Head Coach Pete Carroll
Opening Statement:
"Really happy about this win today and the fashion that we played it. We really played well right from the beginning of the game and had the energy and got the big play from Jadeveon (Clowney) which was huge for us of course. We felt like we could move the ball. We felt like we were controlling what was going on the other side. It's our first chance to play against this offense and this style and this quarterback. It was important to see where we are with it. When you look at the whole thing in general, going on the road again, getting another win and playing really hard and good on the road again is really a plus for us. It's a good message for our young guys to understand what it takes. There was a ton of energy on our sidelines and in the locker room and it carried right to the field and lasted the whole game. Really pleased with that. (Russell Wilson) had a really nice game again. Made some terrific plays in trouble and came through for us. I think the guy I'm most excited for is Chris (Carson). I thought Chris Carson had a great game. Sent him a message about his style of play and our style of play riding on his shoulders was really obvious today. He had about 40-something yards in passing and 100-something yards in running. It was more about the style. It was really more about what he brings to us, so I was really fired up for him. All-in-all, to keep these guys in check and had a 'bend-don't-break' thing to see what they were all about and it worked out fine for us. We were able to keep them corralled. We got some sacks today which was great. (Kyler Murray) is hard to sack sometimes because you can't get to him. You could really see Kyler Murray is a really fine athlete and he's going to be a pain in the future. Good ballgame. Happy about it. Really excited to able to get on the road and we go Thursday Night. We'll be all cranked up for that too. Looking forward to it."
On what RB Chris Carson can do moving forward:
"I was just waiting for Chris to just put that stuff to rest and get going. He ran really tough all day long. Didn't change his style at all. If anything, he's ran as hard as he's been running all year. I'm just fired up for him because we need Chris running like that. Next week, (Rashaad) Penny will be ready to play and also C.J. (Prosise) did well when he had his chances so we're in good shape there."
On DE Ziggy Ansah's play tonight:
"I don't know all of it. Just in general, we pushed it pretty good and chased him around pretty good. He's really hard to sack, obviously. We probably missed about four other sacks during the course of the game. That's because he's such a special player, but our guys really did bring it. He didn't throw for much. That offense throwing for 200 or whatever it was, that's keeping them under control."
On the Cardinals' tempo:
"That was no factor. That was no factor."
On how FS Tedric Thompson played:
"I think the whole back end played great. Nothing went up top. We kept them underneath us the whole day. Lano (Hill) played some too back there. It's great to have those guys healthy and all. He came out of the game healthy too which is awesome. We're making progress."
On Carson's reaction to Carroll's public support of him:
"He responded just like you think he would. He's a stud of a player. He's a great competitor. He's got style and toughness and all that. Really, I'd like to think it's emblematic of the way we want to play. He just came through and did what he's capable of doing. There were some freaky things that happened. If you look at the play that happened before, there were some freaky things with how they got the ball away from him and that's just not going to happen. I was convinced Chris was going to just put it away and he did. It's all up to his next time he carries the ball. You have to go back to the basics and fundamentals of it so you can do a great job and continue to lead us in the running game."
On if this is the first time he's felt everything went according to plan:
"Yeah, I felt this was really a complete game for us. Special teams were flawless, and I thought the whole thing worked out great. The last drive was an extraordinary statement. Eight minutes plus, C.J. running it in, but I thought there were some great third down conversions in there. Luke (Willson) had a phenomenal throw and catch to get that big third down Tyler (Lockett) had a big one in there also. It was exactly what we had hoped to do. We wanted to eat that clock up, get down and get a score and make it out of reach and where they wouldn't have enough time left. It worked out great."
On what the Rams vs. Seahawks game has turned into:
"We're going to Thursday Night Football. We're going to get cranked up for it and it happens to be the Rams."
On if today's game was what they were expecting out of DE Jadeveon Clowney:
"Oh yeah. That was awesome. It was so good for him to play like that and for Ziggy (Ansah) to get a sack before the game is over. Those two guys are just getting going. They're so young in their football for this particular season, that everything is kind of a first-time experience for this year being with us. It's wonderful to see him make a play like that. That was a phenomenal play. I've only seen it once. I only saw it live, I haven't seen a replay otherwise. It looked like a phenomenal athletic play to stay inbounds and outrun him and all that kind of stuff. It looked great. That's what you hope to get."
