Seahawks vs. Vikings injury report; Russell Wilson, Earl Thomas, Doug Baldwin presser notes

Russell Wilson, Earl Thomas, and Doug Baldwin spoke to the media after the Seahawks practice on Thursday. I took notes.

Russell Wilson:

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• Once a game gets below 20 degrees it's all about the same. Playing at Wisconsin, they'd practice at night, it would get pretty cold. Sometimes there was snow on the ground. Weather can't be a factor, wind is the biggest factor throwing the ball. Comes down to playing the game and being mentally tough.

• Wears the hand warmer and stays warm on the sideline. But when you are moving around you get warm quickly. Looking forward to it. Fortunately he has big hands so that helps him too.

• Has probably thrown 15 balls with a glove on. Has big enough hands he doesn't think he needs it. When it comes to throwing you want to be comfortable as a QB, you want to do what you always do. So he throws with his bare hands. Growing up as a kid he'd play in the snow, so it shouldn't be a factor at all.

• When it gets that cold the ball gets harder, it may freeze up a little bit, but you just play with it.

• You can't do anything to the ball in those situations, you just play normal football.

• Gonna be huge to get Marshawn Lynch. To watch him practice the last couple of days, he runs every ball to the end zone, so much quickness, can do so many special things that are hard to find.

• Thinks the 2012 playoff games gave him experience, it was a great opportunity for them. Found a way to win the game against the Redskins. Came back from 20 behind against Atlanta but unfortunately they kicked a field goal with 7 seconds on the clock.

• Playing on the road in the playoffs doesn't change the team's mindset at all, Coach Carroll keeps the messaging consistent which helps. Going on the road, pretty much every away game they have to leave on Friday because of the distance to travel so things will stay the same. Leave on Friday, get their early and get acclimated to where they are. Ultimately it comes down to being tough. The whistle is still going to blow the same, will still rush out of the tunnel, it is the same football.

• Ultimately cares about winning football games. Only thing the team is focused on, the stats don't matter if they lose. Downfield accuracy work comes down to footwork, timing, reps, it is kinda like baseball where they say you need 10,000 at bats. Was fortunate to get a lot of reps in college, and was fortunate to play right away here. Ultimately it comes down to those guys making the plays for him. They make him look good. It is not on him, it is those guys up front blocking, the receivers making big time catches. Praises the receivers, Tyler Lockett as returner and the running backs. Comes down to hard work and dedication.

• When the team was preparing for them last time the Vikings had their guys healthy. Those four guys are all great football players, but they saw them on film last time. Same thing seeing the new film. Gonna be a battle.

• Russ is motivated by his faith, then family, lot of people think this is just entertainment, but this is their job, what they come to work to do every day. Awesome job to have, never take that lightly. Also your teammates, seeing those guys go to work. Ultimately if you want to do something great in life you have to be a self motivator. Doesn't need people to motivate him. Comes to work to be the best to ever do it, has a long way to go. Take one day at a time, enjoy the process of the grind to get better. It is a journey, it isn't easy. Faith, family, teammates, puts teammates and family together, then himself. Were so close before the bye week to win games, just one or two plays. It is a journey, you respect the journey and process. Doesn't think we changed too much, just got a little bit better. When you can grow a little bit by little bit a lot of things will come in terms of success.

• The QB position is arguably the hardest position in sports. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to just try to get close to winning a game in the NFL. For Russ he isn't sure if there is an exact time table, told Tyler he truly believes experience is necessary for those who are unqualified. In other words if you aren't qualified to do it you need that experience. You see guys like Tyler come in and play right away. He hasn't had that much experience he will just keep getting better.

• Thinks he is right where he wants to be in his development. In his rookie year he wrote a whole bunch of goals. Simple goals he could control. Some people write goals you can't control but his are focused on what he can control. Like working on his footwork or watching a certain amount of film. His number one goal is to treat every day as a new day. Treat the play like he has never seen It before, try to learn as much as he can, take as many notes as he can. Every day he comes to work he feels like it is his rookie year again. He uses the experiences he has had to continue to build, but ultimately try to enjoy it. Think the other guys feed off that too, feed off of them and vice-versa.

• Can't tell us all his goals.

Earl Thomas:

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• Feels good to have Kam Chacellor back. Have been doing this for a long time, so we know what to do. With him and Kelcie McCray out there we have a great chance of doing what we need to do.

• Couldn't tell us the exact moment he got over the Super Bowl hangover. Just keep fighting for it and having fun and finding those moments you can laugh about situations.

• Earl is just having fun right now. Has the most fun during the preparation.

• When we are on the road it "is just us." No distractions, the wives and babies are at home. We like it to be just us.

• Would expect to see more Adrian Peterson than last time. He is the bell-cow of the offense. Hopefully our preparation will take care of itself.

• Communication on the road is easy, it is like a walk through practice out there, no noise. Very dominant on the road. Doesn't look at the game in terms of the ice-bowl or anything. We are in it, it's the playoffs. Go out there, put foot-warmers and heating pads on and play ball.

