Postgame quotes from the following:
(Opening…) "After the first couple of games, we kind of forgot about how we can play around here, and the guys really did a nice job tonight. We didn't change the approach in who played and all that, with a few exceptions. It was just a really nice effort. Defense did great, and we mixed the run game with the passing game the way we like to. It was just a nice solid football game for us. The penalties were ridiculous, particularly in the special teams. It was a night where a lot of things kind of just worked for us. I felt really good and had fun doing it, all the way down to Mike's last kick. I told him, don't let them return this last kick, and so he boomerangs one and then Aaron Fuller makes just a phenomenal play to keep that ball in bounds, and it was just kind of an accent, an explanation point to the night. We have a lot of work to do now, getting ready' for the opener and we'll turn our sights to that as soon as we get through putting the roster together."
(On resting many of the starters during the entire preseason…) "That was the way we basically approached it, for the whole preseason, to make sure that we maximize the opportunity to see the other guys; to not just see them, but knowing that so many of these guys are going to be on our team. We wanted to take them as far as we could, and get them as ready to backup and support the effort throughout."
(On why the approach was different from previous preseasons…) "I think from stuff that we've learned, last summer. Leave it that succinct."
(On whether this was an important hurdle for Dee Eskridge…) "Yes, it was. It is when a guy's never played before, and he gets a chance to get out there. He felt great, and had fun. Liked it. He's really pumped up about moving forward. He's had a couple of really good weeks for us and looked terrific, so there was nothing different about it. He's a good ballplayer. He's fast and he's quick and explosive and his hands are really strong and really good. His mentality is really strong about competing. He looks like the guy we hoped we would get when we picked him and we're thrilled about it. He's got a lot of work to do to catch up and to play first flight football in a real game and all."
(On the play of Darrell Taylor…) "He's been flashy throughout the preseason. He hasn't been able to quite get it together to make some plays that he wants to make. I thought he really showed again; this is a guy that just missed everything last year, so we had to just keep playing him and leave him out there and get him a ton of reps and, like I've said the whole time, he's just made so much progress this off season with us. It was great for him to celebrate a sack and a half tonight. He had fun with the guys about that. We'll take this next step. I'm really happy for him."
(On whether there is any more clarity on Tre Brown…)"He had a mild sprain. Nothing that warrants any work or any of that kind of stuff, just a mild sprain. He feels good already. We might have been able to play him if we had to, but we didn't. Right now all of those decisions, we would make to the conservative right now, and not push any of those guys, knowing that we have two weeks to get ready. He'll be ready to go."
(On the play of Geno Smith…) "It was great to see Geno get the work. And to run around a little bit, too. He had a nice night. I saw 11 for 15, and had two really key scrambles. I thought for sure he was going to score on the one, I have to see the film, I don't know what happened. That was really important. I was hoping to get two full games like that, and then the third one see what we needed to do, but with the miss in the second game, I was really glad that he got out there and got to play some ball. He's had a great camp. He looked so good during the camp. We just didn't quite get him going in game one before he got whacked. Yes, it was really important."
(On Geno Smith's role as the backup quarterback…) "Geno is a terrific team player. He's got such a personality and attitude about playing the supporting role that this position calls for when you're playing behind a great player. Every day he battles. It matters to him how he competes in practice every day. He always has a great attitude. He's very helpful and communicative with Russ, they really hit it off, and they've kind of grown together. They're really important as they evaluate the process, and it helps them on the sidelines and the locker room and all that kind of stuff. They just have a great conversation ongoing. He has great value. He has a great arm. He's a great thrower, and he's a good athlete. He's a really good ballplayer, and we're lucky to have him on our team. I feel bad for him, always, that he doesn't get to play more. It's been hard to get on the field when Russ is doing what he does. But, we're very lucky to have him."
(On Jon Rhattigan's play…) "I was fired up about Jon. This was a guy that did a lot of cool things when he was well and healthy with us, building up. And then he's just had this long muscle thing he had to get through. It just took way longer than we wanted it to. Gosh, I thought he played really nice tonight. That's the guy that did flash at me, and on special teams as well. It was really important for Jon to show us something, and I was really happy for him."
