HEAD COACH PETE CARROLL

*(Opening…) *  "Well we are really pleased with this performance today, in particular to play in front of the 12s like that and play with them. It was a really fun day here at CenturyLink. We were trying to get to our formula, and we just didn't get started well in the first couple games. But this is how we want to play.  We couldn't be any more specific about it. We want to run the football, we want to play defense and use the kicking game as much as we can to control the field.  All those things happened today. The defense played really well all day long. We gave up a little bit of yardage rushing, particularly late when usually teams are throwing the football, they got some easy runs on us.   The pass rush was terrific overall, with 5 sacks. 3 turnovers by the D, too. Picks again, and then the great play by Bradley McDougald on the forced fumble. Just really good stuff. Earl had a heck of a game with his two picks, both of them were fantastic catches. I didn't get to see them as clear as I want to, and will, but they looked incredible and those were great plays. I am really proud to see the offensive line be able to go out there and protect Russ and allow us to run the football. We ran the ball 39 times today and that's what we're talking about.  Chris was really a workhorse today, going for 30 carries. I just thought that the whole feel of it, the whole attitude, the mentality, everything fit together precisely how we hoped to see it.  Now it's our job to recreate it and do something again with it this week. I thought Russ played really well at controlling the tempo of the game. He was really smart today, he was really on it. I really liked him in the role. He had a lot of stuff he did, a lot of subtle things today that you might not be able to see that we're really happy about in controlling how the rhythm of the game went. All in all it was a terrific day of work, and I'm happy to get it done. "

(On Russell Wilson being very decisive …) "He just handled every aspect of his game really well today. We really just missed out on 3 or 4 balls today that we could have converted on that they did a nice job of defending. They were tightly covered, but the throws were great; the plays to make the ball, but they made a better play on it than we did. Russ was really nice.  We were 6 for 10 in the first half on third down. There you go. Third down numbers on both sides of the ball were right in line with how we want to play, and just give us a chance to play like we like." 

*(On what made the pass rush so effective today …)  *"I thought Ken did a really nice job today of mixing it. We pressured quite a bit today, and picked our spots well. It's what contributed a lot to third down. Again, our coverages, our guys are doing a nice job on the deep end. They're really keeping things in front. They're breaking on the ball nice. We had some challenge wins on third downs, too, the guys in coverage. But I think really mixing the pass rush of pressure and stuff was really effective today."

(On the offensive line play ….) "I was really fired up to get Fluke back in there. You guys don't know a whole lot about D.J. yet, but you'll learn. He's such a spirit on this club. He's so tough and he's so mentally right about loving to play this game. We just missed him the first two weeks. He just has an energy about him that we're really excited about.  Sweez did a great job, moving to left guard taking over for Pocic. That worked out great.  I have to see the film to see how it all went, but just the fact that he was there.  We love J.R. Sweezy. He's a baller, and always has been. So you have that attitude, and you have Fluke out there. Those guys can make a difference. Joey did a great job today. To get through the whole game, and control the line of scrimmage with the calls and all the communication that had to take place. It showed all of the great work that he's done in his preparation, to be able to just jump in there and play. I know Britt's worried about a Wally Pipp story coming out, so he'll be battling back this week. Do you guys know Wally Pipp?" 

(On the effectiveness of the running game today…)  "We just got clear on the commitment and the value of running the football and we just stayed with it. We talked about it all week. We've been talking about it for some time. I was really disappointed that we didn't come into the season in that mode. But, it was because we had gone for it in some things that we did in the first two weeks. This is where we want to be, so we've righted it hopefully. It won't mean anything unless we come back and do it next week. One week was good, though, and it's a great illustration of what we can be like."

(On the play of Tyler Lockett…) "He's off to a great start. He has a touchdown in every game, he's making plays, makes things happen. He's really good at getting open underneath on the third down stuff in the slot. It gives us a great variety when Doug gets back, that we can have those guys. He's playing great football. Have you ever seen anybody run a punt back smiling? He was smiling on his last punt return. He came over to the sidelines and he was smiling. He was smiling during the return. Woody Hayes used to say you can't make a tackle with a smile on your face, but you can return a punt with your smile. He did it today." 

(On whether this will be the regular process with Earl Thomas each week …) "Let me tell you what I do know. What I do know is he gave everything he had today. He was in every step of the way, every aspect of the game. The communications, the focus and the adjustments, and we were going, I was with him on some of those things on the sidelines. He was in everything. He played his tail off and he had a blast playing, and he had a blast in the locker room. I'll talk to him next week about whatever."

