Earl Thomas post-game interview: Shaquill Griffin ‘balled out’ and ‘doesn’t play like a rookie’

Earl Thomas returned to the regular season field for the first time since breaking his leg against the Carolina Panthers last December, and he looked solid, finishing the game with seven solo tackles and four assists. The Seattle Seahawks held the Green Bay Packers to just 17 points at home — including seven points that came off of a turnover very deep in Seahawks territory — and can be proud of that fact. However, Seattle once again had to deal with a low offensive output in their 17-9 loss that kept the Seahawks defense on the field for a long, long time.

The Packers won the time of possession 39:13 to 20:47.

Thomas spoke to reporters after the game, and when asked about what it’s like to be on the field for that long, ET replied, “Man, it’s been like this for eight years.” However, Thomas said it is “not frustrating” and that “we want to be the best, put it on us if we have to put it on us.”

One thing that Thomas was very positive about was the performance of rookie cornerback Shaquill Griffin. The Seattle defensive players and coaches have been praising the young corner since he started practicing with the team and that continued with a solid performance against the NFL’s best quarterback and some of its best receivers. He so far seems to be a much more welcome addition to the Legion of Boom secondary that some of his recent predecessors, such as Cary Williams.

Here he is on Jordy Nelson:

“He balled out. Like I’ve been saying all along, he doesn’t play like a rookie, the moment is not too big for him.” And “He’s always gonna give me ops to get picks,” which I’m sure all defensive backs will welcome from new players.

Thomas also said he “felt great” after returning to the field from his long absence.