(On Alex Collins…) "I thought he played really well. I thought he looked explosive. The great feet that he has. Whatever that dance thing that he does, he's got some unbelievable moves. His feet are remarkable. You see, too, that he's an experienced player. When he gets in those situations, he finds his way to navigate to the positive. He's been doing it his whole life. He was a highly, highly productive player in college. I don't mind telling you that there's only one other guy that had 3 thousand yard seasons in the SEC. Herschel Walker was the other guy. I love giving him that credit, because that's an amazing accomplishment. Anyway, he played really good."
(On whether Collins looks different than when he first joined the Seahawks…)"Yes. He has looked different. His body sculpture is different. The way he's conditioned and shaped himself is much different than he was. He was trying to be big; he thought he needed to be big to be in the league. At least that's what it looked like. He's turned it around."
(On the importance of Alex Collins catching 5 passes tonight…) "I think he had 7, as a matter of fact. The numbers I had were 7, which is a huge night, not to correct the media of course. It's hugely important to be available. The more things you can do, the better it is for us when we put a guy in the game. If a guy can only block, or he can only run, or he can only catch, then you get taken advantage of. I thought Josh Johnson did a really nice job tonight, too, catching the ball. All of our guys can do that. One of the things that has happened, too, is that Homer is coming back. Travis had a great prep this week, and the next couple weeks, he makes his bid, too. We should be getting stronger. We made it out without anybody getting banged up tonight, which is hugely important and I'm so grateful for that for everybody. We'll move ahead here with a pretty full group coming back."
(On what's going on with DeeJay Dallas…) "He had a groin thing and then in pass rush two days ago, he tweaked something a little bit different. It showed up on MRI, it was slight, but it was enough in what he felt was enough to keep him out of the game. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to play. We really didn't get a chance to see much of him."
(On how long it will take to get Dallas back…) "It should be a week or so, you know. It isn't a major injury at all, but what he felt showed up and we saw it, so we just have to take care of him."
(On whether they have seen enough from Dallas to see where he might fit…) "We'll have to wait and see, we'll talk about that. I don't know right now."
(On whether Nick Bellore did enough to nail down a starting linebacker job…) "Nick Bellore, the leading tackler in the game tonight. How about that. Dang. I think he had 6 tackles. Nick's amazed me. He's had such a great surge in his career since he's been with us. All of the best stuff that he's ever done, it seems to me, has come out in the last couple of years. Shoot, he's in the freaking Pro Bowl. It kind of doesn't surprise you that he did something again. He was really good on defense for us in a couple of game here. We forgot about his linebacker play. We knew he did, and he had played there, but we really didn't give him a chance, we always were playing him on the other side of the ball. So, now, he's one of those all-time NFL two-way performers now."
(On whether Bellore playing defense provides the opportunity to keep 5 running backs…) "I don't know if specifically that's what's going to happen. I don't know that. But, he's giving us all the flexibility; he can play on both sides of the ball."
(On the play of Josh Johnson…) "I thought Josh played really well. I got a chance to watch Josh extensively before he got to us. He looks the best that he's looked since I've seen him. Very aggressive kid. He's been really a good practice player for us and really consistent. It's carried to the games, he's been very aggressive."
(On why DeeJay Dallas didn't play…)"He had a little something that was just nagging him a little bit. He was just dying to play tonight. I told him three different times, no you don't get to play. He was dying to get out there. But, he's had a pretty good camp now. He's had a very clear statement that he's made that he belongs."
(On whether there are overarching things he's looking to see from players to help make roster decisions…) "There are really a lot of specific concerns first. That's really what this was. Yes, I wanted to see us play really good defense for the whole night, and I wanted to see us run the football and I want to see those things and protect the quarterback. Those are the big things that we wanted to see and see if the young guys could get better. They've been busting their tails to do it, and I'm glad that they got rewarded with a real good performance. But the focus is really on the specific guy that's fitting into the roster that has a chance to do this and do that and all that. A lot of these guys are going to be on this team. A ton of these guys. Like I'm sure I've said a number of times, the 16 man practice squad is a tremendous move for the league in my opinion, and we'll try to take full advantage of what that allows. The veteran players that can be on that as well. It's just so much better for your club and for the health of your team. And, the flexibility; there's another way to try to have fun and compete with your roster and all that. So, a bunch of these guys, they've made great statements to be part of it."
