Pete Carroll, Richard Sherman, Luke Willson press conference notes

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, CB Richard Sherman, and TE Luke Willson spoke to the media today. I took notes on what was said.

Coach Carroll:

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• Really good matchup, similar formula to us. They run the ball, have a great defense, have a good ST, don't turnover the ball much, get turnovers. Looking forward to the matchup. Got comfortable here at home and it is time to get into the road season again.

• Adrian Peterson is a fantastic football player. He poses every threat a running back can have. They feature him exactly like you think they should. We have to get the LOS right, the whole game defensively starts there.

• Jimmy Graham is having surgery today if all goes right with meetings, know more post-surgery.

• Vikings defense is really solid, really cool. Lots of carry over from Cincinnati. Really good with their coverage change-ups, they hit well, they run well, they tackle well.

• Have had Chase Coffman on their chart for a while (of TEs to get if a need arises). Tall guy, good catcher, is a guy they think can fit with what we need to do.

• Brandon Mebane has been really solid. Has been doing a workman's job, has been a little quiet with sacks and stuff (not that he is a sack guy). Has been very solid and consistent.

• Vikings play-pass due to being a run team, Teddy Bridgewater is a good runner when he needs to be. They don't want to turn over the ball, they have a good explosive number in general, they still make plays down the field. Think they want Teddy to manage the game.

• What they ask of Teddy is similar to what the Hawks asked of Russell Wilson. Their entire team is similar.

• Zimmer is a master of his scheme. There is a Mike Zimmer defense.

• Think the confidence, seeing things well, not being surprised by the pressures that are coming, has helped us with picking up the blitz. We have also been really quick with the football, think that is Russell at his best in the pocket. Think it is growth.

• Needed to make a spot (so cut Drew Nowak). Patrick Lewis looks good at center and Lemuel Jeanpierre can play guard and center, Nowak can't, so we need flexibility. Still think Nowak has a chance to play for us, hopefully we can get him back.

• Think the focus and the protection improvement that has allowed us to convert on 3rd down that leads to red zone number improvement.

• Usually we are not on time, and the ball is not out. We do a variety of things in the passing game, it requires them to be very quick and rhythmical, but other times we do play-action pass.

• Not gonna change with the loss of Jimmy. We didn't change when Jimmy got here, just threw him the football.

• Carroll says he expects him back for start of 2016. But admits he doesn't know what he's talking about.

• "I think it's going to a great long term decision that we made."- Carroll on Jimmy Graham trade.

• Think Richard Sherman is a remarkable guy. He has such awareness and savvy on and off the field. Really bright, he is articulate, he is willing to investigate issues to find where he stands on things, and he is willing to express himself. The same things come out in his football too.

• We have kicked the ball low a couple of times. I guess if the league wanted to create more interest (in the XP) and that has happened. Think it will be even more of a factor as the weather changes. Doesn't have a big opinion on we shouldn't be doing it or should (the rule).

• Think going for two will be a good looking option with the weather changing and the distance of the XP.

• Patrick Lewis was kinda quiet, he didn't assume the responsibility to be verbal last year at center. Now he is the captain of the front, always thought he had the potential but didn't know if he would tap into it. Tom Cable told him that he needed to work on that.

• Patrick is a very quiet guy. Think the confidence we have instilled in him by putting him in the spot helped him.

• If you respect that group of guys (P-Squad) and you watch them and evaluate them and you help improve them and stay and do extra with those guys, don't treat them as backups you don't pay attention to, we invest in our P-squad guys in hopes that things will happen, that they can jump in and help us. They travel with team and are involved in all activities. They are a good factor, they are young guys pushing forward and making their move, other guys on the roster cheer for them, excited for them to step up and make the roster. Doesn't know if it is different on other teams.

• Luke Willson has become a regular blocker in our system, is an all around TE. Continues to find ways to get better, is a really dogged competitor. Can do it all, excited to have him, will use him a lot.

• Have to wait and see if Cary Williams makes the active roster this week.

• Evaluates the defense by how the game is going. When they run the ball only 14 times they are going to pass a lot and there are going to be a lot of yards. TOP can be misleading as can the yards in the passing game. It is about the overall effectiveness of the defense and are they helping us win? We scored every time we had a turnover, lots of factors go in.

• Think DeShawn Shead is doing a fantastic job, very few guys are as versatile in the secondary as him. Guys are really excited for him. He steps up to the opportunity, the guys have rallied around him.

• Every year since Pete has been here the Seahawks have finished a game with a score never seen before in the NFL. Pete likes that stat. Really weird stat, thinks it is pretty cool.

• Both Will Tukuafu and DeMarcus Dobbs are making progress, they aren't ruled out yet. Have had good results from the testing.

• Jeremy Lane is ready to go but sore.

• Marshawn Lynch is still in Philly in the guidance of their rehab.

• Earl Thomas is trying too hard, trying to make plays, has always been his issue. That is his nature, we have coached him in this regard for a long time. He wants to be great so it is for all the right reasons.

• Russell has typical input with the game plan. He executes our game plan.

• Love having Jimmy on the team (regarding evaluating the trade), he is a great teammate and player and am excited for him in this program going into the future.

Richard Sherman

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• Humbled by the nomination (Man of the Year). Obviously isn't an individual reward, his fiancée, his brother, his team, his lawyer, others deserve a lot of thanks.