(On the first win since last December…) "It has been a while. I like winning in preseason. We didn't do that this time around, just because it's more fun. In that regard, our guys have been waiting, so they're really excited to get it done. But more importantly, we took a really good positive step forward, and it's obvious what we did and how it happened. We think we can build on that."

(On the impact of Bobby Wagner on the defense…) "He's been with us through everything, through all of the stuff. When he's not there, it's not going to be the same. Somebody else is going to try to find their way to contribute the best they can. But he's an extraordinary competitor and an extraordinary player and in our system, how he manages and helps the guys around him, it's immeasurable. I don't know how to quantify that for you, but he's just extraordinarily valuable to us and a wonderful player." 

(On whether Wagner is a guy that makes everyone around him better….)  "Yes, that's exactly; I wish I had said that. That's exactly what he is. He's one of those guys."

(On the play of Bradley McDougald…) "He's a good ballplayer. He's playing really well. He's a terrific cover guy. He knocked the ball down on a cross route today and he was involved in another pick, and also in the turnover; a fantastic forced fumble on a big play. He's playing great ball."

(On the lesser-noticed things that Russell Wilson did today…) "It's managing the tempo and the line of scrimmage and the cadence. They had to call time outs today, a couple different times, because they weren't ready for what we were doing. They didn't want to let the ball get snapped. Those were subtle aspects for how he contributes. He was responsible for all of that happening, in the management manner that he has and how he's doing it. That's something that he and Schotty have worked on all offseason. It just didn't show up in the first couple weeks. We couldn't get the first downs. In this one you could really see, and we're just getting started and growing with that. It's not just going no-huddle, there's other aspects of just tempo. When he's in control of it, we're really at our best."

(On why the third downs were more effective in the first half than in previous games…)  "We didn't have any of the big negative shots. The sticks were much more favorably aligned. Then we were able to convert them and make some nice plays and the protection was good and all that. The guys up front played a really good game today. They played a really good game today. They were solid throughout, they had the right attitude about it. Knocking the ball in the end zone down there, Chris's touchdown, it was just really physical and tough down there. Really good to see." 

(On the tackle by Shaquem Griffin on a punt…)  "Yes, that was so good the way everybody responded. It was such a great play on a fantastic returner. It was as open field as you can get, and as solid a tackle as you can make. That was a thrill to see the guys all get fired up for him."

(On whether Mychal Kendricks has played better than expected…) "I think he's a really good player. I love the way he plays the game, and I love the energy and the intensity that he brings and the focus that he brings. His movement is excellent. He's tough. I think he brings more than I knew of in the process of figuring out bringing him on the team. He'd always been a good player, but he has more intangibles that he brings as well that really add to the whole energy of the group. So, when we can have him, we're going to really love that."

(On how different was the preparation this week compared to other weeks…) "It was a pretty challenging week. There was a lot of stuff that happened this week. All the way up until getting everybody on the active list, too, today. It's just been a week with a lot of guys coming and going with their injuries that are right on the edge of it. It was a very busy week. It was fun. That's how it goes, and who wants it to be dull? I don't."

QB RUSSELL WILSON

(On the offensive line and the running game…) "It was exciting. I think that the offense line did a tremendous job. To see guys step up and play, like J.R. Sweezy playing left guard for the first time in his career, having D.J. [Fluker] back in there and Joey Hunt. I thought [Joey] was the star of the game really. If you really think about it, to be able to do all of the things that we did offensively, put pressure on the defense, mix it up with all the calls and everything else that we did, I thought he did a tremendous job. He's worked so hard. He's one of the best guys to get to work with, Joey Hunt, because he loves the game and he loves the game and he understands the game. He processes things really well. Him and Justin [Britt], to have those two guys play the way that they do is great."

(On the offense running 39 run plays…) "It was huge. I just loved how physical we were. That's how we want to be. I think at the end of the day, the first two weeks, we were so off schedule. It really comes down to that. If we can stay on schedule like we did tonight, I'm not sure if we had any penalties, maybe one or two, but we stayed on schedule and that gives us a great, tremendous chance to make the plays that we want to. Chris Carson is a star. He can do everything and he had a great game tonight."

(On what he saw from the Dallas defense…) "They definitely mixed it up. They definitely mixed it up a bunch with their coverages. We were able to keep it really challenging for them and to be able to have coach Schottenheimer having a tremendous job talking to me and calling plays and mixing it up. Being on the line of scrimmage, putting pressure on them, mixing it up a lot too. It was a lot of fun to be able to do what we wanted to do tonight."

