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Check out what San Francisco 49ers players and coaches are saying about the Seattle Seahawks before the two teams meet in Week 17 at Levi's Stadium.
Head Coach Chip Kelly
(On how the Seahawks look different now than last time they played them...)"Unfortunately Russell [Wilson] is a little healthier now than the first time we played them. I think facing a different type of quarterback, he took off and ran a lot more in the Arizona game than he has in the past, which kind of tells you he's back up. I think he was dealing with an ankle and then a knee when we played him the last time. I think especially on the offensive side of the ball it's a healthy Russell Wilson. That's going to be a very tough test for our defense."
(On the Seahawks' defense...)"Just a lot of really good players. [Michael] Bennett, [Cliff] Avril, [Frank] Clark, [K.J.] Wright, [Bobby] Wagner, [Richard] Sherman, [Kam] Chancellor. Obviously they lost Earl [Thomas] at free safety but [Steven] Terrell has done a good job back there and it's a talented defense at all three levels of the D-line, at the linebacker and at the secondary. That's going to be a challenge for us offensively."
(On if the Seahawks' defense has changed without Earl Thomas…)"Their defense is their defense. Obviously when you lose an All-Pro player like Earl in the middle of the field it's going to be slightly different just because is there a little drop off between one safety to the other safety, but the scheme itself is still the same, and actually, Terrell has played pretty well back there. Obviously when you lose a player of that caliber — he's one of the best in the game at free safety, but they haven't really lost much. I think maybe the other guys have actually picked it up since he's been away, but even though Earl's not there, Sherman's still there, Wagner's still there, Wright's still there, Bennett's still there, Avril's still there, so they're still doing the same exact things."
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick
(On if the Seahawks defense has maintained continuity through the years…)"Yeah. They've kept a lot of their core players. You see a lot of similar faces, familiar faces on defense and they run their defense, they run it very well. They know exactly what they're doing over there and they're very successful. They win a lot of one-on-one matchups, things like that. So, that's something that we have to be prepared for."
(On the NFC West Division this year...)"It's hard to say what it is, in particular. Teams change every year, there's a lot of things that can factor into that. For me I see this as a very talented division still. I just don't think we've won as many close games this year as we have in years past. Those few games where, it's a few games for each team make a whole lot of difference. It just seems like this year, this division as whole we haven't won some of those close games so our records look the way they do now."
RB Shaun Draughn
(On being the expected starter for Sunday's game against the Seahawks after the season-ending injury to Carlos Hyde…) "Any time you get to start in this League is big, man. I just thank God for the opportunity like always and hopefully we can go out and pretty much play the way we did in the fourth quarter of the Rams game and get a win."
(On this week's game against Seattle being a showcase game heading into free agency…) "I feel like every game is a showcase. Any time you can go out there and show what you can do I think it's a good thing. So this game is no bigger than the other ones."
DL DeForest Buckner
(On how he'll approach training this offseason…) "I'm going back to EXOS for a month in San Diego and working with those guys over there because they got my body right and everything, just working on little things. When I go back home I'm going to try to link up with [Seahawks defensive end] Michael Bennett again, me and Arik [Armstead] are going to go back out there in Hawaii and train with them, so I've got a pretty good plan going into the offseason."
LT Joe Staley
(On if it means more to potentially return to the lineup from injury against a team like Seattle…)"Yeah. It's a football game. It's against anybody. I'm ready to go against anybody, you get jacked up to play against anybody. Going against Seattle, we know what those guys bring up front, especially."
- Fore more, head to 49ers.com
Get to know the faces of the San Francisco 49ers offensive and defensive units heading into the team's Week 3 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick smiles after the 49ers' 22-21 win over the Los Angeles Rams during an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (17) celebrates a first down catch during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, in Santa Clara, Ca. The 49ers won the game, 28-0. (Greg Trott via AP)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Aaron Burbridge (13) grabs a pass and warms up for play against the Carolina Panthers in an NFL football game Sept. 18, 2016 in Charlotte, N. C. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Rod Streater (81) warms up for play against the Atlanta Falcons in a week 15 NFL football game Dec. 18, 2016 in Atlanta. The Falcons won 41 - 13. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Chris Harper (14) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
San Francisco 49ers running back Shaun Draughn (24) before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. The Patriots defeated the 49ers, 30-17. (Ryan Kang via AP)
San Francisco 49ers running back DuJuan Harris (32) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
San Francisco 49ers tight end Garrett Celek (88) makes a touchdown catch against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford (23) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
San Francisco 49ers' Joe Staley (74) on the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. The Panthers won 46-27. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
San Francisco 49ers guard Joshua Garnett (65) watches play against the Atlanta Falcons in a week 15 NFL football game Dec. 18, 2016 in Atlanta. The Falcons won 41 - 13. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle John Theus (71) during the NFL preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Friday, Aug. 26, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. The Packers won, 21-10. (Ric Tapia via AP)
San Francisco 49ers guard Zane Beadles (68) blocks against the Carolina Panthers in an NFL football game Sept. 18, 2016 in Charlotte, N. C. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Andrew Tiller (61) rests during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, in Santa Clara, Ca. The 49ers won the game, 28-0. (Greg Trott via AP)
San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Trent Brown (77) sets to block against the Carolina Panthers in an NFL football game Sept. 18, 2016 in Charlotte, N. C. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Mike Purcell (64) runs in pursuit during an NFL game against the St. Louis Rams at Levi's Stadium on January 3, 2016. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16 in overtime (Kevin Terrell via AP)
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Quinton Dial (92) runs forward during a preseason NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, August 14, 2016 in Santa Clara, Calif. The Texans won the game 24-13. (Paul Jasienski via AP)
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks gets set on defense prior to a play in action against the Seattle Seahawks during a NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015 in Seattle. The Seahawks won the game, 29-13. (G. Newman Lowrance via AP)
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Gerald Hodges (51) in pursuit against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, September 18, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers defeated the 49ers 46-27. (Terrell Lloyd via AP Images)
San Francisco 49ers' Eli Harold (58) gets free after a fumble against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. The Panthers won 46-27. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
San Francisco 49ers defensive back Tramaine Brock (26) waits for the snap during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, in Santa Clara, Ca. The 49ers won the game, 28-0. (Greg Trott via AP)
San Francisco 49ers strong safety Antoine Bethea (41) signals to his teammates during the NFL regular season game against the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia via AP)
San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ronald Blair (98) runs during a week 13 NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, in Chicago. The Bears won 26-6. (Scott Boehm via AP)
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aaron Lynch (59) sets for play against the Atlanta Falcons in a week 15 NFL football game Dec. 18, 2016 in Atlanta. The Falcons won 41 - 13. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Keith Reaser (27) catches a pass before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Chris Jones (93) looks on from the sidelines during a week 13 NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, in Chicago. The Bears won 26-6. (Scott Boehm via AP)
San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman DeForest Buckner (99) looks on from the sidelines during a week 13 NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, in Chicago. The Bears won 26-6. (Scott Boehm via AP)
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Rashard Robinson (33) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite (57) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
San Francisco 49ers defensive back Jaquiski Tartt (29) defends during an NFL preseason game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, August 14, 2016, in Santa Clara, Ca. The Texans won the game, 24-13. (Greg Trott via AP)
San Francisco 49ers punter Bradley Pinion (5) against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, September 18, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers defeated the 49ers 46-27. (Terrell Lloyd via AP Images)
San Francisco 49ers long snapper Kyle Nelson stands during warmups before a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson warms up before the start of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
