PETE CARROLL
(on Russell Wilson) “I don’t think we can have a better guy for the Seahawks than Russell Wilson. He gives us such a dynamic approach to the quarterback position in just the football aspect of it, he’s such a tremendous passer. He can pass inside the pocket, he can pass on the move and all the structured stuff, but then he has the dynamic ability to get out of the pocket and create and really, with his legs, running, as well as passing, his ability to run the full gamut of what you would hope a quarterback could do. That’s not even to mention the leadership qualities, the character that he brings, the tremendous competiveness. He’s a perfect fit for us.”
(on Russell Wilson’s offense) “We’ve always kind of wanted our quarterback to kind of be the point guard and distribute the ball to different players and Russell has been fantastic in doing that. He understands the value of (running back) Marshawn (Lynch), he understands the value of our receiving core, Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse. Those guys are incredible football players and he helps them play at their best by being unselfish and by respecting their ability and talents by giving them the ball in situations where they can be a little creative. He does a marvelous job at that and he’s just getting started. It’s a really, really exciting journey that we’re following here.”
(on if he has changed the process at all for this Super Bowl) “The process hasn’t changed at all. We have our way and our philosophy and the way we want to go about it. Being familiar with the circumstances here helps us somewhat, but we haven’t changed anything at all. We really want to create the buildup to this game just like we always do.”
(on the similarities between the Seahawks and Patriots) “There are some similarities. Our background is about defense and our programs have been built on really always having a consistent defense. With that, we depart somewhat in the way we go about our offense but one of the great tie-ins is our connection to football and how important it is to them, how important it is to us to take care of the football and to manage the turnover aspect of the game. That, more than you would think, controls what is going on. There is a statistic out there that our two teams since 2012 are plus-51 in turnover ratio and the next team is like 23 or something like that. I think that shows you that to get that done, that is offense, defense, special teams, it’s the focus on the fundamentals of taking care of the ball. So we have a tremendous similarity in that regard. That’s something that it isn’t in the way we present our style, it’s what we believe in about the game of football.”
(on the game plan for the Super Bowl) “The game plan for us is to play like we always play. That’s the big challenge, that we can play with the same kind of intensity and attitude, the execution that gives us the chance to win. So, regardless of what they do, we have to play like we’re capable of playing. That’s a greater challenge in itself, but that’s really what we’re after. If we do that, that gives us our best chance to win.”
(on the defense) “Our defense is instrumental to the success of this team. They always have been. Hopefully, we play another really good football game and do all of the things that we need to do to corral an incredible offense with great players and all that. If we don’t, then we’re playing outside of the framework of how we want to play. Hopefully our guys will pull that off and we really feel confident we have a chance to do that.”
(on the change that has occurred in the last three years for the Seahawks) “We continue to try and exhibit the special qualities of our players. It’s an ongoing process and as players mature and as we incorporate new players into the system, we try to find a way to put them in the position to play their very best. That is an ongoing process. The change that has occurred in the last three years has been because of the talent and development of our players.”
(on tight end Luke Wilson) “Luke has been a tremendous draft pick. John Schneider nailed this with Luke. Luke didn’t play that much in college. He was a backup a lot of times and all that, but our guys found him. Great speed, great athlete, great kid, great character, great toughness, plays special teams, catch and run, the whole thing. Because he played behind (tight end) Zach Miller it took him some time to really connect the way we’ve seen him in the last couple months. The connection or the chemistry has really shown up the last couple months of the season and we’re just getting started. He’s a heck of a football player.”
(on the young roster and the leaders on the team) “We’re a very, very young football team. If you look at the numbers we’re really young, but our guys have grown up quickly in their early years. They have tremendous leaders in (safety) Kam Chancellor and in (safety) Earl (Thomas) and (cornerback) Richard (Sherman). Those guys are, they are living proof of competitors and great players and all that, but better than that, they’re really good people and they really care about the young guys coming into the program and they know that those guys are our life blood, so they have always taken that responsibility to heart and done a very, very good job I think. That’s good testimony that that’s what is happening.”
(on the 12th man) “The 12th man is unbelievably a part of what we’re all about. We have connected with them from years ago. They’ve always been great. They have fueled us in so many situations and in so many games, even taking it all the way to the Super Bowl last year, all the way to New York. That crowd was an incredible crowd. How that happened I don’t know, but enough of them got in and they affected the people around them that we felt like it was a hometown crowd. It’s just a remarkable relationship. The heart and soul of our program is really founded in the 12s.”