(On what the offense saw on the touchdown to Tyler Lockett since they ran the play quickly…) "We wanted to change the tempo and mix it up. It's like basketball, you want to be able to get the rebound and kick it up and if it's not there, you pull back and get the play that you want. I think we were able to just have a lot of different schemes and thoughts and plays and ideas. We knew what we wanted to do and that's what we've been wanting to do in terms of the first two games. Unfortunately, we weren't able to do that. I think a lot of that is just a tribute to being in long distances, but tonight we were able to stay where we wanted to stay mentally and physically and just be right where we wanted to be and get ourselves a great chance. I thought we did good on third downs for the most part and convert and make plays when we needed to."

(On what was the key to flipping the offense around this week…) "I think it's very simple and that was to stay on schedule. You play the game so hard and so physical sometimes, a call here, a call there. Things happen. But we responded through hard work, we responded through communication of how we wanted to be and who we believe we are and what we can be. It's one game. You never get too high and you never get too low. That's always been the case. I'll always believe that. We're excited to get our first win at home, to be here in CenturyLink, to have the best fans in the world, the energy of the stadium, you feed off of that. That was huge for us."

(On if he heard D.J. Fluker saying they should run the ball to the right side…) "D.J. is as tough as it gets. He's as tough as nails. All of our linemen did that tonight, they were really making some amazing blocks. I love his energy. He loves football. He's passionate about the game so that was exciting."

(On if it felt more comfortable this week with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer…) "It's felt great since the beginning. It's very simple. When we can't stay on schedule, it makes it tough just in general. Especially when the first two teams that we played, they are great defensive teams. The team that we played tonight has a great defense too with a lot of great players. When you're playing in the National Football League, you have to give yourself the best chance to be successful. We were able to do that and it comes down to us players doing that and making sure that we're doing that as individuals and as players. It's a group effort. We had a tremendous week of practice again and it translated today and we're excited about that. And it's back to work tomorrow. I think the cool thing about coach Schottenheimer is how much knowledge and how many things we're talking about throughout the week and how much time we're spending together. Just our whole offense and what we're thinking about and how to go after teams. Just trying to slice and dice with the run game, the passing game and doing everything that we want to do. It's just continuing to grow."

(On what Tyler Lockett has brought the first three games…) "Tyler is a special player. He's always been special and he works really hard. He loves the game, he gets out there early to practice, he stays out after late. It's not a complicated thing. Success leaves clues. I think that he works at it and that's the reality. Tyler is fun to play with, anytime he touches the football, you never know what may happen. He can really be explosive, whether it's a punt return, a kick return or running down the field and catching a quick pass or whatever it is, any time he touches the football, it's a good thing for the Seattle Seahawks. It's a good thing for our team and what we can do. I think a lot of guys too are making plays tonight so that was exciting."

(On how big it is for the offense when the defense has three takeaways…) "It's huge. That's how we want to be able to play football. We want to keep it challenging for their offense and get turnovers and we respond. We were able to do that tonight and be great. We want to be great in the red zone and I think we were two for two today in the red zone. I'm not 100 percent sure, but I'm pretty sure we were. To be able to be on top of our game where it really matters and to be great on third downs, to be great in the red zone, get turnovers, be explosive when we need to be, all those things came together. I've been saying and we've been saying around and in the locker room, in the planes and everything else, imagine what we're going to do when we all click together at the same moment at the same time. We were able to do that tonight. And it's just staying the course. It's just staying the course and believing and having a clear head and loving the game. I think the reality is that you have to love the process above the result. And we're doing that. I think that's what gives us a great chance to be successful over and over again. We're going to stay the course and love the process more than the result."

(On if Chris Carson was running with the same physicality in the fourth quarter as he was at the beginning of the game after 32 carries…) "He just gets stronger and stronger as the game goes along. First of all, I think it's a tribute to the offensive line and how they did tonight and how they just continue to battle and battle. And with Chris staying the course and being as physical as he can be. He can really make things happen."

(On if he appreciates throwing a guy his first touchdown of the season…) "When you throw a touchdown to a guy for the first time like Brandon [Marshall] in Denver where he played before and to throw a touchdown here to [Jaron Brown], he made a great play. It's just so much fun, especially when you get a guy for his first time on touchdowns. It's always exciting. I think our guys like [Will] Dissly, there's been some fun things that have happened. We're on our way. We just need to stay the course and continue to keep our heads down and keep working."

