Postgame quotes from the following:
Head Coach Pete Carroll
Opening statement:
This was a heck of a football game tonight. And the illustration that it shows us that it's not ever over, you know, and how you start doesn't tell the story of how you finish. To see our club come back like we did in so many aspects of our game and play like that, to give us a chance to get ahead and have a chance to win the football game, it was beautiful. It's a beautiful thing. And everybody had to hang to do that. All phases had to do it. It was really impressive. And the hard part is we lose. And I can't help these guys with that one. All the effort, all the plays, all the come-through and the heart and all that kind of stuff, you know, okay, but we didn't win. So that's the game. But, God, dang, I'm proud of these guys. Jeez. I was so proud to see that happen. See them fight like that and turn the game. And the guys up front, the offensive line played like they did in the second half, come through and keep knocking the line of scrimmage like they did, give our running backs a chance to go. Alex's effort was phenomenal. DeeJay Dallas played excellent football for us. Homer was hobbling. And he almost broke one to win it. So there was a lot of great plays and a lot of great effort in this game. But good job by their guys. They hung tough and got the play they needed at the end and finished it off. Credit to Mike and his team. It's a great program. And they show you -- they show you why. They do great things.
How is Darrell?
The preliminary -- I'm giving you preliminary because I usually don't do this, it's because I want to give you something positive -- they were clear. The CT scans were clear. So that's a really good preliminary report for you. There's more tests to be done and stuff like that. So we're thrilled about that news.
Yes. And he was so mad by having to be taken off the field like that. He wanted to get up. They wouldn't let him do it because they had to do all of the secure methods to take care of him and all that. Man, he didn't want any part of that.
Moving hands and like everywhere?
Everywhere. Yeah.
How tough is it for guys to kind of get back going after seeing somebody go down like that?
I don't know. I don't know. How tough -- it doesn't matter how tough it is. We just do it. And that's what our game calls for. It's a great competitive group. They really are. They show you. Everybody was watching. They showed them what they're made of and who they are and what they're all about. Those would be the same guys in the meeting room on Tuesday when we come back, you know.
What was your assessment of Geno tonight?
I thought he was solid. I thought he managed the game well. He gave us a chance to win the football game. Unfortunately, gets that ball knocked out on that last play. I don't know who made the tackle, but it was a great hit. And it kills him because -- Geno knew these were extraordinary opportunities for him. And he wants to come through and show that he can do it and play and all that. And it kills him that he wasn't able to finish it. But I thought he played tough as hell. And he was clear and calm and poised, exactly like you'd hope he would be. And this game was not too big for him at all. He was right there.
What happened to Alex? DeeJay was in late.
He got hit in the glute and he got hit in the hip too in the front of the same side I believe. So his hip was kind of jacked up. So I thought he played a fantastic football game. He looked so good, made so many good plays. But he couldn't finish it.
How much did that change your deal in overtime and what you wanted to do versus what you did?
Well, Alex was the man. DeeJay did a nice job too. DeeJay really filled in well for him and particularly in the passing game like we counted on. But we would have loved to have Alex keep making those runs. Made some phenomenal 5 and 6 yard runs with great feet and determination and all of that. And we certainly missed him.
Did you say anything to Geno after the game? And what were your thoughts on the play there? Did it just breakdown and Geno tried to do something in the middle?
He just got hammered. He got smoked on the hit. Yeah. I did talk to Geno. I talked to Geno the whole night and stayed with him the whole time. Made sure he felt the support and the calm and the poise and all of that. Russ did a nice job with him too. Coaches did a nice job. Geno was clear. He was clear throughout the game and really there for the opportunities and all of that.
With all the good things that happened that you've pointed out, is it hard to reconcile that with the fact that you lost the game?
Yeah. It's really hard. That's the point. Yeah. I can't help these guys with the reality of we didn't win the game. But the things we did to show who we are and what we're all about and why we work so hard and care so much, that was there. That was legit. Really, really deserved the chance to win this game with all of that. And, unfortunately, they made one more play than we did.
