only, it didn’t end there as Bennett dove at Linder’s knees and when Linder reacted players on both sides began tussling (Seahawks defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson was ejected for throwing a punch at Jacksonville running back Leonard Fournette along the way).
Carroll said he had no issue with Bennett’s attempt to swipe the ball only what happened later.
“That’s something he has tried before and that’s why he was way down there on the ground because he was trying to time it up and hit it trying to force a fumble to get the ball back,’’ Carroll said. “So he winds up underneath the whole pile of stuff. The stuff that happened after that was wrong. But he was trying to get the ball. But after that it got messy.’’
While Bennett told reporters after the game that “I don’t need to explain myself,’’ Carroll insisted that “Mike was very remorseful even before we got off the field. I think he realized he got in a bad situation.’’
Carroll said he’d never seen an attempt to swipe the ball from the center work to force a fumble and seemed to indicate it might not be encouraged in the future, or at least not to that extent.
“It should have been a pretty benign attempt,’’ Carroll said. “But it just didn’t wind up like that.’’
Asked if it’s reached the point that Bennett should be told to stop trying to swipe the ball because it has led to incidents in the past, Carroll said “yes, he’s been told that.”
Things turned even more surreal on the next play when more pushing and shoving resulted in the ejection of Jefferson, who then charged toward the stands when he saw something fly his direction. Jefferson tried to get into the stands to confront fans, who then threw more things his way, before being stopped.
Jefferson, a fifth-round pick last season, was playing just his eighth NFL game on Sunday and Carroll said afterward he “just lost it.’’
Monday, Carroll said of Jefferson’s actions that “I thought that was wrong. Wrong. And he was wrong. I’ve talked to him about it. We are professional athletes. People can say whatever they want to say and that kind of what comes along with it. You have to be able to deal with it professionally. He lost it and he feels terrible about it — it’s not the kind of kid he is and he just emotionally got overwrung and he lost it. Fortunately people restrained him and all that and it’s a tremendous learning opportunity for him and the other young guys.’’
The NFL announced on Monday it would investigate the incident further, including the security provided by the Jaguars.
The Jaguars released a statement through a spokesman saying they did not condone the behavior of those who threw things at Jefferson and that if the fans are identified as season ticket holders they will have those tickets revoked.
“The Jacksonville Jaguars in no way condone the behavior of a small group of fans that occurred at the conclusion of Sunday’s Jaguars vs. Seahawks game, which involved the throwing of several items on to the field in the direction of a visiting player,’’ the statement read. “Immediately following the conclusion of the game, a thorough examination of the incident was initiated involving the Jaguars, NFL Security, the stadium management company (SMG), the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office and the stadium security company (SAFE Management). While the investigation continues, the group has reviewed video footage and interviewed fans and staff who were in the vicinity. During the incident, four individuals threw five objects from the stands. These objects included plastic cups with ice and liquid, a bag of popcorn and a plastic bottle. In accordance with the Jaguars’ Fan Code of Conduct, these individuals are being identified and will be contacted. If they are Jaguars season ticket holders they will immediately have their season ticket member privileges revoked indefinitely.’’