RB CHRIS CARSON

(On how he is feeling) "I feel good. Just to get a win at home, it feels amazing."

(On how he feels physically after 32 carries) "I'll probably feel more of it tomorrow morning. I'll let you know about that. Right now, I feel pretty good."

(On if he's ever had 32 carries in a game) "I think the last time I had that I was probably a junior in college or high school."

(On having only a few carries the first few games opposed to today) "I mean, whatever helps the team win. If it's 32 carries, if it's five carries, whatever it may be, I'm just trying to help the team win. I mean it's football. I'm 24, I have a lot of energy."

(On if this was how he expected the defense to respond if the running game got started) "Yeah, I mean it's really the main thing. You run the ball it opens windows for the receivers. If you pass a lot, it helps the running game get going. It's just a balance on the offensive side and it really showed today."

(On Pete talking about the front line) "Yeah, we did great. Without them, none of this would have happened. All credit goes to them. For us, as running backs, you know, we have to make something of this. We are key. So, you know, they've been big on that this whole week. The offensive line did a great job."

(On what it was like to have D.J Fluker on the field) "He's a big guy. That energy that he brings on the sideline. You know, run the ball, run the ball."

(On if he feels better as a player as the game goes on) "I feel like every running back really does. Once you start getting the rhythm, that's when big plays start to happen. Receivers, running backs, quarterbacks, that's just how football is really."

(On if this was the offense they envisioned going into the season) "Yeah. This is the offense that we claimed to be the whole off season. Be a balanced attack. Run the ball, throw the ball, put points on the board. It felt good to do it today."

WR TYLER LOCKETT

(On if his touchdown catch was designed to come to him) "You never know what play is going to go to you. It's just being able to run and it's based off of what the DB's and what the defensive coverage is. We called the perfect play against the coverage that we knew they were going to do. It could have went to me, it could have went to D-Mo (David Moore), it could have went to Keenan (Reynolds). It could have went to any of us."

(On Doug Baldwin) "At the end of the day, we all want him to be on the field. Regardless if he's playing or not, being able to have his existence and being able to have him right there near us allows us to have that type of confidence and that type of drive and hunger because we still have it because we know he has it. He's still our leader and he's there emotionally and he's there to be able to help us with the mental parts of still being able to get open. He can still tell us what he's seeing and it's more easy for him to tell us what he's seeing because he's watching."

LB BOBBY WAGNER

(On how they adjusted to stop the running game in the second half…) "I felt like in the first half, we were in the backfield a lot. In the second half, he got a couple runs off. But I definitely feel like we're growing. I'm happy with that."

(On how he felt playing again after his injury…) "I felt really good. I felt good. I'm a little sore, but I'm good."

(On the resiliency of the defense…) "We got heart. We have a lot of heart. No matter what, no matter who's out there, if you have heart, you can do a lot of things in life. I feel like it shows."

(On what Earl Thomas provided for the defense today…) "He got a couple picks. He was flying around, being himself. That's what we expect out of him."

(On if he felt like he was playing with some pent up frustration after sitting out of the Chicago game…) "Well I was definitely excited to get out there. I was waiting for them to run this one particular run and they did it on the third play. The tight end falls back and [Ezekiel Elliott] tries to run it up the middle so I just shot the gap. It just felt good to be back out there and to be back celebrating with the guys and having fun."

(On returning from injury) "I felt great. I felt like the energy was really good. I'm a little sore, but I felt good."

(On the pressure that the defense was able to have on the Dallas offense) "We just wanted to get after the quarterback. I felt like if we can stop the run game, make them one-dimensional, we liked our chances with Dak (Prescott) throwing it. I feel like we did a good job. We got to finish better, they got a lot of runs towards the end of the game in the second half. That can't happen. We got a win, so it's good."

(On how satisfying it was to get a week three win) "It's very important. Especially being at home, you want to protect home. We felt like coming home, we had to make sure we made a statement and got the season on the right track. We're 1-2. Me personally, I've been in this position before, so I'm not too worried. I'm happy with our progression and I feel like we are going to keep moving forward."

DE FRANK CLARK

(On Earl Thomas…) "[Earl Thomas] is the GOAT. He keeps playing like greatness, he's playing like he deserves one of those yellow jackets. At the end of the day, that's Earl. Earl is going to do Earl, I think we all know that. Everybody is panicking and wondering where Earl is at, but I'm sure he's getting better somewhere in his little cave or something. But at the end of the day, I'm just glad to have him. I've been playing with him for four years. To have another year with him, to have a few more years with him, I'll be thankful. But just to know that I have a guy like that behind me as I'm rushing, to know that he's holding up the receivers like that, it makes my job much easier."