• Earl doesn't listen to criticism. What motivates Earl is if the coaches get on them or starts sleeping on them a little bit. Thinks personally he makes up stuff in his mind, "he (coach) is trying to call me out right here." Feed off of every little thing that you can.

• When Richard Sherman first came on he was quiet, but then he started to show this anger out of no where. Seemed uncontrollable but he backed it up when he was out there. But now he is a dad, calm, family first, he isn't as loud as unless you bring something to the table he is gonna strike back. Other than that has matured. As a player he has elevated, every year we get better.

• As soon as Sherman batted down that deep ball against the Cardinals "it is on." It's going to be a long day, because you felt it.

• The most pain he has ever been in is the Packers game, injured shoulder.

• Thinks the green sleeve he wears is cool.

Doug Baldwin:

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• Doesn't look back and appreciate what this offense has accomplished right now. Focus on the task at hand. Worry about that stuff later.

• Doesn't know if the team looks at the difficult road to the Super Bowl being special. Thankful for an opportunity to play another game of football.

• Thinks the team called upon Russell Wilson to be more of a pocket passer. Not that he wasn't before, but with losing our top running backs and being forced to throw the ball a little bit more we needed him to do what he has done. He answered the call. That is how he has improved the most.

• Collectively the team came together around the mid-season point and became more efficient. Came down to execution. In the second part of the season the team started executing at a high level. The O-line who played fantastic giving Russell the time he needed in the pocket, and Russell did a wonderful job delivering the ball on top, and the receivers made the best of their opportunities.

• Doug is excited to get their weapons back. Getting Marshawn back, who has been the engine of the offense for a long time here, his personality in the huddle, definitely excited to get that back. Especially being in the playoffs getting them back gets us excited.

• Doesn't know about cold weather games, grew up in Florida. Don't know if there is a way to prepare for it other than to know beforehand it is going to be difficult. Team has always dealt well with the things they can't control.

• Tyler Lockett is extremely impressive. What he has been able to do as a rookie offensively and on ST is phenomenal. The thing about Tyler is he bought into the receiver room mold. The motto is "no job too great, no job too small" and he bought into that.

• Think gaining trust with the coaching staff, the QB and learning the offense is why receivers take so long normally to produce in the NFL. Here we have a great coaching staff and great players around Tyler who have helped him, Jermaine Kearse and the other older guys on the team. All have pitched in to help him and speed up that process. Think for Tyler it was really easy compared to what you'd expect for other rookies coming in.

• Learned that those games (2012 playoff games) aren't any different than being at home. The field is the same size, it is just football. Gained that experience. Lean on some portion of that as we go into the playoffs on the road.

• Have always felt confident about going on the road because of how they prepare. Treat every game the same whether at home or away. Have confidence in their preparation.

• It has been very nice to have the culture here created by Pete be open, allowing him to be himself. Comforting at time when at times when the personality you show is not necessarily the mature level you would like it to be. But with Pete the environment he has created and made here it brings out those personalities and individuals and it is celebrated. That to Doug is what makes the team so special, unique and so close. Everyone can be themselves, you are happy to come to work and be in the locker-room and you enjoy your teammates, it really becomes a family environment.

• The same thing he talks about with Tyler he has seen with Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams. They work really hard on their craft. Granted they haven't had as many opportunities but with the opportunities they have gotten they have done very well. They bought into the motto of what it is to be a receiver here gave them an opportunity to perform for us on Sundays. Excited for their progress and their future, all they need is an opportunity, they are very talented, hopefully it will come shortly.

• There are a lot of things Doug uses as motivation.

• Doug's mom told Doug in the off-season he needs to stop wearing the chip, or boulder on his shoulder, let's have wings on your shoulder, that will help you fly further and higher. Not a chip or boulder anymore, has the wings of an angel, as his mom would put it.

• Doug's mom knows how competitive he is, how hard he tries to be successful, and sometimes there is such a thing as trying too hard. One of their other mottos is you have to work smarter not always harder. That is a growing period for Doug, as you mature and age. You learn sometimes you don't have to work as hard, on something you don't have any control over. Has been very freeing and a stress free way of living.

Relevant Tweets:

• @gbellseattle No matter how cold Sunday is in MIN Bruce Irvin won't wear sleeves, can't look like "a punk" Says he will get all over #Seahawks who wear em

Seahawks Injury Report:

Did Not Participate:

• (TE) Luke Willson (concussion)

Full Participation:

• (RB) Marshawn Lynch (abdomen)
• (SS) Kam Chancellor (pelvis)
• (WR) Tyler Lockett (hip)
• (DE) Michael Bennett (toe)
• (T) Russell Okung (calf)
• (G) JR Sweezy (concussion)
• (CB) Jeremy Lane (oblique)
• (DT) Jordan Hill (toe)

Vikings Injury Report:

Did Not Participate:

• (RB) Adrian Peterson (lower back)
• (DT) Kenrick Ellis (ankle)

Limited Participation:

• (DT) Linval Joseph (foot)
• (DE) Everson Griffen (shoulder)

Full Participation:

• (WR) Adam Thielen (shoulder/lower back)