HEAD COACH PETE CARROLL
Opening:
It was a really exciting night of football, on Monday Night. Two good teams banging away at it. It was really just a good matchup. You could feel the strength of their team, and you could feel us, too. What I'm really fired up about is to come out again in the second half, and the defense played like that, and really turned the game around for us with some good stops, and took the ball away and all that. You go back to that 'Niner game, it was kind of the same thing there. We got some really good ball in us. This game was marred on our end of it for two plays we messed up. The one ball that gets tipped for a touchdown and then we just make a mental mistake, we just missed the coverage call, and that's how they got their long touchdown play. It was really unfortunate that that happened. That gave them a chance to hang in there, and they did a really good job of doing that. They took advantage of that, so it winds up a tight game. But, it was a really strong game for our guys. I was really fired up about the guys up front on offense. That's a really good front, and they've been giving up 90 yards or something a game. I think it's the third week in a row, or something, we've played a Top 5 rushing defense. And our guys continue to run the football and allow us to control; I think we ran it over 40 times today, which is great. Over 200 yards, which is great for us. A little help from Homer, that gave us a nice little pickup there, as well. I just think the guys up front did a really good job against a really good group. This is an experienced, hard defense to play against, and we came through. It felt like a Championship game in the stadium. The fans were extraordinarily good tonight, and it just felt as good as we could ever remember it, in terms of their energy and juice. It just makes it so much fun to be part of this whole thing. I'm thrilled to see that that came to life, and they hung with us. We did a nice job of getting the ball off of them again. Three turnovers. A terrific play by Malik in the last kickoff, and we just take great pride in on special teams. That was just a fantastic play to end the ball game. We're hawking the ball, and it's coming out, and we're getting some shots at it. We need to keep riding that. A lot of good things, a lot of positive things. I just couldn't be more excited to have that kind of win and to put us at 10 wins. It's a nice spot for this time. We kick it in to the fourth quarter, and now it's finish time, and now we have to do our job. We haven't really done anything yet, but the finish is there for us. With four games left we have to make some noise and see if we can finish this thing off right.
On getting both Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny going in the same game:
It is awesome. It is so much fun to see those two guys battling it out. I think Chris got 100 and Rashaad got 70-something. That's fantastic. I thought Rashaad looked so fast tonight. He just looked so explosive. The screen play was a beautiful call, and beautiful execution, and it just showed that burst that he has and why he's so exciting.
On the heavy use of George Fant tonight:
We ran it a lot, and George is a big part of the running game. He was a big part of it. There were 40 something runs in there, so he got some activity tonight.
On whether the split of Carson and Penny was planned:
You guys keep asking me, but there's no plan on this one. They're just playing. And when we see how the game goes, we might give a guy a few more here or a few more there. We don't know, because they're both really good. We love them and we just play them. Chris is the starter, so he winds up getting some more carries, but they're playing as 1-2, and I don't know who is One and I don't know who is Two. They're doing great.
On whether Carson checked out OK after his hit:
Yes. He went through the whole protocol and the whole thing, and he was clear and all that. I didn't see the hit on that one, but it was worthy of that kind of consideration, and fortunately they went through the whole thing, and I think took him into the locker room and all of that, and he was fine.
On what led to the decision to call the fake punt:
I'm not going to tell you that. In all due respect for I'm sure that's a very well thought out question, I'm not telling you. But, I sure liked the way it was executed. The guys did it beautifully, and the timing was exactly right. Great job by Brian Schneider and Larry Izzo to come up with the idea and the thought of it and for the guys to execute. That's a lot of people involved in getting that done and a lot of communication and all that. That's all you get.
On a penalty free day on offense:
There have not been very many times like that. I think we had one penalty tonight, I think no penalties on offense, just the defensive one. I'm not quite sure what got into us on that, but we like it. It was great. It was a really clean game and a really fast game, too. It seemed like the game just flew by tonight.
On being good on third down conversions tonight:
That, and when you can overcome the sacks. There were a couple of sacks in there. It just makes for a cleaner game. It gives Schotty the opportunity to really be aggressive on the calls and go for it, instead of those ones when you're backed up and you don't know what with it on a third and 15 or 18 or something like that.
