HEAD COACH PETE CARROLL
Opening statement:
"John Schneider wanted me to say to get this thing started right: that this was really a tale of two halves. That's for John. It couldn't have been more obvious. We have been saying for a long time you can't win a game in the first half, man, and that's just what that was. So clearly illustrated. We had a great first half, everybody did everything exactly the way we wanted to do it, functioned like crazy, and then it just didn't go that way after halftime and we have to do obviously a much better job on that. But I was really pleased on a number of counts. Winning four straight on the road first time in somebody said 39 years. Is that right? Holy cow. Holy cow. That's good. We like that. The fact that Bobby [Wagner] set an all-time [franchise] record [in tackles] I think is really worth noting right off the top. He's got plenty of years left. I don't know how anybody could ever break that record. I think he's going to own that forever. That's amazing that he's there already. Just a tribute to the unbelievable player that he is and his discipline, his toughness, his work ethic, everything. That's an incredible number. So, a lot things happened. The quarterback [Russell Wilson] functioned well and hit DK [Metcalf] for a couple of touchdowns. Chris Carson ran really well, was great for him to have a good game here coming back home. [Rashaad] Penny ran the ball really well. We ran like crazy in the first half and it was rare that you would run for 130 yards at halftime. It just didn't show up in the second half, but I saw a lot of good things. Unfortunately, Justin Britt got hurt and hurt his knee and we'll know more, but it looks like he's got something that's going to keep him out and we'll see what happens. On the other side of that Joey Hunt jumped in there, he's been preparing for this opportunity forever, he's been a great worker and a total team guy and he'll do a really good job filling the spot. Really smart guy and he's ready to go. He'll fill in just like our guys do. Other things I noticed in the game: I thought Marquise [Blair] showed up, nice job by him a couple of times making those hits, forced that fumble down by the goal line. It was a big day for us turnover-wise on defense. Loved seeing Mychal Kendricks getting a good pick and the other one was the fumble that [Jadeveon] Clowney forced the fumble and Ziggy [Ansah] got it. To get the ball three times is great stuff, all in the half and that's why the game went the way it went. We were fortunate to have all those. So we'll go back home and get ready to roll. The first half is over. 6-2 isn't exactly the best it could have been, but it's pretty darn good at this time. We made the most of it. I wanted to really finish this half, get it over with and see where we were as we kick in to the second half, because the whole thing gets started now. It's no different than that game. You got to get going, you got to finish this thing. So the start of the finish is now on us and we'll look forward to that."
On Justin Britt's injury status:
"Let's wait and see, but it looks like an ACL. Acts like it."
On the Falcons' second half effort:
"Great job by them [the Falcons]. Thank you for bringing that to the front. Their resolve to keep fighting and clawing and scratching... they got physical, took over the game, really. We are fortunate we were out ahead enough to hold them of. It was a great testament to Danny [Quinn] and what he's doing with these guys, the mentality and attitude and all of that. Backup quarterback [Matt Schaub] threw the ball for a million yards today and did a great job. They have a lot of stuff to build on."
On the Seahawks' second half:
"No, it shouldn't be at all. That's lousy on our part that that happened. It should not happen like that. Really, I didn't do a good enough job in the transition from first half to second half. Obviously. My guys went out there and we got knocked all over place so I got to do a better job of making sense of the situation and all that and getting them to play better."
On what he attributes their second half to:
"I didn't do a good enough job. Obviously they went out there and we looked like we were a totally different team, so I don't know. There are a lot of things. I'm not going to go into it, but there's a lot of things that take place when you don't play well and I just got to do a better job making sure that that doesn't happen."
On the running game in the second half:
"We made some mistakes and had penalties and stuff like that. We just, it just got real sloppy. We just didn't maintain the focus that it takes to keep going like we were going."
On whether or not he liked Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny as a rushing duo:
"Absolutely. We loved seeing that happen. Those guys both looked great. That's, it's what we picture us looking like with those two guys."
On how he felt the offensive line functioned with Joey Hunt in:
"I thought they did fine. Joey did really well. Joey has always done well when he plays. He absolutely knows our stuff cold. He's a great communicator. He's different, totally different style player and athlete and all that, but he always gets the job done and he will. He'll do a fine job for us."