On if this was a feel-good game for TE Will Dissly:
"Will had a career-high seven catches and just continues to be a really, really dependable football player. I love the way he's playing. He and Russ are hooking up at crucial times, tough catches. He's gotten hammered a few times on tackles and bounced right back up. He's a tremendous Seahawk. He just does everything so beautifully. It's great to have him."
On LB Mychal Kendricks' blitzing ability:
"I was really fired up about Mychal. We played a lot of three linebackers on the field today because those guys are good players and we like playing that way. Mychal really showed that he can be a factor doing that. He's playing out like a nickel guy. Love that he was able to have an effect today."
On how Dissly did in his rehab:
"I think I said it to you guys in our little area talking about the season, players and all that. Will has never stopped rehabbing. He's in the weight room. I go in there every day before I go to practice and he's in there every day and he's working on the same stuff he needs to work on so that he can secure his recovery. He's done a perfect job of returning but, better than that, he's not just satisfied with that. He's working to be better. He's a great Seahawk."
On the team's expectations on when Dissly would be back:
"You don't know that one because it's a big, big injury in the end. We had hoped that he would make it back by this season. That's what we were shooting for. He made it back before that, but he's better right now than he's ever been. I think because the whole process of going through and making sure he was ready to play and all that. They did a perfect job."
On seeing RB C.J. Prosise score a touchdown:
"It's great. C.J. is a good ball player. We're excited. I like when he gets to be a part of it. He's missed so much football in the past. Right now, he's doing great. He's working hard in practice every day and his attitude is terrific. You can really count on him. He can make things happen."
On how they were able to bottle up Arizona's pass game:
"We're learning how to play our football with our guys. If you look at the way and style that we're playing, we're still learning how to do it. It's still in process. We're putting it together. Seeing Ziggy and seeing Jadeveon on the outside is a big deal to us and learning we can count on them. The pressure was pretty solid throughout the day. In the last three weeks we have really held down people throwing the football in terms of the big numbers. We're starting to feel it a little bit. We're not quite there yet. We got a way to go, but we're learning. Real happy with the progress we're making and really high hopes that we can keep it going."
On their ability to clean up penalties and mental miscues:
"In the first half we had no penalties. I thought for sure we'd have a day where we threw two or three. We screwed up in the second half. We had seven. It was a great first half, though. I didn't say it to anybody because I thought I'd jinx it and I should have because what the heck, we had seven. It was way better, way cleaner. We've had a lot of turnovers when we come here. It's been a big deal to us. If you go back and check our numbers, we've done really well here. It's all part of it. The offense didn't give up one, that's what's so awesome about it."
On his thoughts on FS Tedric Thompson's flagged hit:
"I want to see it. You can't do any more to get your head and shoulders out of the hit. He knew it was a situation where it's going to be a bang-bang shot, but he doesn't know whether the guy is going to catch the ball or not. That's the way I saw it. He totally has the right conscience to get his head out of the hit and not hurt that guy. But he had to make a play on the football as the ball was coming. We need to see how much of a delay there was. He did not take advantage of that player in that situation. He didn't. You hit him in the chin or you beat the heck out of him. He did not do that. He did it with great respect for what the rules are. Now, they call it, they call it. We'll see. We'll hear from the League about it too. I'm pleased to see our guys get it. They know what we're trying to do. We're trying to go with the changes that are in the game. We believe in it, we're not fighting it. But I don't know. That was pretty close. Pretty questionable."
On CB Shaquill Griffin's improvements from last season:
"He's just been active. He's been active in every game. Really pleased. He's just benefiting from the offseason and the work that they did. Both he and his brother did a great job of coming back in a different body than they left and had shown up in the year before. They took the lessons there to heart. Shaq is doing a great job I'm really pleased with how he's going."
On if he's expecting RB Rashaad Penny's to return next week:
"Yes. He was dying to play in this game, but the injury was only eight days ago. Hamstrings usually just don't come back like that, so we just erred on the conservative side, so he'll be ready for Thursday."
Quarterback Russell Wilson
On if he felt significance in throwing the same route to TE Will Dissly that resulted in his injury last year during pregame warmups:
"Yeah, I did. I was actually thinking about it earlier this morning before we came here, just thinking about the season that Will Dissly was having his rookie year and then him playing here and getting injured. That was a thing where, to me, I wanted to make sure I was intentional with him today in warmups and talking to him in the locker room. I just told him I was praying for him, praying with him and he told me he was going to be great today. So yeah, I think it was pretty cool just seeing him make some plays today. He's a special guy, special player. He just won the Ed Block Courage Award, so that was pretty cool to see. He's earned everything. He's worked for everything and he's a tremendous guy, tremendous player, tremendous teammate and that was big, so I was happy for him for sure."