On Rasheem Green getting a forced fumble for the second week in a row, and Penny playing great, and Tre Flowers getting an interception, and how the 2018 draft group is coming together:
I'm thrilled about it. Tre was so fired up. That was such an extraordinary interception, I don't know how he did that. He was so jacked about it. He was talking about that class a little bit when he came off the sidelines there, he was fired up about it. We've not questioned the class at all, we like the heck out of those guys and they're getting so much play time now, they're really in the groove. Rasheem has played really well for a number of weeks now, and is such a boost for us to get him to do that, because he has a lot of athleticism and speed and he's playing tough as hell. He's really helping us.
On how close Tyler Lockett is to 100%:
He was real sick again. He'll be better this week, if he can stay away from it. I know a lot of teams had this flu thing, and it was legit. Our guys did it beautifully, because they really managed the attitude part of it, and I'm really thrilled about that, because when you're feeling that cruddy and that bad, and you're throwing up and everything else you're doing, it's hard to have a good attitude. But these guys found a way and guys contributed to helping them and it was not a factor for us at all tonight. We played right threw it.
On whether there is a positive to recovering from the blown coverage:
Nah, not as an ex-DB coach, man, there is no positive there. We just blew it. It is something that is just basic, we've done it months and months. Last year, it's just a regular adjustment. But, we just didn't get it communicated, and for whatever reason, we missed it. It's just a blunder on our part. But the good part is, we know that we screwed it up and they got a touchdown, and they didn't beat us because we couldn't outplay them. We just have to fix that, we can't let that happen. It was awful. That's happened one time in two years. It's just not something that we're used to.
On whether there are other things to clean up heading into January:
Close games are cool, aren't they? I like them. Maybe the 17 points was too much, we shouldn't have been ahead by that much.
On whether he thought about taking a delay of game on third and 19, as opposed to using his last time out:
Yeah, I did, but we didn't. We could have. That's a great second-guess, and it was a good one. You're right. But we only missed it by about 4 yards, though. We were close, now.
On how Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed looked, coming off injuries:
They played, they made it through it, as did Mychal Kendricks, too. They just sucked it up and made it through it. Just the fact that they were able to contribute was really good. I don't know how effective they were until I see the film and all. Just the fact that they were not going to miss this opportunity and they made it through to the game and then played all night long. It was a real positive.
On Russell Wilson's volleyball skills:
He did exactly the right thing. We practice that all the time. But, as he was going up to knock the ball down, he was starting to establish some hang time, there, and he got hit as he was going up, and he couldn't quite get on top of the ball. We usually knock the ball straight down, and we practice that all the time. He knew exactly what to do, and had the right reaction, but he got banged as he was going up. It was just an unfortunate play and a great play by them to come through and get a touchdown off of it. Again, so many of these turnovers have just been explosive plays, all season long. I've never seen it like that. It's just the scourge for the season.
On whether Ziggy Ansah is OK:
Yeah, he had a stinger. I don't know how bad, but they did not think -- it was resolved, so that's a good sign.
On shutting down the Minnesota rushing game:
Yeah, the guys played really, really good ball all night long. We expected them to run it. This is a really committed running football team. I don't know what they got, they got 70 or something like that. It was a huge night for us. Obviously, he didn't get to play the whole game, but our guys played the defense really well. We played our scheme. We didn't do a whole lot of special stuff. We played our scheme and tried to see if we could outplay them, and for the most part, it came across pretty well.
On the play of the special teams overall:
It was a beautiful night. There wasn't a play in there that wasn't a solid play for the situation. We placed some balls inside the 20. Michael killed that punt late in the game, with no return opportunity. The squib kick was handled beautifully, and the ball comes back to us. J-Myers did his thing. That was a big field goal, that last one. That was a big field goal, and that was great that he pulled that off. I thought that drive right there was really an exceptionally important drive, statement-wise, to finish with the ball, and give them 20 seconds left, and score there. It was huge when you know they're doing everything they can to stop you. That was a great job again by the guys up front.
On whether Tre Flowers was one of the guys who was sick this week:
As a matter of fact he was. He puked in the garbage can, in between plays, one time in 7-on-7, or something like that. A little too graphic?
On the strides that Flowers has made this season:
He's really doing well. He's playing better. He's playing more complete a game, and his mentality is really strong and he's really believing in himself. It's such a difficult position to play out there, and particularly for a guy that doesn't have it in his history. He's really grown into his own. He's such a beautiful athlete and he's such a good competitor, and he's a tough guy. It's great to see him coming through and making it.