On whether he and the team 'took their foot off the gas':
"It looked like it. Looked like it. No, we didn't, mentally, I don't know. We didn't do that, but it looked like it, so I have to figure that part out."
On Bradley McDougald subbing in:
"He was the emergency guy for us because he just barely made it back on Friday, so we didn't want to play him. Marquise [Blair] had some cramps and he had to come out for a little bit and so that's why that happened."
On Marquise Blair's hit and the forced fumble at the goal line:
"Yeah, just going after the football. He's tough, man. He showed his hitting ability. Really every game he's played he's made some hits that he jumps out. That's what we loved about him when we drafted him and he continues to show that. He's got a real knack for knocking the fire out of people and we love the style."
On whether or not the defensive rotations are injury-related:
"No. Guys are just deserving an opportunity to get in the game. And if we have a chance to not overwork guys we're trying to do that. It's a long haul. Just halfway through, so just trying to make good decisions to get that done."
On Tre Flowers' injury status:
"Yeah, he [Flowers] had a stinger in the game last week. He practiced all week long, but he didn't, we kept him from hitting anybody. I just didn't feel like we could put him out there. He wasn't quite ready yet. So he, physically he can run around and do everything, but we just didn't want to put him where he might get hit again. If we could get by, we did. I should mention that Akeem [King] played and Neiko [Thorpe] played and got the job done out there."
On Tyler Lockett's performance:
"He made unbelievable plays again. He just continues to be great. He's an incredible player. You can just keep lauding all of the things that he does so well, but so much of it is instinctive and feel and he's just a marvelous football player."
On Tyler Lockett:
"He [Lockett] has a knack. He knows how to do it. He has such great focus and concentration and all that and he's got the play-making mentality. He knows how it find his way to the ball when other guys don't do it as well and he continues to be great and it's incredible to watch."
On Julio Jones' performance
"He [Jones] was great today. We wanted to contain them, keep them underneath us and so we did that, but, man, they got a million yards. He was great. I thought Matt Schaub played fantastic today he did a great job. They're very fortunate to have such an equipped backup. He did a great job."
On how he evaluates his team:
"We're not quite there. In one regard to be 6-2 and to be feeling that isn't so bad. We got a ways to go here, but we're going to finish. This club has finished forever and we're going to do it again and this, these next eight weeks will tell the whole story for everybody in the league. This story is not written. You guys write the stories thinking that you know, but it ain't written yet for real. So we have a chance to do our part and we're going to see if we can cause some problems for the rest of the league."
On Jason Myers' kicking performance:
"He [Jason Myers] is really consistent. I thought he did a marvelous job today. Averaged 50 something and whatever and coverage was great every time. We swarmed them. That was a beautiful job. Special teams have been improving and we saw it start to happen last week. We thought we made a jump and they followed it up again. That was a fine job today."
QUARTERBACK RUSSELL WILSON
On the second half of today's game:
"Well let's talk about the first half first. I think the first half was great. I thought we played great. We were running the ball well and throwing it around. I thought we made some great plays. I mean the second half, really, we had one drive during the third quarter, maybe two. We were really backed up and only had one good drive that half. I think we had only four drives the whole half and normally we have more. We took some penalties and that really got us backed up, they won the first drive we had and then came out and stopped us again. I think the good thing is we stayed the course. Bobby Wagner stopping the two-point conversion tonight was him showing why he's one of the best to do what he does. Tyler Lockett had a phenomenal night tonight; he is just always open and he's really a fun guy to play with. DK Metcalf had two touchdowns tonight, that was really special to see. Unfortunately, we saw Justin (Britt) go down today and that was tough for us. I pray that he will come back stronger and continue to boost the other guys up and continue to be a great force in our locker room and everywhere else."
On playing the best all season during the first half:
"I think we scored on four of the five drives the first half. It would be better if we had scored on all five. I think we played really well. We ran well and our defense was great the whole first half. They really made key plays and forced some turnovers that we capitalized on. So, I thought we were lights out during the first half and I hope we continue that for the rest of the season, but we just have to be better in the second half. We have to find ways to be better and play sharper if we want to go where we want to go, we just have to get better.
