Seahawks press conferences: Pete Carroll talks Tyvis Powell, injuries, QBs, and o-line

It's hard to pick up Pete Carroll’s tone from reading the transcript of his presser. Let me tell you, he's downright effusive when talking about Tyvis Powell and Trevone Boykin. It feels like the chances of either of those guys not making the team are really low. On another note, it’s always enjoyable to hear pre-CBA stories, when two-a-days were the norm.

C.J. What was it like having him back?

Terrific to see him out there. He looked good too. It's been a long haul waiting. It seems like it's been months, but it's been just a couple weeks. But it is great to get him out. A couple guys showed up for the first time. It gives you a good boost.

What's he able to do? How are you working him in this week?

He went through the whole practice. He probably had close to 10-12 plays. As did Thomas (Rawls) and Zac (Brooks). All those guys got some good plays today. So that's a real boost to see them back out.

Seems like Thomas looked pretty good...

Yeah, he looked really good. He's been working really hard. It's not like he's been waiting to work. He's been working like crazy. Just to fit him in is really what we're trying to do today. He looked terrific.

What did you see of the offensive line when you watched the game tape?

Really liked them. I thought we were tight on our pass protection. We really hit some runs against a really nice front. The best evaluations was our 1s against their 1s. A bunch of plays there. They gave us a real good feel. (Dontari) Poe is a terrific nose tackle, and Justin (Britt) held up very well. They battled in a number of situations, short yardage stuff as well. I was really fired up about that. I thought Justin really looked like he made the transition. And that's because we respect Poe. But all in all, the group as we saw communicated well, it was the first time we were on the road and all that stuff, so I'm pleased with that.

How are you guys moving ahead at right tackle with J'Marcus Webb out?

We don't have a timeline on J'Marcus right now, so we're going to stay where we are for a bit until we know more about him.

(Germain) Ifedi in particular, what do you see from him?

He played really tough, he was over-anxious a couple times, but he really can hold up. Here's what we've figured out: what we're seeing in practice, we saw in the game. And so the evaluations that we've had against our own guys really showed up against their good people. And that's a good sign for us, we're pleased to see that.

What are some of the challenges of having a quick turnaround, game Thursday?

You have to get everything done for a game in just a shorter amount of time, so the players have to really be tuned in. We have to adjust the schedule in a number of different ways to make sure that we hit all of the slots that we've got to hit, and then physically, it's a physical challenge for the guys to turn back around and play again, so it's really hard on them. And so we have to do a good job of tailoring the practices. Today we worked really good today, it was a little bit harder that I thought it would wind up on his first day back. So we'll gauge as we go through the week and we'll have to taper down to Thursday night.

Is Brooks also coming back?

Zac? Yeah he did really well, he looked really quick today and he looked like he's got fresh legs that you see on the first day back. He's done nothing but good stuff, really he's right in the middle of all of it, so I'm it'll be fun to see what happens.

[Asked about Christine Michael?]

Physically, I think he shows greater consistency in hitting things the way we expect him to hit them. He's kind of a loose cannon at times, just trying to make things happen instead of really staying with the discipline of our zone run and stuff, he's really on it. He had a beautiful day the other day to start us off and just like he's looked in practice, again, that's another one, he's looked really good in practice and he carried that over to the game. Mentally, certainly he's different. He's just grown up, and he's embracing his opportunity, he's taking advantage of the chance that he's getting by applying himself completely, totally. No reservation in saying that, he's doing a great job.

[Michael cont'd. ]

Oh yeah. They don't have to try so hard to show who they are. They settle in. They just fit together. They do things right more of the time. You can see it, year three. Years, 2 -3 is usually where guys make the transition if they're going to do it.

Tyvis Powell really stood out with Special Teams, what do you see from him?

He had a great game. He had a terrific game. The first time out as a rookie and you know that Special Teams is a big deal. He makes a great play on kick-off coverage on the 12. He has a fantastic, just classic block on the punt return. The ball that he almost kept out of the end zone was an extraordinary play too, just to make that play. And he has a pick. That's a great day. I was really fired up for him, he's looked really good at practice. He made a big statement. I don't remember a first-year guys having a first game that was as obvious as that. So, that's very impressive.

You mentioned the comparison to DeShawn Shead with him? Is he a guy you can see making a full-time living as a corner?

