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On Thursday, Pete Carroll spoke to the media for the second and final time during Seattle Seahawks minicamp. Here are some of the important takeaways:
The team has faced some difficulty in getting players vaccinated against COVID-19, but Carroll and the coaching staff are fully vaccinated and are taking an active role in encouraging players to get the vaccine.
Carroll says all of Seattle's coaches are vaccinated. So when he said Seahawks are "hovering'' around 70 percent that's players only.
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) June 17, 2021
"We are having a vaccination event right now," Pete Carroll says at #Seahawks minicamp final day.
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) June 17, 2021
As for the absences from minicamp, Carroll gave updates on some injured players and Aldon Smith, who was not on the field this week.
John Ursua "just tweaked his knee a little bit...nothing's wrong with it," Pete Carroll says.
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) June 17, 2021
C Pier-Olivier Lestage had sports hernia surgery.#Seahawks "just protecting" Marquise Blair following reconstructive knee surgery. "Much further along than last year at this time.
Aldon Smith has been in town and working out, Pete Carroll says. Sounds like Pete expects him in training camp, barring any legal developments this summer.
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) June 17, 2021
The “legal developments” of course concern his battery arrest, which happened just days after he signed with Seattle.
Carroll also talked about some of the standout players he noticed during the week, particularly Penny Hart at wide receiver and Darrell Taylor after his move to the linebackers group.
Carroll raves about how Darrell Taylor, Cody Barton and Ben Burr-Kirven have performed this offseason and calls linebacker a really strong group. So, more of a strong hint that the team moving on from K.J. Wright for now.
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) June 17, 2021
Pete Carroll on Penny Hart, 24-year-old wide receiver who has a unique bond with Russell Wilson given his relative lack of playing time: "He's just had a spectacular couple of weeks...we really can count on him...He kind of lit it up out here." #Seahawks
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) June 17, 2021
One other standout has been offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Carroll and many of the players have raved about his intelligence and grasp of the game.
Pete Carroll on the freedom being given to Shane Waldron to install the new #Seahawks offense:
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) June 17, 2021
"I have not gotten in his way because he has such command of what he's doing."
The Seahawks will reconvene for training camp at the end of July, and the expectation is that we will see fans at the VMAC for the rest time since 2019.