Pete Carroll: "It's a really competitive roster"

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll talked to the media on Wednesday -- here's what he had to say.

Link: Pete Carroll Training Camp Day 5 Press Conference

Head Coach Pete Carroll

August 5, 2015

(On Tyler Lockett) He's shown a lot already. He's a fantastic worker, that's one of the things I'd say first. He's doing a lot with keeping games and all that as well. We've all been impressed with his attention to detail and how he wants to get it right. He spends extra time and all that. He's an unbelievably quick, fast guy, very confident catcher, really good route runner. He's doing great. We're not going to hold him back, he's going to push it for as much play time as he can get as receiver and then we're giving him a great shot to be returner in both kicks and punts. He's done a great job coming up if he can hold on to it.

(On Lockett's value) We're always adapting to what the guys do well. So we've studied his history of running the kicks back. We always are adapting to what the guys do. He's got a little bit of a style to him, it's a little bit of both. We're trying to fit it so that he's really comfortable with it. We can adjust our stuff easily.

(On Bruce Irvin) Yeah, just a legs day (off).

(On the running backs) The young guys are getting off to a good start. Just in general, the guys are working really hard. We're really happy with how it's underway. Thomas Rawls has been nothing but on it this whole time. He is very, very determined kid. Every single day he works hard, he's showing really good instincts. He catches the ball nicely. Is shown a willing block or two. When he ran in college he was physical. He ran at people. Here you don't get that chance yet but come game time we're looking forward to seeing his style. Rod Smith has done a nice job too. Totally different style guy. Tall, lean, 227 pound guy. Anxious to see how he fits in. Interesting to see Turbo (Robert Turbin) come back after having double hip surgery. You don't know what you're going to get, he looks the best he's looked. He's very quick, explosive, and so he's really made a good first impression.

(On Kevin Pierre-Louis playing with the ones) We're really fired up with what he can do. He is so fast and he plays so quick. He's a real smart player. He studied really hard so he knows his stuff. What he has been able to do is he makes things happen. He gets off blocks really well. He's got great speed to chase the football he also has good instincts in the throwing game. If we were playing today, we would get him into the rotation and have him playing some. Spell the guys who have to play so many snaps. We wouldn't hesitate at all. It's good to see him go with the first group.

(On Justin Britt) He's stronger, he's more physical than he was. He had a great off season. To talk to him about what it was like this year versus last year is a million miles ahead. He's very grateful for that. He spent a lot of time with [J.R..] Sweezy in the off season. They worked together a lot, they communicated, and they talked so much. All of that helps. The thing we really hope for is that physically he would get stronger and he's definitely done that. We're expecting him to be a whole step ahead than last year.

(On Justin Britt's experience) It shows up in recognition of the fronts in the things he has to see. The communication now compared to before, he is miles ahead. The continuity, the familiarity with Sweezy and with the tight ends and the language that they have to share, he's just miles ahead. He's much more capable of showing what his ability is like than worrying and thinking and wondering. He didn't know if he was right most of the season. He was kind of hoping he was. He is now much more committed and help him in every way.

(On Eric Pinkins) He's working in the nickel stuff but he's basically playing our SAM backer spot for us. He's doing well. He had a lot to learn starting late at the spot. He's very fast and very athletic coming from the back end. Pink (Eric Pinkins) is a very hard worker we're anxious to see how he does in the games so we can put it all together and make sense of it and all that. Work habits and all that gives him a good chance.

(On Anthony McCoy) I don't know that. I think he got a little light-headed or something. He's had a couple days where he's been a little over heated so it might have caught up to him.

(On team's depth) I really feel like we were a couple years ago. A couple years ago we were really excited for every position that guys were fighting for play time. We really knew that if the next guy jumped in he was going to be able to play too. It feels like that now. We're really young on the offensive line but the quality of the guys in all is really exciting. This might be the best group of guys. We'll see. It will take us a month or so to have a sense in that. We're encouraged by that. It's a little different than last year. It seemed different last year. It's a really competitive roster this time.

(On Nate Boyer) He's doing it, he's working hard. He's going to be ready to get in there and snap into games and see how he does. He's been very consistent, I'm anxious to see what he does when he gets downfield. He has to protect, and then when he gets downfield to make his tackles, he's a little smaller than Gresh [Clint Gresham] and all that, but he's competing for it and he's had good days one right after another. So I think it's a fun story to watch and he's going to be given a chance.

(On Cassius Marsh) Just in general, like our guys that stay around and work with our people, he's more physical. He's had a really good, solid offseason, and he's healthy and all of that to take advantage of it. And really his offseason started early last year, so he's well ahead and he's been very active in practice, we're anxious to see what he does in games.