(on his relationship with Robert Kraft) “Robert (Kraft) really was a really good partner to work with back in the day. He gave me an opportunity that I will always be grateful for. He also sent me out the door too, and I remember that. We’ve maintained over the years a very respectful relationship and he’s done a remarkable job. He’s led one of the most successful franchises in the history of this league and in the history of professional sports and he’s done it in great fashion by supporting his coach and doing all the things that he needed to do. I had a chance to visit with him here, talked with him during the week. We’re really get along very well.”
(on the matchup between Russell Wilson and Tom Brady) “I don’t see it as a matchup between those guys, but it’s a matchup between two teams. You’re going to see two tremendous quarterbacks and two guys that really fit the bill as the leaders in their team. Tom Brady has been a fantastic performer and a fantastic leader and those guys love playing for him and I think it’s the same thing for Russell and our club. They will obviously play prominent roles in this game, but this is team against team. This isn’t really one guy against one guy.”
(on Jim Harbaugh) “Jim is going to do a great job. He’s a fantastic coach and he’s proven it in every opportunity. The fact that he’s no longer in the NFL only makes it a little bit better for us. He’s a great football coach and I think his connection with Michigan is going to run deep and I think he’s going to be able to reconnect the great heritage of that program. It’s been kind of up and down for a while and it hasn’t really been recaptured by anybody, but I know Jim will do it with great style, great energy. I think he’s going to do a fantastic job. I’ll miss playing against him. He was a great competitor.”
(on making it back to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year) “It’s obviously very difficult and everybody is trying to get in your way to let that happen. I think that’s the part about it that I like the most is that everybody was trying to get you. They didn’t want it to happen. They were doing anything they could to get us and we were able to find our way again. I love that part of it. It brought out the best in us and made us the best team that we’ve become at this point. The big story, the big picture of it is just going to try to win.”
(on the connection he has with USC) “It’s deep. It has been because everything that we do now was really forged there in L.A. (Los Angeles, Calif.) and I’ve never forgotten that. I give great regard to that because this philosophy, this approach, this language, everything that we do, this style of coaching people, really was brought together there and I was so fortunate that I had the chance to do it at USC (University of Southern California).
(on the structure of his program) “Our program is really structured around helping people be the best they can be. That’s basically the fundamental baseline of what we’re doing. In that, I just believe that if we allow our players to function where they’re at their best, which is really representing who they are, along with the coaching and development that we can bring them, we give them the chance to be at their best. That’s why we do celebrate their uniqueness. We look for the qualities that they have that nobody else has and then we try to coach it into our style of play so that they can do things that they’re really good at. I don’t think it has to do with just football. I think this is in everything. We’ve found in the corporate world that people are really interested in our approach. They like the part of developing the human properties in their team by reaching into the people and bringing out the best they have to elevate productivity in all aspects of life I think. I’m really proud that that is starting to come to life and we’re getting a lot of following there.”
(on Richard Sherman) “I think that’s a great illustration of the uniqueness of Richard Sherman. He’s an extraordinary guy. He’s got a great mind. He’s bright, he’s sharp. He’s got wit, he’s got creativity to him which is really what his game is like as well. It’s just the whole person that we’re talking about. I’m not sure if you’re asking how does that help him play well, he’s an extremely savvy football player. He can take in all of the elements and the indicators that come up from a lineman to stances to quarterback reads to style of play and incorporate that into his decision making. He’s an extraordinary decision maker during games. His ability to analyze and break down things that are happening are really phenomenal and that’s why he’s so unique and special.”
(on Richard Sherman playing the rest of the NFC Championship game with an injured elbow) “It demonstrated the competitor that he is. He’s a great competitor. All of that is fueled by his competitiveness. He has these qualities, but if he wasn’t this ferocious competitor that he is, those wouldn’t be brought to light so often. He’s got torn ligaments in his elbow and he played football and he’s going to play again and he’s going to do it. He didn’t care. He played with one arm and he got through that game and finished it for us and just in heroic fashion, as did (safety) Earl (Thomas). Earl pulled off the same thing. Fortunately those guys are responding really well, they’re going to play in the game and all, but that illustration of that willingness before they really knew what was wrong with them, they hung in there and just finished the game and did a fantastic job.”
(on Coach Bill Belichick and Marshawn Lynch) “I don’t know about Bill (Belichick), I’ve never been there I can’t even comment on that. I just know that (running back) Marshawn (Lynch) is an extraordinary character. He is the most giving, the most loyal, one of the great teammates that you can want on a team because of the way he takes care and looks after people. He’s got a remarkable sense about that. His sense for loyalty runs extraordinarily deep and his teammates know that.”
(on Golden Tate) “I would have loved to have had him. I thought he was a great player. I always loved Golden. One of my favorite guys. Then I hated that he had to go somewhere else. But, I congratulate him. He had a great season and it was fun watching him.”
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