He is certainly physically capable of doing that. He's really fast, he really tall and long, he's very coordinated and comfortable in the movements and stuff. He's got good hand-eye stuff. That fact that he spent quite a, it takes longer really, to learn a system at Safety, physically it takes a long time to figure out the Corner stuff. He's gonna be going back and forth. We are going to try do the same format that we did with DeShawn and see what happens. That makes it more valuable to us it and makes spots on the roster more available, and with what we do in special teams, that's the right idea. I think we stay with that.

What's the outlook for Kam (Chancellor) and Jordan Hill this week?

They are on kind of different programs where Kam's not quite getting over the hump yet. He almost did but then it was too close and he's a little bit sensitive so we are just going to move him through this week. Jordan could really pop back at any time now. He had a long rehab and he's really close. I'll be a little more careful with Kam right now because we're a little uncertain there. We'll just wait it out, I think a couple more days. We probably won't get either one of them this week as it comes too fast. But next week should be big weeks for those guys.

Mike Morgan, are we going to see him out there?

Mike was seeing a doctor in Philadelphia today. He's just getting a work-up done on some groin thing he's got. He's okay, he's going to play on Thursday, but this was the best time to send him out there to get some information we need.

J'Marcus Webb is it still a twisted knee, or are you still waiting for results?

We do have results on it. We just gotta see how he can come back. We're just waiting for him to come back.

What about this week?

No, I don't think he'll make it.

(Sealver) Siliga? Outlook on him?

Different area of his calf got aggravated in his workouts. He felt pretty good, but it just blew up a little bit. So, we just have to wait. He hasn't been released fully to us. That's another one where we're going to have to wait and see how it develops. It could be a couple days. It could be a couple weeks, really. So we gotta wait and see. It's been a debilitating injury for him. It's just really hurt his chances of breaking in and helping us and all that. It's going to be a real hard comeback for him, when he gets back to us.

[Asked about Stanley Jean-Baptiste injury]

We haven't determined if it's a surgery issue or not. He's got a labrum issue.

Asked how the history of playing undrafted guys to get more guys like that?

The road has been paved. And we're looking for the next guys. I think last year we had twenty-six guys, undrafted players on our team. So, that's not big issue for us. We are familiar and comfortable. Something's in the water here. These guys just show up and do great stuff and make teams. A lot of people don't think they're going to do that. So when they do, they're really competitive kids, guys with a chip, and the attitude that we like. It's kinda why the get here.

What did you see of Brandon Browner on film?

Some good stuff. He's going to need all four weeks to really get up to snuff at safety. The specialty work we can do with him, there's no question what he can do. We're just trying to see how far we can go and bring him a long as a hefty.

What's your assessment of Cassius Marsh?

He played really well. He did really well on Special Teams as well. He did a nice job at SAM 'backer. And the plays he had there. He was one of the more standout players in the game. I thought he had a very, very good game.

How about Kevin Pierre-Louis?

He's doing good. The fact that's he's been able to stay on the practice field and stay consistent is really important. He's one of our guys and we just want to keep developing him and keep him healthy so he can just get his rhythm and this timing down. He's a good player on our team and a guy we really count on.

[Asked something about weather?]

Honestly, I don't know. I don't have enough in the tank to know how that affects your next game, the cold and all. Emotionally, it's a challenge. It's a little bit different challenge.

Tyvis Powell - what did you see assignment wise?

He was very solid. He was very much on-point at safety. He had a dozen plays at corner. It's fantastic that he got all that work. I think he had 35 or something plays. He had a good days work, very impressive.

This is the 6th year with the new CBA, no two-a-days, etc.?

What hit us is, how did we ever go two-a-days for all that time? I don't know. What I do know is everybody was doing it. So everybody was relatively beat down. So when you played you couldn't tell because everybody was worn out. It's a different challenge right now in getting through camp. It's not what it was. I can't imagine - back in college we went three times a day. I don't even know what we were thinking. [laughs] I don't know how guys can hold up but we did. Didn't know any better at the time. But now that we do, this format is a good format. And the walk-through is really valuable. Walk-through time is really valuable to us for the learning part of it. I just don't even know how their bodies could hold up. Because our guys are struggling now - different day and age. I don't know.

Was Alex Collins still dealing with an ankle issue during the game?