On the Falcons' sense of urgency in the second half:
"I think they came out amped up, they have a lot to play for. I think this game was a pretty big deal for them and obviously us. They came out strong and got the ball first to score on the first drive so that gave them some momentum and then the defense flipped the page for us, and we just couldn't find a good first down, so we just need to get better there."
On having a 6-2 record:
"I am fired up to be 6-2, it's great! The reality is where we're at and the reality is, we have places we want to go. We have all the opportunity to get better and the reality is, we feel like we could have won some games here and there, but we just want to keep our heads down, keep working and keep playing together and for each other. We want to be selfless and do whatever it takes to win. That's all that really matters in this game, we can celebrate when we win with each other and we got to do that today... but not only celebrate a win, we got to celebrate Bobby Wagner. I got to come into the league with Bobby in 2012 and I remember sitting in the rookie room and talking about how we were going to go places. I think about his work ethic and all that he has put into this game, this franchise and this team and I have been so happy to do it with him. He is a true pro. He is going to be a Hall of Famer. He is a great player, a great friend, and a great captain. I am just glad I get to do it with him. We were talking in the locker room about how it is just the beginning for him, and we are all really excited about his accomplishments."
On winning on the road:
"It is huge to win on the road. We have to play in some really tough environments, usually. I think that for us to come on the road, especially after having to fly all the way from the Pacific Northwest, we've figured out how to balance it and mature into getting prepared. We are a young team and it can be dicey but for us, we have done a great job of preparing everyone to be mentally focused on what we do."
TIGHT END LUKE WILSON
On today's game and the Falcons:
"[The Falcons are] not a team of slouches by any means, they are very well-coached. We got off to a great start. Not the way we wanted to finish as far as scores and stuff go, but we had a nice road win. We finished the first half of the season with a win on the road. Pete [Carroll] just mentioned that this I think is four road wins in a row, the first time in 39 years or something. A lot of positives. Again, we would like to have a stronger second half showing, but its NFL. They [Falcons] made some great plays so hats off to them and we got the win."
On what clicked in the first half:
"Honestly, I felt like even in the second half we had a couple three in outs, some penalty issues. I felt like everything clicked in the 1st half. We just shot ourselves in the foot offensively the second half. It wasn't anything they adjusted or did, we just have to take ownership of that and kind of get back in the rhythm. We didn't really give our defense much time off with those three in outs. I felt as an offensive guy that the third quarter we were barely out there, but we got back into a nice little drive with a field goal and even with that drive we had a couple of penalties we overcame and settled for a field goal but it felt a little more like the first half."
WIDE RECEIVER DK METCALF
On his touchdowns:
"Tyler [Lockett] and JB [Jaron Brown] drew a lot of attention on both of those plays that kind of left me open."
On the second half:
"We finished the game and got out of here with a W [win] so it doesn't really matter."
On the first half:
"Our defense was shutting them down and out offense was calling some great plays letting us just move down the field."
On having a game like today's game:
"It is always great to have a good game, but like I said, we got out of here with a W [win] and that is all that matters."
LINEBACKER SHAQUILL GRIFFIN
On playing against Julio Jones:
"I enjoyed the challenge. I feel like me and Tre [Flowers] talked about it so much during the off-season. We were looking forward to the chance of going against a guy like that. I have the utmost respect for him. It's not an easy task to go against a guy like him. I made some good plays, he makes some good plays. I love the competition."
On similarities between Earl Thomas and Marquise Blair:
"I definitely see similarities. He knows how to get to the ball. One thing about Earl, no matter where the ball is at, he is going to get to it, and that's how Blair plays. This is the difference between those two, would you go for the pick or the hit? If you ask Blair that, you will see his answer, that's the only difference. Blair is going to go for the hit every time, Earl is going to do a little bit of both, but he's going to go for the ball, that's the difference between them. When I know a guy like that, if I tell him Julio or any receiver is going inside, I know he is going to have my back because he will clean anything up if I make a mistake. Having a guy like that, I'm comfortable with playing man to man, and just getting my work done because I know I have somebody in the back who will clean anything up if I make a mistake."
