All right, good to see everybody all the way across the country. Look, it was a great win by our guys. You know, felt like it’s the same story every week but we didn’t flinch. Big emphasis this week was like can we stack plays in all three phases. Took us a half to do it, but I felt like in the second half we did a great job by responding to the takeaway. [LB] DeMarcus Lawrence had a phenomenal play; then we were able to punch it in. And [TE] AJ Barner was really a spark plug for us on offense. And then come back with another takeaway with [S] Julian [Love] in a phenomenal play, and then just go finish out in the fourth quarter. I feel like it was cool to end of the game in a four-minute touchdown, I thought. That was something that we have been wanting to get done all year, and the guys did a great job. You know, fly back home and get ready for next week.
On LB DeMarcus Lawrence and S Julian Love, as veterans stepping up at this time of the year
Yeah, it’s big time. It’s big time. I mean with ‘D-Law’ [LB DeMarcus Lawrence] you feel like it’s a play waiting to happen and [S] Julian [Love] it’s –he has a playmaking ability about him. There is also a poise about him as well. So two great players that we love and love having them here.
It was probably [RB] Zach’s [Charbonnet] best game as a Seahawk I would imagine. Definitely in the last two years. You know, just sometimes—like I was telling ‘K-9’ [RB Kenneth Walker III], K-9 played a great game, too. Sometimes that’s the way the game goes on some of those creases and things. I mean the third down conversion was incredible. Some of those black zone runs are—like 95 was a block in the hole and makes the guy miss. It’s a two-yard game. That’s a big time two yards, so it’s not just the explosive runs. It’s all those tough yards as well. And then obviously finishing out in the four-minute was big time.
On the run game having success two weeks in a row
Yeah, it’s good. It’s right where we want to be at this point. We have to keep going. San Francisco has a good run defense and go put a great plan together and let’s rock and roll.
On his mentioning the feeling of having two starting running backs
Yeah, it’s great. I mean, that’s the thing with [RB] Kenneth [Walker III]. Hey, man, he’s playing great football. He’s an integral part of our operation, just like [RB] Zach [Charbonnet] has been when Ken has been getting the bulk of the carries. So it’s great. We got two really great backs, and sometimes—it’s just like when sometimes when the offense needs to pick up the defense and vice versa. It could be the same thing in a position group.
On the way the team tackled today
Yeah, I’m glad you brought that up. You’re absolutely right. I thought our guys—this a good offense. They been moving the ball and they been creating explosives and been doing a great job recently. It’s because they got great players, great scheme, the whole nine. Those are some open-field tackles as well that those guys were making, and those were critical yards. I mean, you miss that tackle, now you’re in a third and two, this is a great fourth down team. Kind of the shape of that drive really takes a turn when you’re able to staple guys. I felt like it was all three levels, so I’m glad you brought that up.
On the pride of the defense takes on being able to flip the momentum and responding to the takeaway after QB Sam Darnold’s interception.
That’s what they do. That’s what they do. They take pride in it. It’s not like I’m the one telling them to go out—I mean I am, but they respond to each other. It’s a special group.
On what the referees told him about the fumble where QB Sam Darnold’s hand looked like it was going forward
They said it wasn’t enough to overturn. I disagree. I think his hands were going forward. I thought we got to the spot on the fourth down. There are some things that—this is part of the course. You’re not going to come out of a game in the NFL and be like, hey, look, every break went our way and I’m very excited about it. Things aren’t going to go your way, calls aren’t going to go your way, and obviously you’re not going agree with everything. I think you got to also go to the next play.
On WR Rashid Shaheed update
Yeah, it was a concussion and he wasn’t able to come back.
On WR Cody White injury update
[WR] Cody [White] was a groin. Yeah, groin. Yeah, we’ll see. Probably going to be some time with Cody.
On ending the first half with the sneak
Yeah, we’re trying to get into our two-minute mode and trying to push the ball forward. We were trying; we just weren’t doing it. That’s the way the drive went. Again, we have the ball coming out of the half and originally trying to go score a touchdown but weren’t able to get it going. So at that point trying to get in field goal range and didn’t get it, you know. But we—by doing that we also basically eliminated their ability to go score a field goal as well, so that was the thought behind it.