How is Damien?
He's got a shoulder -- AC sprain on the shoulder.
How was that debut for Tre Brown?
I thought it was really good. He looked really good. The opportunities he had, he was right where he was supposed to be. I've got to see the film and all of that. But when he had the chance to make some plays, he looked like he was on it. That's all he's shown us. I've told you guys that. That's what he's been doing. And that was a really good first go. Here it is on Sunday night and the whole thing, and it was not too big for him at all. He's been brought up right in the way he played in Oklahoma and all those big games and all that. This was not too big for him. He was really poised and did a nice job. Deserves to play more.
What was Jason Myers' max field goal tonight, the furthest that you would have gone?
We were right at it. The one we kicked, the one we kicked, that was right at it, right there. And I was -- in this night, I was trying to play defense and back him up and all that. You know, that was just the way we were going to try and play this game, keep it close to the vest in this instance. And that was the choice instead of give him the ball right there. I know it worked out in your favor at the end with the review by the officials.
What did you sense in what they were trying to accomplish?
Good question to bring up. And I don't have all of the scoop for you. But this is something we have to talk about. And I don't know how much I should really tell you about the conversation. But the way we saw it was it needed to be challenged. And the way they immediately saw it was I think he threw it. That's what we're hearing. So I had go against what they were telling me. And their assessment happened in just a few -- you know, 20 seconds or something like that. And we see real difficult replays go three, four, five minutes or something like that. Well, I thought this play, if given all of that time, we'd have a chance. And even though they were -- the recommendation is you shouldn't challenge this, I went against it and I threw the flag and stayed with it, you know. They gave me the choice. Do you want to give up a timeout? Do you want to challenge it? Give us a chance. I want -- let them see this one. I think we got something here. And the more we looked at it -- I'd only seen it once. And the more we looked at it, I didn't think it was a difficult call. His hand -- the actual movement was coming back. He was pulling it down and pulling it in. So they made the right decision. That's the good thing.
Any clarification from the refs on why it actually took that long and what they were going through?
Because we actually heard Mike Tomlin as we were walking to his press conference pretty upset on the length of time and about the whole conversation in general. The recommendation -- here is what I tell you. I don't know. Maybe I'll get in trouble for this. But the recommendation it was incomplete pass that was the first thing that came out -- you know, the officials. And they called incomplete on the field. And it came -- when they looked at it quickly, that's what came back. And that's why they were telling me I wouldn't challenge this because they're already telling us it's incomplete. Anyway, sometimes you've just got to take a shot.
Did you guys expect to get more pressure on Ben Roethlisberger today?
Yeah. I would like to. Yeah. They did a ton of run-pass stuff. He was reading the defense. And sometimes he'd throw it, sometimes he'd run it. Saw a lot of perimeter stuff. That's kind of their run game. And we knew we were going to have to give and take with that. So it was -- of course we would like to get more pressure on him. But I thought we contained the thing, you know, I thought we contained it pretty well and held the score down. In the second half, guys played really good. We were one score -- one drive in there, what was it like two or three penalties on the one drive. That was the one we gave them one.
The screen game isn't working the way you guys were wanting it to.
The guys were chasing them like crazy, man. We're trying. It just has not been as effective as we would hope.
Talk about that seven defensive back package.
Just trying to get our guys on the field and see what we can get out of them. We've been -- we did a couple different things tonight. I don't know how well they worked. We were okay on third down in the second half. We were 1 for 6 in the second half, which is what gave us a chance to stop them. Those guys have a little bit of ability to make a play more so than some of the other guys that are out there. It's basically when we can put them in the spots that's good for them, you know.
Did Jamal Adams not see that ball that hit him?
I don't know. It was really loud though. It smacked him pretty good. I didn't see it well enough.