QB RUSSELL WILSON
Can you talk about this rushing attack, right down the O-line, and what Penny and Carson did tonight?
Yeah, it was a special night. I think the offensive line did a tremendous job. They were so physical all night. We were able to run the ball extremely well. They kept playing two high shell, just super deep. They didn't want any shots thrown on them. So we said, okay, and we'll just run it and do what we do really well. Sure enough we just kept going, kept going with it. And then sure enough they came up occasionally and we hit some big plays down the field with D-Mo (David Moore) and some other plays. So there was just some great plays throughout the entire game and it really started with the offensive line doing a great job.
What can that do for you guys with both backs going these last four games?
Yeah, we got two great backs. You've got guys who are star running backs in the league. You see Penny hit the corner and his speed and his power that he runs with. Downhill, you see Chris Carson, what he's been able do his whole time he's been a Seahawk. It's been great just having those two guys run the football that well.
Five straight wins. Would you guys say that you guys are playing your best football right now?
I think we're playing great football. I think we can play better. I think, the thing is we're 10-2, top of the NFC West, and we're in control and that's a great thing. We like having that control and just being able to try to continue to win football games. We don't want to get bored consistency, just keep winning, keep winning, keep winning, keep finding a way. And we're doing a great job. And I think the great part is our defense is playing great. Defense has been playing great the past several weeks, really, to be honest with you. Lights out. We had a couple fluke plays here and there on offense and defense, but other than that as a team effort, we don't, we can't get much better than how we're playing right now. And the key thing is just one or two plays here and there that we can fix and who knows how far we can go.
What changed from the first half to the second half? You guys blew up in the second half.
We were moving the ball in the first half. They had that fluke play that I tried to knock the ball down. But other than that, I think that we were moving the ball. We just had to execute and finish. And so sure enough we came out in the second half and just stayed determined. We just kept making plays. I think we scored 24 points in a row? Something like that. We scored a bunch of points in a row. We just went for it. D-Mo (David Moore) catching that ball down the field. We had [Rashaad] Penny on the other touchdown pass. And then guys were making huge runs. So it was just a collective effort. I thought Schotty did a great job calling the game. We had so many different plays and so many different things that we were trying to do, give them different looks. And they were really struggling with it for the most part, and we were able to really execute in the second half. And our defense played great in the second half.
So you can assure you weren't trying to volleyball tap that ball?
No, I was trying to knock it down. I think I got hit right as I was trying to knock it down, so I guess I got to work on my hops a little bit and get up a little higher.
You're leading the NFL in touchdown passes, which is not a place we normally find you. What is different about this season and about you?
I think that I like throwing touchdowns. I think touchdowns help win games. So whatever it takes to win. I think that you want to just keep going, keep throwing touchdowns, keep trying to stay hot, and trying to find ways to win. It's everybody else, though, that are making plays. They're doing a great job. And so it's a complete team effort.
How cautious have you had to be in order to avoid the bug that's going around the locker room? And have you been able to avoid the bug that's going around the locker room?
Yeah, I try to stay just low key. I just want to make sure -- there's a lot of guys sick this week and I thought we did a great job of, some of the guys, like Tyler [Lockett], David Moore, those guys were pretty sick this week and they didn't come in until Friday, really, for practice, our Friday, which would be Saturday, essentially. And so I think we had about eight guys down for the count. So I think the key is just taking care of yourself, keep hydrating, know who is sick. Especially with me, because I'm throwing the football around, so everybody's kind of touching the football. So just trying to be smart there.
Have you ever seen it this bad as it was this week?
Yeah, it was pretty bad. I don't know if we've ever had that many guys miss practice and go home. Not just miss practice, but have to go home for it. So it's that time of year, I guess. But I thought all the guys played great, and like I said earlier, you saw David Moore step in and just make a huge play for us, tremendous play. Tyler didn't get the ball tonight unfortunately, but we were trying to get it to him and they were just trying to stop him, but it opened up a lot of other guys, so that was really good news for us too.
Rashaad Penny was telling us a story about how when Chris Carson got to the one on his 25-yard run, he tapped himself out, essentially giving Penny the touchdown there. That's how he took it. And he was, like, man, that speaks volumes to who he is. And so just the chemistry those guys have and just what does that say about those guys in general?