He just didn't have enough work during the week to really to feel like we could keep him out there. We would have liked him to get 6 to 8 carries. It just didn't quite work. I just felt, let's not push it too far. He was frustrated by that, he wanted some more work too. That's why you saw George (Farmer) get more plays there. But Alex should be very active this week.

Along the lines of George, we see you guys over the years go back and forth with guys, go both ways.

It's having the head coach can call all that stuff. There's a lot of places that coaches might want to do that but guys do not let them do it or whatever. But it makes sense in college you do that all the time. You try to find guys, you move them back and forth. Here guys almost gets a sacred I'm on defense side that's what I am. Our young guys they know. They have been flipped around a lot, and we're just trying to figure it out. It is always for the best of their opportunities and you never do it for any other reason than that. We moved Kyle Coleman today. I don't know if you noticed that he went Full Back today and we are going to see how he does there. We brought him in originally to get work at full back. And just because the line backer spot we put him there, he did well early and so we left him. I just don't want to get through camp without knowing how he fits on the other side. We're very comfortable doing it and we have had pretty good luck with it so.

Your assessment of the Quarterback position...

Russell (Wilson) is just kicking himself, to push that ball outside on his one throw, but he did great. His receivers did great. They work together beautifully. I thought Trevone did a fantastic job looking comfortable, looking just as he looks on the practice field, very much in command. He did make a couple mistakes in the huddle that messed us up execution-wise. When you're out there all by yourself and the clock's running... We lost a couple huddle calls. But other than that, he did a great job. Obviously showed the big plays and the confidence and poise to get through it. I mean, that clock's ticking down to the last play. He knows the clock's running out, he knows that. Great poise to finish it off like he did. Jake (Heaps) did a nice job too. For the most part, we're really pleased with what's happened up to this point because guys are showing in the game like they show in practice. So we're getting good information, and it really directs us and things we need to work on.

Is there any chance that any of the Tight Ends my get work at full back?

Yes. [group laughs] Yes. I don't know how to go any further than that. Of course there's a chance.

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C.J. Prosise is back and just in time for the Thursday's preseason game. C.J. lost a fumble today, caused by a coach. That coaches try to cause fumbles on the practice field is such a Hawks thing to do. Would love to see the scramble drill after that!

I imagine it felt good being back out there today?

It felt great to be back out here, being able to compete, and just be with my teammates.

How are you feeling?

I'm feeling good. After the first day, still getting my wind back a little bit. Still got to get back to practicing and conditioning. But for the most part, I'm feeling really good.

Does it feel like there's catch up to do with the time that you missed?

As far as conditioning-wise, I got to play a little catch-up. But I'm taking it day by day. Getting better. Today was a great day for me. Tomorrow's going to be even better.

How frustrating was it to get hurt early, not be out there?

It was rough. Coming and getting hurt so early and not being able to practice. Watching everybody compete and make plays. It was frustrating for me. It's been a process. I've been working really hard in the training room. Working hard, just trying to get back out here. And today was a very good day for me.

How do you stay engaged during that process?

I was doing a lot of sitting in the huddle. Making sure I was listening to the plays. Every rep I would look at the running back, watch everything he does so I can get mental reps. See what he's seeing.

[Asked about his fit in the offense]

You know, being in this great organization, they're going to find the best fit for my play. And fit me into the offense. I think they're doing a great job in that.

Biggest thing for you to work on?

For me, every day I come out and compete and get better at my game. Improving my game. Becoming more savvy in my routes, in the run game, reading my keys, running to the spot, making the right read. So every day is a different process. The thing is continuous. Most importantly is learn this play book. For me, that's the main thing. Once I can do that, I can go there and play free.

Do you feel like there's added pressure now that you're healthy to set yourself apart and show the coaches what you can do?

I don't see it that way. I just see that I got to go out there and do my job every single play. Whatever happens, happens - make plays.

Does it count as a fumble if a coach knocks it out?

I guess so, I learned that today. Next time I'll be more aware of the coaches [Laughs].

How important is it to balance your coming back with the right pace of showing the coaches what you can do?

The coaches know. They don't want me to push it too hard too fast. But they also know that I want to go out there and go as hard as I can. For me, I just got to come back with a good pace. Keep doing things I've been doing. Just don't do too much.

How important will the preseason be for you, given the time that you've missed?

It's going to be really important. We got three games left and I'm just excited to get out there and compete and help this team win.

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