You got him going more tonight than we've seen him in terms of rushing?
Yeah. I thought he was very active tonight and did a nice job. We did have a number of things in the plan tonight.
This is unfamiliar territory for you guys. Two and 4. No Russell Wilson. How do you feel like your players are going to respond?
I think they -- look what just happened. This is exactly what we were talking about during the week that we were going to have to come through, hang forever and find a way and to support Geno [Smith]'s effort. We were going to take the heat off of him and everybody absorbing the responsibility to contribute. And that's what wound up happening. And so we don't have any other way to do it. We have no choice. There's no choice. Fortunately, we come back on Monday night. We get an extra day. But there are no options. Come back and freaking battle. That's how we do it.
What was your message to them?
That I didn't have a good answer for them. If I could make them feel better, I would because we lost the game.
However, I could not talk about the effort and the comeback and the grit and all of the guts that it takes to keep believing and keep counting on one another and keep pushing each other. The sidelines, it was gorgeous. It was so electric down there. And everybody was feeding off each other and helping each other. It was a beautiful thing. And the game gives you those opportunities sometimes. And that's the sick part is we don't get the win to capture all of that the way we'd like to.
That was the plan to only play Tre Brown that one drive early before Sidney [Jones IV] got hurt?
No. The plan was to get him in on the third series and see what happens.
With [Alex] Collins do you have any idea to his status going forward?
I don't know. I don't know. [Nick] Bellore was revving it up over there. He was getting ready
Quarterback Geno Smith
What was going through your mind when you took the field on that final drive?
Score. Score. Gosh, I hate coming up short. But hard-fought game. I love the way our line played. They really set the tone in that second half, really gave us a chance to come back and win it. That last drive, that's all I was thinking: Just take us down there and score somehow, some way. We can't keep coming up short. I can't keep coming up short. I put that on myself. Back-to-back weeks. Our defense gives us a chance to go out there and score, give me the ball, and we don't get it done. That's solely on me. I've got to be better.
What do you make of everything else that happened leading up to that, the way you played?
Honestly, it's a lot to take in right now. But I think we showed, for the most part, who we are as a team. To be down and to come out that second half and play the way that we did, that speaks to every man in that locker room. And it's tough. It's super tough. But one thing I know about this team, we're not going to hang our heads. We're going to bounce back. We're going to find a way to bounce back and get a win.
What changes did you guys make between the first half and the second half to move the ball so well and score?
Well, number one, our line, they were moving guys. They were mowing guys the whole second half. They did a phenomenal job in the run game and in pass protection. I think, as far as changes go, I wouldn't say there were many changes. I just think we finished better. We finished better. We played with clean hands. Didn't have many penalties. And we got in the end zone
What asset was Russell Wilson for you this whole week and tonight?
Russell is great as always. He was great on the sidelines. He's been great throughout the entire week. Obviously rehabbing and getting himself back ready, but also helping us out, helping that QB room out. And on the sideline, he was in my ear the whole time, feeding me good knowledge and also being positive. I appreciate Russ for that.
On the last play, you were running up the field. Did you see T.J. Watt at all?
Did that come from out of nowhere? No, I didn't see him. I had two hands on the ball, was getting ready to tuck it and get as many yards as I could, and slide. He's a great player.Â
What was the whole experience like for you getting your first start in a long time?
It was pretty much the same as always. I'm always focused on the task at hand. I wasn't thinking about myself. But I would say I was super calm in the moment. I just felt like the whole time I was just staying in the moment. And it was fun. It was awesome, it really was, to be out there with the guys competing, giving ourselves a chance to win. Obviously, we didn't get it done, but it was fun to be out there.Â
What kind of spark did Alex Collins give you?
Alex is an amazing player. Amazing player. He's a stud. He just does what he's supposed to do. He comes to work every day. He's always on point. He's always positive and he's a stud. I can't say enough good things about Alex.