The chemistry that the two running backs have, Penny and Carson, and they have been great for us. And to have that bond, to have that work ethic, you should see these guys work on a daily basis, how they understand things, how they understand the game. It's an honor and pleasure to play next to them. And just talking to them in the midst of the game and us going over protections and talking and all that stuff. They have been great professionals since they have walked in the building. That's what you always want and that's why it's fun to play with so many great guys.
You guys were 7-15 on third down, six of your first 10. What contributed to that success there?
I thought on third down we did a tremendous job just hitting the open guy, guys making plays. The line did a great job and guys were catching the football. They were plucking it out of the air and making plays. So we got a plethora of receivers making plays and a lot of guys who can catch it, so it's a good thing. And I think we had a couple third downs. We almost got the third down on thirds and eights and thirds and nines, but we just, like I said, I think that Schotty did a great job calling stuff. I think guys made plays getting the ball out quickly and getting first downs.
The defense has 10 takeaways in the last three games. Being in practice with them the last few weeks, have you kind of noticed, kind of, a growing confidence with them at all?
Yeah, the defense has been ferocious the past several weeks. I think, really, the first time we really -- they have been great all year battling, battling, getting through it. And we got a lot of young guys stepping up and stepping in. But Bobby and KJ and those guys, they really took charge of it and I think that, really, the week of the 49ers week, a few weeks back, just really noticed just the energy and everything else, just continued to lift. And that's going to happen throughout the season as you guys know. Throughout the seasons in the past always since 2012, we just continue to grow, continue to grow, continue to build. But our defense has just been tremendous, lights out, just getting turnovers. I think Diggs has been great for us, the way he's hitting guys, and being a safety out of the back end just really trying to really just smoke guys. You saw the hit tonight. So he's striking fear in guys. Guys are really catching the football, the corners. It's pretty cool because [Tre] Flowers and [Shaquill Griffin] Griff and all those guys, they come over and catch with us, the quarterbacks, at pre-practice. Really, that started about five, six weeks ago. They really wanted to catch more, and -- D-Mac and those guys -- so we have been throwing to them a lot more and just getting them involved in terms of just on the side pre-warmup as we're throwing our routes and stuff like that. So they just have been after it. And I think the acquisition of [Quandre] Diggs, [Jadeveon] Clowney's been amazing, Bobby's always been great. So it's been fun watching the defense.
For the first time in your career you're in the MVP conversation. What does that signify to you and to the team?
Well, I think it's about winning, it's about us. Just, MVP is great, we're trying to win a Super Bowl, we're trying to get it done. So all those things, just trying to stay focused and stay focused on the task at hand.
How important is it to have the special teams play well in terms of the goals that you guys are out to achieve, defense playing well, offense playing well?
Well when we can mix the offense and the defense and then special teams like tonight, the fake punt, that was an amazing call, by Scheids (Brian Schneider) and Coach and everybody else. [Travis] Homer had that sweet play. Some of the stuff we have been doing -- the last kick of the game Malik I think hits him and knocks the ball out and we recover it, Homer picks it up. And those kind of plays on special teams are key. Just to be able to make those plays are huge because it gives us a short field. And our punters and kickers have been great all year, too.
Super important question, have you seen the Baby Yoda Russell Wilson that's going viral on line?
I just got it sent to me so I have seen it, it's pretty cool.
As a guy who's been to the Super Bowl what areas do you want to see tightened up so you can get back to that level?
I think that experiencing two Super Bowls, winning one and unfortunately not winning the second one, but winning a lot of playoff games and being in them, I think that we have everything we need and I think we have everything that we want, I think ultimately what it comes down to is just the details, the small execution things. I think you got to have a clutch gene and I think we have that as a team, we have that clutch gene, we have been clutch all year. When the game's on the line with, up by seven, down by four, whatever it may be, we find a way to win them. And I think great teams, great players, they find ways to win them. And we have that clutch gene. And so we just want to keep that going. And I think we got to stay the course, we got to ignore the noise, and there's going to be a lot of people talking this and that, where we can go and all that. We know where we can go, but it takes one day at a time and so we're going to celebrate this tonight and a wake up tomorrow and get to work on the Rams.
