Postgame quotes from the following:
(A lot to unpack but wanted to get your thoughts on the third down spot. It looked on TV that they were short of where the sticks were when they measured. What explanation did you get on that play?)
"They ruled their first down. Looked at it on replay and they let it stand. That's the explanation I've got."
(Can you assess what you saw from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick today? I know a lot of the – some of the two turnovers were not on him, but how would you evaluate his performance?)
"I thought we moved the ball pretty efficiently on offense. I believe – I know we picked up a lot of first downs and moved the chains. What we didn't do well was finish well in the red zone. You're never going to beat a team like that kicking field goals. I think we all know and understand that. I thought – any time you turn the ball over, you don't want that. Those aren't good, but for the most part I thought we moved it well. I thought 'Fitz' (Ryan Fitzpatrick) ran it, threw it; but at the end of the day you've got to finish in the red zone."
(Those two drives in the fourth quarter by the Seahawks to kind of put it away, what were some of the things that weren't happening there for your defense in the fourth quarter?)
"We just didn't play well enough in the fourth quarter. We've talked about finishing games and playing well in the fourth quarter, and we didn't get it done today offensively or defensively. So we've got to – it starts with me; I've got to coach it better, and we've got to play better, try to place emphasis on playing well, playing our best in the fourth quarter. We didn't do that and we need to. We've been in every game. It's been close in the fourth quarter and we've got to finish better.
(Knowing K Jason Sanders was perfect, were there any regrets with the fifth field goal in terms of aggressiveness, not going there on fourth down there, on the fifth field goal?)
"After a game you think of every situation; you could have done this, could have done that. In that situation you lose two yards, it's fourth-and-5, third-and-3 to fourth-and-5, you pull within two. Just felt like we'd stopped them a couple of times prior to that, felt like that was the best move right there. Again, in hindsight, you could look at it, given the score and given the way the rest of the game went, you could sit there and say, hey, we should have done this, that or the other. But we'll look at all of it and just hopefully try to be better the next time."
(Things were going reasonably well at the end of the half until the 57-yard pass that Seattle hit. What did you see on that play and how did it affect your team at that point?)
"I think we responded fairly well. We came out in the second half, got a turnover defensively. Went down, kicked a field goal. Kicked another field goal. I thought we responded well, so I think they responded well from that as far as that particular play. We didn't play well. We didn't play well at all. I think we were out of position and that's what happens, especially against a good quarterback. So that was the case on a few other plays and he found them on some of those shorter routes. Your opposition or a step too wide or too much inside and he found him. He found him on that long play. You've got to play well. You've got to be sound. We weren't on that play."
(Obviously you say that the CB Noah Igbinoghene is a resilient young man, but when you play like he did today where it was very noticeable about his struggles, how do you respond from that? What's your response from that?)
"Come back in to work tomorrow, watch the film, make the corrections, make the improvement, get better. That's what we all do. Players, coaches, doesn't really matter what field you're in; you learn from your experiences and hopefully get better."
(Last week against the Bills and the Jaguars, there was six touchdown drives, I believe seven total by the offense. What were some of the things not clicking for you guys offensively here that resulted in three instead of seven for you guys?)
"I think it's just execution down the red zone is what it boils down to. When you get down there, the run lanes are tighter, the safeties are closer to the blocks, so the run game – more guys in the box. It's hard to score in the red zone and you've got to have really good execution. We didn't have that today. And again, against a good team, you've got to punch it in. Even though we didn't, we were close, but at the end of the day those points, – three instead of seven – they add up. And we need every point, especially against a team like that. But Seattle played well. They made plays in the fourth quarter and they played well."
(Obviously you guys are down CB Byron Jones. That's part of the reason CB Noah Igbinoghene is playing as much as he is. Has the moment gotten a little big too much for him at this stage? Obviously he's a really young guy – is it a little too much for him at this stage?)
"I don't want to make assumptions like that. He's a rookie. He's going to have his ups and downs. Last week he played well. This week he didn't play well. Two weeks ago he didn't play… you know what I mean, he's going to have some ups and downs. He's a resilient kid. He's a talented kid. He's got to learn from this. We'll help him. We'll coach him, and I think he'll get better."
(What were some of the things that just weren't working for you guys offensively, specifically in the red zone?)
"I thought that was the story of the day, being able to move the ball effectively and not being able to do anything in the red zone. And whether it was a penalty or poor execution or just a bad read by me, it just seemed like every time we got down there, something popped up. And red zone execution really falls on the quarterback. And, so, for me, I walk out of this game feeling terrible in that I felt like there was a lot of guys on our team that played well enough to win and I, unfortunately, was not one of them. And when that happens and your quarterback doesn't play up to his ability, then you're not going to win a whole lot of games in this league."