On if it felt like everything went according to plan today:
"Well I thought we did a great job – offense, defense and special teams. It felt like we were really rock solid throughout the whole game, and the great thing is, to be honest, we could have been better. We really could have been better. There were some things that we felt like we left out there and we could have been a little sharper on some things, but it's always a battle, an NFC West team is always a challenge. To be able to come out with a huge win, to play the way we played, to have the eight-minute drive at the end of the game to run out the clock and have some huge third downs, have some big runs, have some big plays, (to have) Luke Willson back, that was cool. Tyler Lockett made that big third-down catch that he had coming across the middle there, and then C.J. Prosise getting into the end zone. I thought also what was great was seeing Chris Carson just battle. He's a star, he's a guy that's worked so hard. I told him earlier this week on Monday, I said, 'You know, Walter Payton has fumbled before too.' So at the end of the day, the great ones… if you want to be great, you're going to have a lot of amazing plays and there's going to be some tough ones in between, and the key is, the great players overcome it. They move on, they let it go. And he's been able to do that, so it's been cool just to watch his progression throughout his career so far and throughout the game today, just made some huge, huge runs."
On if he and Dissly discussed going through the play he was injured on beforehand:
"We didn't really. We knew. I'm pretty connected with (Dissly). He's a good guy. We go to bible study together, we talk, we're connected pretty good and I really admire him. So we went over there, I kind of just looked at him (and) he knew. It was just kind of one of those looks. When you're around a teammate for a while, a friend, you kind of know. In the locker room I told him, 'Hey, I'm praying for you today. Today's going to be a good day.' So he knew what that meant. I think we were on the same page."
On what he saw out of Dissly over the last year as he worked his way back from injury:
"I think the thing is this, despite his injury and trying to fight back – I think the people that recover the best are the people that, even when the timetable seems a little bit different, may seem a little bit longer, they work to speed it up. Being smart about it, but they work to speed it up a little bit and they push the limits, see how far I can go, and 'Okay, this feels good today.' They're responsive on what feels good, what doesn't. I think the thing with Will was that throughout all of OTAs, he was out there just trying to get extra work and trying to make sure that he had his ability to catch the football and just move around. He fought through it. He fought through those challenges to build that confidence up. I think the mental side of the game is everything. The physical part is one thing. Our bodies naturally recover, and some people's bodies take longer, some people are a little bit quicker. I think he's a fast recovery guy, but I think more than anything else, his mental focus to be able to overcome – that's what's different. He's different in that mindset."
On the team's confidence in RB Chris Carson going into the game:
"I think that we have one of the best running backs in the league. I think we all mess up and we all have plays that don't work out the way that we wanted to. But I also know that the great players, they respond. They believe in what's going to happen next, and he's one of those guys. We had all the confidence in the world in what he was able to do and what he was going to do and how he was going to play today. He ran the ball with no fear today, just no fear. (He was) just running hard, caught the ball well, made some key blocks, key plays. It was special today."
On if coming out and throwing early was by design:
"We want to be able to mix it up. (Brian Schottenheimer) did a great job today by the way. I think Schottenheimer did a tremendous job of calling the plays, mixing it up and making sure that we were staying on it. I thought that we were mixing up personnel, getting everybody involved and it was really great. That was awesome. Did a lot of hard work this week just to make sure that we were precise throughout the whole week and come game day. We took that challenge on and we were all ready to roll and as players we were able to collectively throw it and run it and have some big third downs when we needed to. Our defense helped us out too, they were rock solid all day. It was a complete team effort and that's what makes this game fun. The other thing I want to shout out is the offensive line. They did a tremendous job today being physical. They brought a lot of pressure, a lot of different looks, a lot of different things and I thought we handled those really well. They got a couple sacks in there, but the reality is they're bringing a lot of people. Sacks aren't the worst thing in the world. We all think it is sometimes, but I think that sometimes the reality is that you move onto the next play, you change field position, punt it off and OK let's go, let's get the next possession. I thought we handled ourselves really well today. I thought the focus of the offensive line was tremendous."
On QB Kyler Murray's performance:
"I thought Kyler did great. He's quick as a cat, he can really move. He makes some special throws. I thought our defense did a really nice job trying to contain him. That was big for us."