In the bigger picture now, you still have a lot of season left, but this is another 10-win season. To do that after moving on from losing all the high-profile players you had over the last couple seasons, what does that mean?
Well I think to get to 10 wins, again, it's just a blessing. We have a winning culture. You got to have winning habits. Winning doesn't just happen. Winning, how you speak, the things you talk about, the things, how you work in the off-season, how you work during the season, winning is a habit and so I think that we have learned how to win, we have learned how to continue to win and that's what this game's all about is stepping on the field and every time you go on the field you want to give your team a chance to win. So that's why I play the game, that's why I play this position, and I'm grateful I get to do it with the Seattle Seahawks.
T DUANE BROWN
On what it was like to see Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson get going:
It was great. It was great. We take a lot of pride in our running game. Having those two as the one two punch, you couldn't ask for anything better. They run behind their pads, get down to the second level and we appreciate them.
On being first place in the division:
It's a beautiful thing. It hasn't been an easy road, we've fought through a lot of adversity, stayed together and we're playing our best ball right now. Our defense is playing great, getting turnovers and giving us a short field to work with. It's just a great thing and we'll try to keep it going.
On what it was like to rush for a season high today with Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny:
It's incredible. Our run game has been a staple of our offense, that's the foundation. Both of those guys are amazing [running] backs. They're really coming on. Penny especially; Chris has been great throughout the year and Penny is really coming on these past few weeks. Having that one two punch is really going to help us going forward.
On not having any offensive penalties in the game:
It's always a point of emphasis for us to have clean hands and no holding penalties, no pre-snap penalties. Last week, we had some rough areas with that. It's always a point of emphasis for us. Tonight we played clean and that's been the difference.
On what it says about the team to win so many close games:
We're resilient, we're resilient. We're battle tested. We've been in a lot of games like this throughout the year. We wouldn't like to make it this way, we were up by 17 [points]. You get a turnover there and they go down and score. We'd like to play a little bit cleaner, but we always have faith and we always have trust in each other in these close ballgames. Guys make big time plays when it's time to. That's just been our identity.
On what was said at halftime to get them going in the second half:
Just stay the course. Stay the course, come out and start fast in the second half. We didn't play clean, they got a really good play on defense to get that interception for a touchdown and that put them up. Other than that, we felt good about moving the ball. We were moving the ball well. We'll just continue to do that.
S QUANDRE DIGGS
On both Bradley McDougald and him coming up and making big hits:
Of course, it's fun. It's a fun thing. Me and him, we see things the same way. We do a lot of talking during the week, so that definitely helped. It's fun to have a guy beside you that I know is going to bring it each and every week. I've got a lot of respect for him."
On if he knew that he was a Pro Bowl alternate like him:
No, I didn't. So, you got two guys that are high caliber in the back right there. We're trying to control the stuff."
On what it adds to the defense to have two high caliber players like him and McDougald:
I think it's just versatility. I think we both bring a lot of versatility to the table. We feed off each other. I see B Mac making plays. I want to go make a play also, but we celebrate together. We have fun together. At the end of the day, it's a brotherhood. I'm just excited to be here with him and the rest of the guys in the locker room.
On the impact it has on offense to be able to make a big hit in every series:
I just kind of take the wins by themselves. That's my whole thing. If you're going to make a big play like that, you get everybody in the crowd energized. You get the rest of the team energized. You kind of take the weight off those guys. I need to do a better job of wrapping up, also, but at the end of the day, we got the win tonight. We got some things that we all need to fix.
On if this is one of his favorite three-game stretches that he's had in his career:
I'll put it up there at the top, for sure. We have a lot of fun in this locker room. The way Pete [Carroll] and Schneids [John Schneider] put this team together, it's amazing. We have a lot of fun. I'm just enjoying every single moment of it. I'm blessed.
WR DAVID MOORE
On how he was able to get so open on his touchdown catch:
He just kind of let me go inside. He just let me go and it worked out for the best.
On the point at which he knew he had a touchdown:
When I looked at the screen and could see he was a little bit behind me. It was like alright, I can relax a little bit.
On how close he was to making a touchdown catch earlier in the game:
It was a little close. He had my arm a little bit, but we had another chance to go out there and get another one.