(I know that on the possession before your touchdown, you had a third-and-3 and you lost 2 yards on a handoff to RB Myles Gaskin. And then obviously the decision to go for the field goal. I'm wondering if there's going to be a decision to go for the field goal, doesn't that third down run feel kind of weird? What's the thinking on a third down run if you're going to go for a field goal?)
"When we ran the ball, and I think especially on that drive, we had some success with it. And I don't know that we were expecting to lose 2 yards on that play."
(Can you take me through your interceptions? Obviously, the first one you were hit it was deflected. But the second one seemed like a mistake.)
"Mistake. Trying to force a ball. Hit my arm both of them but the first one obviously really affected the ball. The second one not as much."
(When you're in that situation, fourth-and-5 and just seeing the trend of the game and, you know, the point differential, 3 versus 7, do you wish you might have got a chance there on fourth down to go for it? Or what's your feeling there when you're walking off the sideline?)
"I think we were disappointed with what happened on third-and-3. I know we've got to do a better job there and make the decision easier, if there does need to be a decision made. But I think we have full confidence and trust in 'Flo' (Head Coach Brian Flores) and the decisions he makes there. I think we get a better play or a better result on third-and-3 and obviously we're not even talking about it."
(Their defense obviously had been beaten up the first three games and they had a lot of moving parts in the secondary. What did you see from them today?)
"They played a lot of zone. And they do play a lot of zone. But I thought they did a nice job. They bend but don't break. We had some drives but really just kept coming up with 3 points. And so to be able to do that, keep us out of the end zone and then force two turnovers, I think that was probably their plan coming in. And for us, just being more effective once we get down to the 20-yard line or inside the 20, I mean we've got to be able to do that versus a good team to put more points on the board."
(I know you said that you were hit on the arm on the two interceptions, but this week when you had to take the bulk of the snaps because of QB Tua Tagovailoa's absence, do you think that took a toll on your arm?)
"No, I don't know that I got many less reps throwing. But no, my arm feels really good. My arm feels fine."
(A couple of you guys this week used the term as this game being like a measuring stick to see where you guys stand. How would you evaluate your team as a whole four games into the season?)
"Well, we're 1-3. I think we're really disappointed at our record right now. I think we continue to trend in the right direction but it doesn't really — it's not really helpful when you keep losing games. So I think we're disappointed at 1-3. And I think that's a … It's bad to have that record. It's a good thing to see how upset everybody is after these losses and knowing that we were in all these games, but we've got to find a way to get over the hump."
(You mentioned some of the other guys in the game playing well enough to win. I was curious to get your take on the impact that WR DeVante Parker has on this offense as he came back into the game and got things going for you guys?)
"DeVante is a great player for us, one that I'm always going to rely on especially in tough situations. And try to get him the ball and rely on him to win one-on-one. He did some good things versus zone coverage today, just finding the spot and running after the catch. But he's a big part of what we do. And it was good to get him back in the game today."
(I wanted to get your thoughts on how the game went for you personally. You were up against Seahawks WR DK Metcalf a lot. There was some give and take, the pick in the end zone. How would you assess how you played today?)
"It wasn't good enough to win a game. So I'm focused on winning, not just the one-on-one match up."
(You had an odd rookie season, highs and lows. But CB Noah Igbinoghene is on the field and he's got some uneven play. What do you say to him to try to keep his confidence up and keep him encouraged?)
"… Like you said, it can be ups and downs, especially as a rookie. But you've got to keep going just keep on worrying about getting better."
(Just talk about how demoralizing that last series of the first half might have been now, instead of going down one, going down eight.)
"I felt like we've just got to finish. That's all I've got to say. We've just got to finish."
(How do you guys do that better? The message is there after the first couple of games, you're hanging around in the fourth quarter. How can you guys do better and finish going forward here?)
"We've got to be all on the same page, the whole defense as one. With both sides. We've all just got to be on the same page."
(I was curious if you could walk us through the interception you did have in the end zone – what you saw on the play how you were able to get the ball in your hands there?)
"Coaches put me in a great position. I just ended up making a play."
(As one of the leaders and captains on this team, what is your next job or mission as one of the guys on the forefront of that leadership committee to get this team back on track and get them ready to work on Wednesday?)
"Well, I say it all the time. It's an old adage that I got from one of my favorite coaches I've ever had: Nothing breaks our spirit. We're out there fighting and we're 1-3 in close games and that sucks. But we're just going to keep fighting, keep grinding. The only way is to work your way out of it. So show up tomorrow ready to work and get ready to play San Fran."
