Seahawks HC Pete Carroll conference call (10.9.19)
Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll:
On the Browns following the loss on Monday:
“They have plenty of talent. They have all kinds of firepower. They are difficult on both sides of the ball to deal with in scheme. They have all kind of potential to be a terrific football, and we are going to consider them really being at the top of their game.”
On Seahawks TE Will Dissly’s early season success:
“When he started last year, he started the same way so it is the only thing we have ever seen. He is doing really well and has been very productive. He surprised us a little bit with his run after catch, and then just the consistency in his catching game because he did not catch very many balls in college. He is doing a really good job.”
On handling high team expectations leading into a season:
“I do not think that expectations mean anything. That is just somebody else putting that on you wherever that comes from. It is what you do that counts. I do not even have a… I do not know what to do about that. They exist and really you have to do the best you can with what you got and see what the truth is. Expectations are really just kind of somebody else’s opinion, I think, from the outside in.”
On if he believed Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was targeting WR Tyler Lockett on the TD last week or throwing the ball away:
“No, I did not know what he was doing with it. I was surprised by how exquisite the result was. It was just an amazing play in the littlest amount of space. You really had to have a really good imagination to figure that was going to happen, which he does and Tyler does, too. Those guys do have some magic when they hook up.”
On Wilson’s ability to make impromptu plays out of the pocket and on the move:
“First, he is really talented. He is a high-talented athlete. I think what the most significant aspect of it is his belief in himself, he believes that those things are going to happen and he is capable of doing it. He sees the opportunity where maybe other people do not. For instance on the play you are talking about, how many guys would have ever thought that there was a chance to complete that ball? He believed it and took a shot at it, and they pulled it off.”
On areas Wilson improved significantly early in his career to get to where he is now:
“It takes years to figure out how to play quarterback in the NFL to me. I have been talking about that for a long time. Early on when Russ had a lot of success, he was immediately compared to the top quarterbacks in the league. He was compared to (Packers QB) Aaron (Rodgers), (Colts and Broncos QB) Peyton (Manning) and (Patriots QB) Tom (Brady) within the first couple of years. I always used to say, ‘Give him a few years. These guys are in their double-digit years of their career. He is way behind them.’ It just takes so long to learn and command a game. They will fool you. They will fool you because they are so talented, and they fool you that they got it and they make good plays here in there. It takes a long time to really own and command what is going on with both sides of the ball, being able to handle protections and adjusting them, the ability to change runs and put you for one run to another and being able to see the availability of play. It just takes a really long time. Russ in the last two-three years has continued to improve, and he is the best he has been. It is a result of the great consistency. He has not missed anything over the years. I do not even think that he has ever missed a practice since he has been here. It just adds up eventually.”
On indications QB Baker Mayfield can be successful in the NFL:
“I think he already shows that. He has all the ability. He has great awareness. He has had tremendous experience throwing the football. He is just way ahead of schedule for most guys. That is why he was chosen where he was. Just the sense, the arm talent and accuracy. He has a big belief in himself, I would think. I do not know him but I would think that he does. That lends himself to the confidence that it takes to hang in there as you learn and to grow and to bounce back from the setbacks that are obviously is going to happen as you go along that is just so difficult. He is an excellent player right now. He is going to be great when the times come.”
On challenges faced as a first-year head coach:
“I have had some experience because I got fired after a few of these jobs (laughter). I have been a first-time a few times. It is really getting your philosophy in motion, getting your approach in motion and get it going so you can find follow ship. You need the guys to go on with you so your message has to be clear. It is best that it is clear, it makes sense and that you can communicate it really well so people can get on board. It is really a hard job when you are starting. You just start dead in the water. You just have to build everything – every aspect of it and all aspects of your program. Not just the football part of it or the Xs and Os. There are so many different aspects in training, how we feed them and how we look after them, prepare them in offseason and all that stuff that we have to do. It is just a lot going on. You have to hope that you have a good clear message and people that will support you and give you a chance to let that message come through and work for you.”
On WR Odell Beckham Jr. not having as many targets in recent weeks and if that is a byproduct of a new offense:
“I don’t know. They are trying to figure it out. That ball is going to him. He is getting targeted a lot. He is an incredible player. I do not know how to help you on that, and I probably would not if I could, if you do not mind (laughter).”
On if Wilson has taken his play up a notch this year from the past two or three years:
“Yeah, each year he improves. The guys can’t help but get better if they just stay out there and keep playing. There is just so much to learn. He is the best that he has even been right now. I think he will be that again next year as long as he continues to drives himself as he does. He is a great communicator, and he works great with his coaches. As long as all that stuff is working in harmony, then he is going to continue to improve. There is no reason that you get there and that is all there is. You keep working. You keep finding ways, you make more sense of things and you get more consistent. He is the best that he has been.”
On young QBs rebounding from down games after early success:
“I think it is just the stuff that happens in life. Sometimes things are going well, and sometimes they are not going as well. You just have to keep staying course and keep battling, and that is what he is doing. He is a great competitor. He has been up and down before as everybody has. You just keep believing in yourself and keep coming back. He is a dangerous football player. He has magic in him, and he can see stuff and do stuff that few players can. That is why he is who he is.”
On Seahawks DE Jadeveon Clowney:
“I have been talking about it as we are getting our time together, we are starting to grow together and I think we are going to continue to improve. I think we can get more consistent. J.D. has done a great job. He has come in and made big plays. He has affected the quarterback. His only numbers that do not show on the stats – he has got one [sack] – but he has affected a bunch of throws and scored a touchdown already, knocked balls down. He has done great. I really am excited about him. So that you would not ask questions like why has he not had this or that, I wish he had some more sacks to go with it, but I think they are going to come. He has been close a ton. His pressure percentages are really high. He does affect the quarterback so he is a real positive factor. We are trying to get better here as we grow. He and (Seahawks DE) Ziggy (Ansah) have not played together very much and our linebackers are just getting to growing. I know it is five games into it, but I think we still have a lot of improvement ahead of us.”
On DE Myles Garrett:
“Incredible player. He is as good as you get athletically. Everything is showing that he is a problem. He is one of those guys that you have to really be cognizant of in your gameplan and where he is and what he is doing and all that because he can wreck a game for you.”
# # #