• Had a plan the whole time as he gained notoriety to help people with his charities. Feels if you have a dollar you have at least 50 cents you can give somebody. Treat people how you would want to be treated in their situation.

• Wants to keep talking football post-football. Might coach for a little while, but more than likely wants to talk football. To continue to give back and help people off the field.

• Think he wants to go general in-front of the camera, wants to cover basketball too, wants to cover sports. Thanks Kobe for his career.

• Is more of a responder, doesn't just come out and bring things up, nobody has been disrespectful so he hasn't had any reason to say anything. Respect gets respect and disrespect gets disrespect.

• Thought it was laughable (criticizing him for not being able to cover a smaller receiver). If it is someone like Deion Sanders then you can respect that, but you can't respect when someone doesn't have experience.

• Quite a few people have said he can't cover small receivers, not calling anyone out, will leave that for the off-season.

• Think there will be opportunities against the Vikings, but doesn't think they will throw it 50 times. They will feature AP, but they try to get the ball down the field, their receivers have a lot of speed. Their TE is having a good year too so expect him to get targeted.

• Support the guys in the locker-room through the good and the bad. When guys compete you have respect for one another. No one takes getting benched as a reason to pout, Cary helps Shead, coaching him up, telling him what he sees, that is what makes him a pro.

• Thinks Shead can play everything, he is on punt return, on kick return, can play every spot in the secondary. Thinks he could fill in at Mike LB for some snaps for us. Thinks he is selfless because he doesn't have a singular job, can fill in everywhere.

• Think you are only as strong as your weakest link and that applies to the P-squad. Testament to our P-squad is a bunch of guys that were on there are starting on other teams. They are just as part of the team as anybody else. There isn't a hierarchy of super star guys and P-squad guys or something. His brother usually pesters him with the information like he can't cover a small wide receiver.

• The Vikings have some very dynamic receivers, will be out there biting his nails, trying his best to not be a stereotype.

• 15 years from now Sherman who is a broadcaster would evaluate Sherman this year by saying; he has dropped some picks, easy ones and hard ones. He has had some great games and some not so great games. The difference is when critiquing me compared to a different CB in the league is a bad game for me is giving up 5 catches for 60 yards, while an off game for someone else is like 200, give up 200. When I give up 60 people are saying "What happened to Richard Sherman?! He was covering nobody!"

• It was hilarious to see Jeremy Lane run out of gas. He was like a car that ran out of gas, and you just see it continue to roll with the engine off. Nobody caught him, and he had been talking so much mess about the Chicago game and my punt return, it was karma, got him.

• Studies everybody. When you only have to guard one guy you only have to study one guy. When you cover everyone you gotta study for everyone. Met Kobe during a commercial shoot after the Super Bowl and Kobe told him that he was a fan of him and Sherman said it made his stomach loop, it meant a lot.

• Means a lot to him to find out that the Stanford kicker who won the game said the most exciting part of that happening was after the game seeing Richard Sherman started following him on twitter.

Luke Willson:

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• Only difference between last year (becoming TE1 when Zach Miller went down) and this year is he got a podium this year. Podium is a little new. Nothing he hasn't been through before, is ready to roll.

• Experience helps, having been through it. Had some wild games last year especially down the stretch. Feels comfortable, nothing too crazy to talk about, nothing big changing for him.

• More snaps for sure, more 3rd down looks in the 11 personnel and red zone stuff. Nothing too crazy.

• Think there is some Jimmy stuff that we may move away from to be honest. Don't think you will see many drastic changes if any.

• Talked to Jimmy, was pretty down, understandably. Talked to him recently and think he is at the point where he is ready to attack rehab. Probably come back strong as ever, guy who works as strong as he does.

• Toughest part of developing has been the different roles. When we had Zach he was more the down the seam guy, stretch the field, but with Jimmy here he became the "Zach" role. Knows he is only in year 3 but he feels older. Two Super Bowls experience wise helps a lot.

• Feels very comfortable in the run game and the pass game (blocking). In the first year learning a new run system was challenging (compared to college). Feels comfortable with the tackles, great communication on combo blocks and stuff.

• Don't like when guys were sick, so was trying to avoid Russ, but as far as his game-play it was fun to be a part of and fun to watch. He dominated in every aspect of the game, he was in command out there. Was in incredible performance.

Relevant Tweets:

• @Softykjr Jeremy Lane on Vikings: "We're going 2 try & stop the run & make them 1 dimensional. Make them throw the ball, which they dont like 2 do."

• @FieldYates The Seahawks, perhaps still looking at options to fill Jimmy Graham's role, tried out TE Anthony McCoy today. Familiar face in for a visit.

• @Softykjr In games where Adrian Peterson has carried the ball 19 times or less, Vikings are 1-3. When he gets 20+ carries, they're 7-0. Vikings are 7-0 this year when allowing 19 pts or less. 1-3 when giving up 20+.

• @Curtis_Crabtree Drew Nowak cleared waivers and is a free agent. Seems likely he would be re-signed to the practice squad. Also... linebacker Brock Coyle returned to practice today. He's on IR-designated to return. Not eligible to play for another two weeks.

• @bcondotta Drew Nowak is back on Seahawks practice squad.