(On Marquise Blair getting a chance to play…) "Yeah, right off the bat he got active and did some stuff. You're thinking of the touchdown play, that was terrific. But, also, like the first run play that he had a shot at, he just blasted in the backfield and went after him and showed the kind of mentality and instincts that he's shown us before. He came out of the game great. We got him enough plays to get him started and he'll have two weeks to get ready for the opener. We're thrilled that he was able to come back and do that. That's the point that we're making. Some guys had a chance to validate what we had been thinking that maybe had not had that opportunity before. So, it was really important for specific guys to get on the field and do a nice job and all that."
(On the progress of Colby Parkinson…) "Oh, man, he's trying. He's making a bid for it. He's on ground running this week, for the first time. He's been on all the equipment, making really good progress. He's been really hopeful about it. So, we're going to keep our fingers crossed that he has a chance to get back and compete to be on the team."
(On whether he anticipates Quandre Diggs participating in practice next week…) "We'll see. We'll talk about it. We've had great conversations, and it's important that we were able to really address where he is and where he's coming from, and I had a chance to hear him out and all that. I think the world of this guy. He's an amazing competitor. Tough as hell, in every way. I can't imagine not playing with him."
(On Cedric Ogbuehi and Ethan Pocic not playing…) "Totally different situations. Both guys practiced this week. We just thought it would be better if we didn't expose them. Now we have them to compete for the opener. It's unfortunate for both those guys, because both those guys were in really markedly obvious head-to-head competitions and I really kind of had fun with giving those guys a chance to battle, and neither one of them had the chance to really make their statement on the field. They're different. Ethan's played a lot of football for us and we know how he plays. Cedric didn't get as much of an opportunity, but still, I can't tell you what's going on with that right now, I don't have to. But, I feel bad for those guys, because it was really going to be cool to watch it happen and watch it unfold. So, Kyle did a nice job, and B-Shell did a really good job, again, throughout all of the work that he's done. We're in good shape right now, depth-wise, with those guys still ready to battle. And I'm not saying that anything's over, but we'll see what happens."
Wide Receiver Dee Eskridge
(On being able to play today) "It's a blessing. It's definitely been a hard process the last couple of weeks, but this is the light. I finally got to get back on the field with the teammates. It felt great."
(On playing this year versus last year) "It's definitely better. The way that I learned is actually going in there and making mistakes and actually fixing my mistakes. It's finally good that I'm able to face that mental process now. Being able to go out there and do it, think fast on my feet and be able to react to what's going on. It's definitely a better learning curve."
(On if he wishes he played longer tonight) "It was definitely fun being out there with my teammates today. I definitely would've liked to get more, but it's all about being smart and it's all about timing. It's a big game because every game is big, but at the same time we have other things that we're focused on at the moment."
(On his performance tonight) "It felt great getting out there, running around with my teammates, having fun, executing, and coming out with the win. That's what it's all about.
(On how he is different compared to his first stint with the Seahawks) "Just mentally as I've had a lot of experience from my rookie year until now. Being around a lot of vets, learning a lot of routines, and getting a hang of the speed of the game has helped. I've been trying to teach the younger guys that you have to execute, know where you're supposed to be, and make the most out of every opportunity."
(On how important his pass catching ability is to his game) "I think it could be a huge part of my game and that's something I feel is big. Being able to catch the ball out of the backfield and being more dynamic is what separates us as running backs because I feel like that in the pass game, the running back is slept on. We can make a big impact so being used in that aspect gives us that dynamic feel and allows us to make a lot more plays."
(On Shane Waldron's new offense) "It's hard to put into words. Shane has come in and put together a great system. Everybody's on the same page from going through practice, all of the hard work, efforts, and execution. You can see great things to expect from the offense this season and this game was a great example of that. All of the guys were working together. Thinking about the 1's with Russ (Wilson) getting out there, adding to that flair with DK (Metcalf) coming out, and bringing that dynamic to the offense will really open everything up and show what we're capable of. I love it."
(On how his first sack felt) "Oh yeah man, it felt good. I can't complain. It felt real good. I can't wait until it's the real thing though."
(On his celebration with Poona Ford after the sack) "It felt good just celebrating with your teammates. It feels good to have those guys acknowledging you."
(On if there was rust he needed to knock off after missing last season) "Oh yeah, no doubt. I definitely had to knock the rust off. It had been a year and seven months so, I definitely had to knock the rust off and get back into it so, it felt good to get after the quarterback today."
(On how important the preseason games have been for him) "They're definitely important to my success. Getting out there and getting some real reps, not just practice. So, it feels really good to get those reps and be in on the preseason and play those games, and get that time to simulate what it's going to be like in the season."