(On what worked in the pass rush today…) "I was just focusing in on Tyron [Smith]. They said that's the best offensive tackle in the game. That's all I pride myself in doing. I like rushing against the best, that's why I stay on the right side. No matter what the competition level is, no matter who I'm going against, I'm only going to rush on the right side against the left tackles because I want to be rushing against the best every week. I had another guy who they say is one of the top tackles in the league, if not the best tackle for the past eight or nine years, and I wanted to challenge him and give him my best as I did last year. I feel like if I can keep doing that, I can keep getting greater and greater. At the end of the day, I don't want to stoop low to my competition or raise my competition to the type of player that I'm playing. I keep coming with the same effort every week no matter who I'm playing. The results are continuing to prove themselves."

SS BRADLEY McDOUGALD

(On the turnovers that the defense has created) "Guys are doing their job, but that doesn't always bring you the ball. I just think we got a lot of opportunities and we know what to do when we get those opportunities. Guys have definitely brought the ball in, we really made it a focal point. We are working harder. Something's going our way. I can't put my finger on it but I know we're playing with great enthusiasm, great technique. Usually when you put those two things together, good things are going to happen."

(On how the communication has progressed over the past couple of weeks) "That's one thing that we have over-done. With the emergence of so many news guys - you got (Austin) Calitro, you got Mychal Kendricks that just came, you got a rookie corner (Tre Flowers) that just got back out of injury. That's the only reason we were close last week is because we communicated. We made (Mychal) Kendricks feel so comfortable that he just had to do his job, and it's the same thing."

G D.J. FLUKER

(On how close the offense was today to what they envisioned the offense looking like) "I mean, we haven't arrived yet. I'm not going to say we were perfect today, but we did a great job keeping them at bay, only giving up two sacks, and we did a great job executing. After that, we come back, regroup… and go for next week."

(On how good of a step it was for him jumping in with Joey [Hunt] at center and J.R [Sweezy] on the left side for the first time) "It was great. I mean, you've got two physical guards on the inside. We are going to go right and left. That was great for us. Sweezy stepped up and so I moved over. I think we did a great job communicating."

(On how nice it was for a running back to get 30 carries in a game) "It was awesome. I mean, we ran the ball 39 times, and having a running back having 30 carries is great. For any back. So, I think we were very balanced."

(On having the first Seahawks rusher to go over 100 yards since December 2016 in his first game and if it is indicative of what is to come) "We got 100 to 102 yards we rushed for. I think we can go for at least 150, or 130. We just have to keep our communication great and be able to counteract more and keep everything balanced to take the pressure off Russell [Wilson], we'll be fine."

T DUANE BROWN

(On if things are better when the run game is effective) "Absolutely, absolutely. That's what you want to do. No one wants to drop back 40, 50 times a game. When you're able to be aggressive and come off the ball, that's what we want to do as an offensive lineman. We got some big guys over here. When you're able to run the ball effectively and the defense knows you're going to run it and you're still able to get yards, there is no better feeling. This is the win that we needed right here. When we're able to play our style of football and win in a decisive victory, it's a great feeling. We're going to enjoy it, but we still got some work to do though."

(On if this is what he envisioned the offense looking like prior to the season) "Very close, very close. We still left some plays out there that we'd like to have back. This is the kind of game we want to play. To be able to have the coach's faith to dial-up a lot of runs. The running backs ran hard, we were able to lock them up front. There were some big plays in the passing game as well. Defense gets three turnovers and keeps the ball on our side, that's the game we want to play. It's a pretty good team to beat over there, looking forward to what we can do in the future."

CB SHAQUILL GRIFFIN

(On the Seahawks defense) "Oh yeah, and we made that commitment early. We all want to be on the field for each other and count on each other, and that's something that Bobby (Wagner) was expressing since we were in camp. We all believe in that. When you've got a team like this or defense like this that believes in each other, you can't go wrong. Right now, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I fight for my own defense. Bobby, Earl (Thomas), no matter who it is, I'll go to war with them."

(On the adjustment to stop the run) "Everybody's just got to play their keys and their assignment. Its nothing that they did that was messing us up. We've just got to make sure we do our assignments the correct way. The one thing we got to do is go back to the drawing board and make sure we did everything correct. That's the only difference we made. Nothing changed."