(On Kristjan Sokoli and Mark Glowinski) We're just throwing them in really. Kristjan [Sokoli], we're giving him a chance to play at left guard. Mark [Glowinski], if he gets any time, it's just for flexibility at this point. But Kristjan has shown already he's really athletic and he's very tough, so we want to see what happens when we take the burden of the snap off of him and see if he can move faster with the process of learning and all. It's a lot to ask a first year guy to transition from defense who hasn't played center and all that. He's made up to be a center now, he's really fast and really athletic so we're just going to see what happens. We've got to get through some games and see what it all means here in a couple weeks.

(On Mohammed Seisay) "I need to see his film today, it's really just a couple days. This is the second one, I need to see another one. He had some good one-on-ones today. We saw the makeup, he's got size and speed and all that kind of stuff that looks right. We've got to transform him a little bit into our style of guy, but the length that he has, the long arms and extension is obvious and that's what we're always excited about. You know he's a 4.4 guy too so he's in the realm of having a chance. He had a couple plays today too, but I need to see the film to know more.

(On Ryan Murphy and Kevin Smith) Ryan Murphy sprained his ankle the other day. [Kevin Smith] He has a slight groin strain, should be I think three or four days.

(On what he's seen so far from Obum Gwacham) That he's raw, and he's the hardest working guy that maybe you can find. He unbelievably gives it up every snap, he's done a great job on special teams. Because he's such a new player to the position we have to be patient with his growth. One thing we know is he's going to come and bring it, he's going to bring the effort and chase the football like crazy. He's long and he's fast, there's a lot of potential there.

(On contract situations affecting locker room chemistry) It's a challenge if you let it be, it can be a problem. We work so much with our individual guys. We know them so well, we care for them so much that I think we find our ways to work through all of the issues. I'm hoping that we can show that you can do that, and I'm counting on it. Right now, after all of the stuff that's gone on with Russell's [Wilson] and Bobby's [Wagner] contracts, and the other things that you've heard, our guys are working like crazy. They're working with one another and alongside each other in great fashion. I think it's a statement to the connection the whole team has, we're trying to do something special here.

(On any progress in getting Kam Chancellor back in camp) "There's been no exchange to tell that. I'd love to talk to him but I haven't talked to him in a couple days. It's an issue of concern. Yeah, it's an issue of concern, particularly for Kam [Chancellor]. Here we have to keep moving and he knows, that's what we are called to do and so we're going to do that. But it's a very difficult time for him I think."

(On Demarcus Dobbs) "Yeah, he's got a groin thing also."

(On what Cassius Marsh has shown so far in camp) "He's shown us that he's a very instinctive football player, he really has a great sense for the game, and he can do a lot of things in the game. Because he went down early he got back early and he's really primed. He's in great shape, he's hauling tail around here, and he's off to a good start in this camp. We need to see him play in games more. He was active in the preseason last year for a little bit when he had his chance, so we're hoping he can take it a notch higher. He's the kind of guy that works so hard that if you give him enough plays he's going to make things happen. He's that instinctive and he can take advantage of the mistakes that the offense makes, so I'm really curious to see how he's going to fit in. I really see him as a leo, he's a leo and eventually he'll help us at outside backer too. We're not going to do that yet, but that's coming, for flexibility and all. He's built like an outside backer. He's 250 pounds, and long and all that. That's our leo spot. He's an avid rusher, so it fits just right for him."

(On moving Cassius Marsh inside on the defensive line) "Yeah, that's always part of it, but we're not calling on him right now to do that, he can though. But I think he's gotten suited to the outside so it's best we keep him out there."

(On Frank Clark) "We're playing him at defensive end in base stuff, and then we're going to play him and move him around in the nickel stuff. We have rushed him quite a bit inside. I love the thought of a 4.6 guy rushing on the guards, and he's very active, he's got great hands. We have to see how that fits, and it's going to take us a while before we know that."

(On DeShawn Shead) "D-Shead's been around a long time with us. He knows our system and he knows what we expect. He's a dedicated Seahawk, he does everything the way we want. He's very athletic for a safety. He can play corner for us, he's done that in the past and he's done it well, so his coverage skills are there. I'm anxious to see how he fits in on a regular basis fitting in on the running game. Not that he won't know where he's going, I want to see how aggressive and how physical his presence can be. We've had big expectations for that spot. But we'll see, we know we're very athletic with him playing in there. So I'm ready to see him play, we have no hesitation. He's played some, he's played in a spot and started and all that, so we'll see how he does."