On TE Luke Willson's third down conversion and if the play was designed for him:
"That one was designed for him, that play. We thought he was going to get open a little quicker, it took him a second. Meanwhile I have (D.J.) Swearinger and Chandler Jones running after me. I think for him, he had to get open and him running to the corner was pretty cool. He made a great catch. He had a couple plays today that were pretty big."
On preparing for Thursday's game:
"For me, playing a Thursday night game I hydrate like crazy. I think hydration is big. Just hydrating, hydrating, hydrating. I think it flushes the body, heals you up quicker than anything. I think the first thing I'll do is swim in the mornings. Without saying too much…but I swim in the morning, get in the pool and move around, just getting my body moving. I get a lot of treatment with Janet (Jin) and the team. That's really key."
On his outfit:
"Yeah, I got a little vest, a little sport coat. What do you think? Do you like it?"
On if his outfit is from his brand:
"No this isn't. This isn't. I got the Nike shoes on too."
Linebacker Bobby Wagner
On how the victory feels:
"It felt pretty good, it felt good to get a win. I don't know who asked me this question during the week, they asked me a question about all the negative stuff that happened during the week and I'm really happy that we didn't let that negativity play and that we remembered the positive. We got another win here (in Arizona), I don't know how many wins (in Arizona) we got in a row. If you watch the game you see how our fans always take over this crowd. Twelves we really appreciate you."
On if the defense is finding their rhythm with each new week:
"Yeah, definitely. I feel like each week we are finding a way to get better. The first game we allowed a lot of passing yards and we kind of slowed that down. We're getting really close to putting together a complete game. We let them in (to the end zone) this week, we don't feel like they should have got that score. They did a quarterback draw, we should expect that from him. But we shut them down."
On Seahawks Linebacker K.J. Wright moving into the top five all-time for Seahawks' tacklers:
"It's really special. When I came in here he was one of the guys that I looked to to help me learn this game, help me learn how to be a pro. It's cool because we are very close to the same age so in essence we got to grow together. It's been a blessing just to see the growth that he's had. He's like a brother to me, and if we try to get that one-two spot (of all time Seahawks' tacklers) that would be pretty cool."
On how nice it is for the defense to score:
"Really nice, (Jadeveon) Clowney came in. I told you he looked like seven feet on that play, maybe it was just because of nerves going in. That was a big play in the game, he tipped it to himself and ran it back, showed a little speed. It really ignited our defense, our offense, our special teams, it ignited the whole team. On the road you need plays like that, you need plays from the defense that's going to unite everybody, even the fans. It's about time."
On what the Seahawks staying in their base defense against a spread-out offense says about the coaches' faith in the linebackers:
"We put in the work, we understand what they're (Arizona Cardinals) going to do. A lot of the time when teams come out and see our base (defense) they want to throw the ball, but we really do a good job in the passing game. They got a couple screens out on us, but I felt all-in-all it was really good and it just shows the talent we have at linebacker. It's not common for linebackers to be on the field that much, and we just keep proving people wrong. They were trying to replace the linebackers a couple years ago. I'm happy that didn't work out."
Running Back Chris Carson
On how the team was able to close out the game:
"It was just great play-calling and executing. We were trying to finish with the ball in our hands. We didn't really do that, but we got the touchdown. That was very important, and we came out with the win."
On if he has a mantra:
"My motto is 'steady hustling.' I always tell myself that. Even when things aren't going our way, you have to keep hustling and keep getting better."
On if he feels his team was in control of the physical aspect of the game:
"Yes. The offensive game plan was to go fast, and that's what we did. We executed on a lot of good plays. There were a couple times where we didn't finish in the end zone like we wanted to, but at the end of the day, we got the win and put up some good points."
On if he likes the workload he was given today:
"You always want the ball, but I'm just doing whatever I can to help the team win. I love the confidence they have in me in certain situations, but all the running backs ran great. It was just a great overall win."
Guard D.J. Fluker
On why the running game has been successful in the state of Arizona:
"They are a physical defensive line with big guys and we wanted to impose our will. They did a great job too. They made some plays but our coaches made some adjustments. That's how we were able to get [the running game] going."
On how they were able to get consistent blocking:
"We play together. Offseason minutes, that's what it's about. It's about us communicating and getting things on the right path to direct traffic."
On how long it takes to get an offensive line into a rhythm:
"It takes a while to gel and to get things going. It's hit and miss sometimes but we're finally clicking. Was it perfect today? (Shrugs) We have things to work on, things to look forward to and things to improve on."