On the sneak with QB Sam Darnold, why not go with the TE AJ Barner tush push?
Well you got to burn a timeout and then you got to put personnel on the field. We been good in those situations we’ve gotten in up to this point. We’ll look at—I don’t know. Looked like to me and from the naked eye that we got it; but they said we didn’t.
On the decision to hurry to the next play regarding the replay of the RB Kenneth Walker III fumble
No. We were just trying to convert the first and take a time out and then push the ball down the field more.
On the level of concern with the two more turnovers with QB Sam Darnold and the offense
Yeah, it’s really just the ball being in jeopardy. You know, so deflections, things like that, I mean, those things happen, but I think if we take care of like the front end of the plays better, it won’t be as big of an issue. So we call it “eat.” It’s how you finish plays. We got to double down on that. It’s critical this part of the year.
On what he has learned about LB DeMarcus Lawrence
Well, AD [Coach Aden Durde] deserves a shout out here because he was with [LB] Demarcus [Lawrence] for their time in Dallas and the alignment that AD and really the rest of everybody else and myself, like understanding about what type of people we want to bring in the building and the skillsets that we need in our defense, it really was a no-brainer. I think they just—we knew who he was and then we take pride in creating an environment where guys love coming to work and you can play your best football. That goes for whatever year he is now, ten, 12-year vets. I’m happy about his spirit that he has. You can feel his love for the game. That comes out on the field, so it’s been great. It’s been great. We love him. Doing a great job.
On TE AJ Barner’s performance
Yeah, critical. Like I told the team he’s a spark plug for us. Attitude-wise got an edge to him, got a swag. All those things, those are Seahawk traits and he’s that guy and we feed off him. We need him. He’s a great player.
Yeah, basically de facto goal line. Nowadays you don’t go like goal line at the five if you’re getting goal line type of plays at a certain point in the red zone.
On how critical it has been for the offense with TE AJ Barner taking the next step as a pass catcher
Well, I think it’s similar to ‘Jax’ [WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba]. You know, you want to have visions for your players bigger than they have for themselves. And these two guys, to their credit, this is their vision for their game, on where they wanted to take it from the day they stepped in the door or that we met them. All he’s done is attack it and make it come to life. I know we always felt like he could be a complete tight end in our league at an elite level, and he is on his way to being that. So especially in this offense, to have that threat where he’s not just an extra tackle or whatever out there. That’s big time. That’s big for us.
On S Ty Okada’s performance
Yeah, look, it’s remarkable. It really is. He’s just—his tackling all year has been phenomenal. I’m thinking of a play in Atlanta, he’s coming across, making a play. He’s a tough son of a gun and takes great angles and trusts it. It’s a shout out to the rest of the team too. There were some open-field tackles that were big time, but also like every tackle needs to be some sort of vice. Like you’re never just going to be on your own out there. Guys were running to the ball and were populating the football even if the ball breaks.
On WR Cooper Kupp’s third down catch
Yeah, big time catch. I know it wasn’t [QB] Sam’s [Darnold] best game of all-time and the stats reflect that, but there are some big time third down throws with pressure in his face. He threw the one to ‘Jax’ [WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba] that route to [WR] Cooper [Kupp.] Those are some big time throws that in the face of pressure that we need to be able to make. They’re not easy to make. That was a big time catch by ‘Coop’ [WR Cooper Kupp]. That was awesome.
On the potential of getting top seed in the NFC and what it means to the team
I’m going to give you the boring answer. I think it’s the same story. As we’re hitting these benchmarks, it’s going to be the same message to the team because that’s what’s got us to this point. We’re going to do everything in our power to go win this one and we’ll go play the next one. You know, but that’s the message. It takes 100% of everybody all the time every week. Nothing changes this week. One of our goals is to win the division. It’s going to come down to if we win the game we win the division, so we’ll hit the next goal.
On seeing the play that C Jalen Sundell made
Yeah, heard he had his first PBU. I didn’t see it but they told me about it. Guys will love that one.