DE RASHEEM GREEN
On how he got to the ball to force a fumble today:
Like I've been saying, we've been doing it in practice. The same play that I made a forced fumble on, the same move I did, it was something I've been doing all week in practice. I'm not trying to say I'm not surprised I made that play but, I'm really not that surprised.
On if anything has changed or contributed to his disruptive play on defense:
I wouldn't say it was a move or anything that I've added. Going into year two, I feel like the game has slowed down, I feel more comfortable, I'm finally healthy, and I feel like with all those things just coming together I'm finally making progress.
On the balance of having to get after Kirk Cousins and clog up the middle to slow down Dalvin Cook:
It was more just playing football. Being gap sound, reading our keys, and just playing fast, hard, and strong.
RB CHRIS CARSON
On him and Penny splitting the carries more:
Yeah. It's good. It keeps both of us healthy not putting the load on one person. We complement each other really well. It's good to see that.
On if there was a point where he thought they were able to run all over the Vikings:
Not really. They have a great defense of stopping the run. We knew that for us to win, we have to run the ball. Like I said, the offensive line did a great job of opening the whole. It made our job a lot easier.
On how him and Penny complement each other:
It's great. We have two different running styles, so it keeps the defense on their toes. They don't know what to expect. Rashaad has been practicing so hard these last few weeks, really since training camp. He's just trying get his feel of the game and it's starting to show up.
RB RASHAAD PENNY
On how they were able to run the ball so well against the Vikings:
Preparation throughout the week. Chris got it started from practice day one. We've just been running and competing every day. It's a big competition. The offensive line does a great job, Russ[ell] [Wilson] does an amazing job and from there out, it's just about the running backs executing.
On following up last week's big game with another big game:
It's all about confidence. I believe in myself. I can play here. And then, of course, opportunities. That's something that was lacking in the first half of the season, but I understood. I just stayed put and stayed grounded with where I was. I was just doing the right things: losing weight, extra film, always being on the field running. Just the little things is what helped me.
On how they were able to have success against the Vikings in the red zone where they've been so tough:
I think as an offense, we've just found a groove with running the ball. That wide zone helped us out, we got to read the linebackers and the flow of the linemen. And then it's all about making one cut and getting downhill. I think that's the most impressive thing. [It's] definitely what I've worked on. Stretching it out and hitting it downhill instead of waiting. We just kept hammering away and we found success.
LB K.J. WRIGHT
On how it felt to be playing great defense:
It feels good. It's the perfect time, too.
It's where you start separating yourselves in December. Teams stop falling by the way side. We look tremendous with the run game. Defense getting all these turnovers. Looking fantastic. We're gelling. We're vibing really well together. We've just got to continue. We got a lot more games left. We're trying to get to first place.
On seeing the younger guys starting to make big plays:
Yeah, it's fun. It's just dudes growing before our eyes and becoming a hell of a pro and just taking their studies to the game. I love seeing these guys ball. It's just the beginning.
On the team only having one penalty tonight:
It's just discipline. What was the penalty? (The pass interference call against Tre Flowers) That was a tough call as well. That's tremendous for us to go one penalty, especially in a situation like this. You got really good teams that went against each other. You don't want to beat yourself. Perfect time to do it.
On what Diggs brings to the defense:
He just brings the attitude. He brings a cool personality, too. He's a guy that is always joking around and he's a play maker. He puts his body on the line, going red line to red line to burst up the pass. He's a heck of a teammate and I love playing with him.
CB TRE FLOWERS
On if he feels like his confidence is growing after his third pick of the season:
You could say that. My confidence is growing. I've really been working with Russ [Wilson] a lot before practice and after practice. He just throws me balls and I think it's been working.
On what he thinks has changed in the defense since the beginning of the season:
I don't think anything changed. It's just finally starting to come to us. We keep doing the right things and the right things are going to happen. We keep stripping at the ball, they're going to fumble it. We keep breaking on the routes, we're going to catch it.
On what Quandre Diggs has added to the secondary:
He's a great player. He's a great asset to the defense. He makes plays and he hits people. I don't know if you saw that hit on the tight end today. That shocked me. I couldn't believe it. He came out of nowhere. He plays really physical.