On how tough the short week is going to be:
"We just have to prepare. This win isn't going to last very long. We have to go back to what we do best and that is the fundamentals."
Tackle Duane Brown
On what the team said to Chris Carson between weeks:
"We didn't have to say much. He knows how big a part he is of our team and our offense. He knows we have all the faith in the world in him. He's a competitor and today he displayed what he's capable of. That's what we were used to last year. He might have a couple rough patches with the fumbles, but we never lost faith in him and he knows that. He has all the confidence in the world in his running ability. When he goes like that our offense is a lot more explosive and dangerous."
On Russell Wilson and his season so far:
"He is the model of consistency. The run game hasn't been as explosive as we've been accustomed to and he's been asked to do more in week's past and get 300 yards, 400 yards. Today the run game was where we wanted it to be and so he didn't have to do as much. But he's still consistent. He's still converting big third downs. He's still throwing touchdowns and doing what he does. We know what he's going to be and what he'll bring to the table every week. Just happy he's on our team."
On Jadeveon Clowney's interception:
"He's been waiting to have a really big play like that. Everyone knows what he's capable of. That was an elite and athletic play. He's getting blocked and reaches up with one hand and picks it off. Then he has the speed to take it to the house. That really gave us a big spark plug as a team. Those are the kind of plays we love."
Defensive End Jadeveon Clowney
On trying to get after quarterback Kyler Murray:
"He's fast, quick and fast. We knew that coming into the game that it was going to take a collective effort to get after this guy. He's a great player. Like I said, he's quick and fast. We knew the first rusher is probably going to miss because of how quick he was. He's making a lot of people miss, watching the tape. We knew it was going to take a collective effort to bring him down."
On if the Cardinals ran the ball more than expected:
"There were a lot of delayed handoff runs. We knew they were going to do the read option a little bit, but we kind of took that away from them and tried to get them to do something different."
On why he didn't get a sack:
"I think it was just (Murray). He made me miss, got the ball out of his hands and made me miss with his feet. He's a pretty good player, a great athlete. He didn't go No. 1 for nothing. They have something good in the future with him and we'll see what happens."
On linebacker Mychal Kendricks' two sacks:
"It's a collective effort. It was everybody, but (Kendricks) is a great player. He comes prepared. He comes into work every day prepared well. He knew he was going to have a big game. They didn't see him coming on some of the rushes and he made them all count. That's what we depend on him to do every game."
Cornerback Shaquill Griffin
On his pass breakup on the Cardinals' opening drive:
"I think the main thing was I was just trying to protect myself over the top. I knew that down, I didn't have any help over the top, so I had to make sure I made that play. (Quarterback Kyler Murray) tried to open up outside, but as soon as he came back inside, the speed turned, I saw the ball in the air and I was just playing the ball."
On saying earlier this week that they had to make tackles if Murray extended plays:
"I knew it was going to come to that point. He was going to try to hit us (underneath). We were staying over the top to make sure he threw everything short and you can't miss tackles because those can turn into big plays. Every play we had when he threw it short, we made sure we made our tackles and just be firm on that."
On defending wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald:
"It's an honor every time. I feel like every time I play against him for the last three years, I can't leave without telling him it's an honor to go against a guy like that. Being able to play against someone like that. Someone I can tell my kids one day that I got a chance to go up against, a legendary receiver like that. So it's always an honor and I continue to praise him and let him know each time we play that it's always an honor."
On the offense's final drive:
"When the offense can put up an eight-minute drive, that's just saying thank you defense. It's always good to just sit there and watch the offense do their thing and we sit there and relax. They did a heck of a job and it was awesome to see that."
Tight End Will Dissly
On what he saw on film that has led to tight ends having success against Arizona:
"There are a lot of slot opportunities out there. Some of the defense that they play, it's a little bit of man coverage, so you can kind of take advantage of them with the leverage. It's just something that we saw on film, and I'm sure they're working hard to correct that."
On bouncing back from last week's loss:
"I think you have to give a lot of credit to the O-line. They played terrific out there today. We were able to run the football. I think that was a big factor in what we were able to do. I'm going to give a lot of credit to them, and obviously (Russell Wilson) was slinging it. He's a special player, and he did cool things today."
On his touchdown reception:
"It was a wheel route. (Wilson) put it in the back of the end zone. I tried to focus on my feet. There was a flag on the play, so it kind of mitigated the celebration a little bit, but I was able to give the ball to (Justin Britt). He spiked it, and we were all able to celebrate."