(What do you think happened all those times that you hit the red zone or hit their side of the field that resulted in the field goals rather than touchdowns?)
"I got to watch the film. Finishing in the red zone is definitely the most glaring thing that we need to address. Obviously if we finish, it's a different ballgame. Give credit to Seattle's defense, there's a lot less space down there. They held us out of the end zone on five different long drives. We had the ball for a long time. But we've just got to finish better."
(It's obviously the practical part of that coming away with three instead of seven several times in a row. It's got to be deflating, too. Is there sort of an emotional toll that drags you down after a while when it keeps happening?)
"Nothing will ever deflate me in the football setting. I'm coming out ready to go every play."
(Does it feel like you guys have played better than what your record shows so far?)
"Listen, you can say that all you want, but a record is a record. We have one in the win column and three in the loss. We're going to grinding our way out, and obviously we fought really hard today. And not good enough to win, though. So we're going to keep grinding. And the only way I know how to do it is just work as hard as I can. That's the only reason I've even been able to have a job in this league. So we're going to get back to work tomorrow and head out to the West Coast this Sunday."
(As one of the leaders on the field, how do you help your guys to ensure they're also working as hard and trying to get out of this funk?)
"Well, I think we just have a great group of guys. I'm so happy to be on this team. I love my teammates and everyone works really hard and wants to do the right thing. That's how we're going to approach every day and that's how we have approached every day. (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores instills that in our culture, and we're going to show up to work ready to roll."
(Can you take us through what happened on that last, not really the last, but the second to last drive they had where you pulled within 2 and they just kind of moved down the field and scored?)
"You kind of answered it for yourself. They kind of moved down the field and scored. We just got to … That's a big stop, that's a big time for us defensively to get a stop and get our offense the ball and not give them a touchdown, not give a tug up. So, we've got to be better there. And just all around, we got to know that's a critical situation in the game."
(How do you guys kind of rebound from this performance? You guys did really well kind of keeping the score close and that was something you guys were doing well coming in here. But those two touchdowns at the end of the fourth quarter, were ultimately the difference. How do you improve from that?)
"Do we play next week? Do you know if we've got a game this week?"
(49ers.)
"Yes, that's how we rebound. Get a win. Have a good week of practice, rebound and get a win."
(As far as those two touchdowns at the end, you guys had allowed only 17 points in the Seahawks' first seven possessions. Wanted to get your take on what you were able to do to prevent them getting going early on in the game?)
"Just get stops. I mean play defensively. Be better on the back end, up front. As a unit we've got to be better, we've got to start faster. As a team, we've got to start fast and come out with energy and come out and just have a good start to the game because when you get behind in the game, you get down in the game, it makes things hard on you and you've got your backs up against the wall."
(I wanted to ask you, when you have a young player like CB Noah Igbinoghene who is still learning the game, what do you tell him after a performance like today?)
"Just as a defense we've just got to get better. He knows it. The back end, everyone knows we got to put our best foot forward because clearly whatever we did today was not enough, all in. So regardless if he's young, regardless if he's old, it doesn't matter. We've got to put our hard hat on and go to work starting Wednesday."
(Everybody knows QB Russell Wilson is a handful — especially this season he's been on such a roll. How do you think the secondary played overall?)
"We lost. So I can't really … Gave up big plays. I'm not going to sit here and tell you we're trash because we're not; we've just got to be better. We've got to be better defensively. We've got to be better in the secondary and not give up big plays. We have a good team. We have a good defense, and we just didn't put it all together today."
(1-3 at the quarter mark of the season. Where does this team stand right now?)
"I believe we're 1-3."
(Just curious how the shoulder is feeling after that sack. I know you went back into the game, but how are you feeling right now?)
"It wasn't me."
(Looked like you were able to kind of get in the backfield, make a couple of plays in addition to the sack, also had a tackle for the loss in the game. Could you talk us through those plays and what you were able to do to make an impact on the defense?)
"Coach (Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer) drew up a great game plan. I just did my job, really. Set the edge and made tackles and made plays for this team."
(You did have that fourth-down stop early in the second quarter. Can you just take us through that play? Do you remember what happened on that play?)
"Like I said, (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Josh) Boyer had a great game plan. I felt like a play needed to be made and I stepped up."
(With 17:15 until the fourth quarter where they had the two touchdown drives at the end there, how did you take to that in the locker room? What was the mood like after the game there, after giving those two touchdowns up?)
"Shake it off. Just get back out there and play."
The best photos from Week 4's Seahawks-Dolphins game at Hard Rock Stadium. Presented by Nesquik.