LB BOBBY WAGNER
On if that was their ideal version of football with running the football and playing good defense:
These past few weeks, we've definitely been playing our style of defense. And our team's style. The running backs have been doing an amazing job. [Rashaad] Penny, [Chris] Carson has been doing a great job. I feel like since that 49ers game, we've really been locking in defensively. We still have room to improve on which is the scary thing because we can still get better. We're just going to keep trying to get better.
On if the increase in turnovers is giving the defense more confidence:
Definitely because once you see one, they come in bunches. Everyone feels like they can get them and you're just trying to figure out who's the guy that gets them. They come in key moments, especially like the last one. You think the offense is going to come back and try to drive it down, and then we get a turnover on a kickoff and it's the end of the game so it's fun.
On how important it is to have special teams playing well:
Special teams has been playing amazing. Coach Carroll mentioned before the game he was going to run it, but I forgot so I was surprised just like everyone else when it happened because we were getting ready to go back out there on the field and we saw [Travis] Homer running up the sidelines. I was like, oh yeah, I forgot about the fake punt. It was great timing, great call, amazing execution and it's great to have all three levels playing well.
T GERMAIN IFEDI
On what allows them to be so successful running the ball against Minnesota in various matchups:
We just do our thing, we just do our thing. They're a hell of a team. Nothing is easy with them. We just know we have to grind it out versus them. They're good on all levels of defense so, we just keep on plugging away, and chipping away. We were able to break a couple there, and guys made some terrific plays and we're so excited to get a 'W.'
On what the reaction was like after Russell Wilson's bat down attempt that resulted in a pick-six:
It was a tough play, but you just bounce back. 'Next play' is our mentality, whether the last play was good, bad, or indifferent; a next play type of mentality. The last play is already gone, it's already history, it's already in the history books, it's already etched in. We just move on, we just keep playing. We follow him, we follow that calm demeanor and it's really rubbed off on the rest of us. We're really excited to have him as our leader because a play like that, you'll forget it even happens. It's back to business as usual after that.
SS BRADLEY MCDOUGALD
On what the defense can work on:
We have to be in better sync. We have to communicate more. The 12s do a great job of keeping it loud, keeping it to a point where we can't hear and the offense can't hear, but we have to be able to be on the same page. When you're not, it shows up like that.
On their difficulty being more with communication than execution:
Communication. You can't have half the defense playing one thing and the other half of the defense playing one thing. It really shows. A lot of times, quarterbacks get flushed out where pressure makes up. Plus, the coverages that happened in the back end. They just happened to capitalize on one. We were able to rally back.
On what changed with the defense in the second half of the game:
We have to give credit to them. They came out very strong and they gave us their best shot. We knew that that was their best shot and we were able to rally to keep the game close. We've been thriving in close games. That's nothing to us. Coming out down seven, coming out tied, it doesn't matter because we're coming out with an attitude to get the ball and get it in the offense's hands. Eventually, they're going to crank up and they're going to start scoring, which they did.
DE JADEVEON CLOWNEY
On if he feels any worse physically than he did coming into tonight's game:
I'll be able to tell you tomorrow. Injuries are part of the game, sometimes you can play through them, sometimes you can't. I'm just trying to give my team all I've got; all I've got dealing with that. Hopefully their energy level keeps me up, and the crowd, all of that plays a big part. I just want to go out there and give this crowd and my teammates everything I can offer them and try to win a football game.
On how he was able to chase the play down and force a fumble:
That's just me, that's just me. Just hustling to the ball, I just don't pay the injury any attention, whatever I'm dealing with. Just running to the ball. When you're out there playing, you're just playing for your teammates. When that ball is moving, in my head I'm thinking, 'Just get the ball, don't worry about the injury.' So, I'm running to the ball trying to punch it out. That's how we all are trained, that's how we practice, and that's the mindset of this team. That's just what we do, chase the ball and nobody quits on the play. It's never over until they're called down, so that's just what we do.
On if he knew this Seahawks team was this good before he came:
No, I didn't. I knew Russell [Wilson] and them we're good. I knew they had good players, but I didn't know they could be this good, and people still don't think we're as good as we are. I can see that. We just let those people keep saying we're not good and we keep getting these wins. The unexpected wins; nobody expects us to win games, but you know how it is. It's the National Football League, it's called 'Any Given Sunday.' Any team can be beat on any given Sunday, or Monday. We showed up and we were the better team today and we got the job done.
