Here’s the highlights from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s Monday morning radio show on 710 AM:
– Carroll was asked about the cold — it was minus-6 degrees at kickoff. He said it was a great experience because the players had a great attitude about it and didn’t complain. He said he didn’t really feel it until he experienced the “chill of death” as Minnesota’s Kyle Rudolph caught the pass that put the Vikings in field-goal range at the end of the game.
-Carroll gave the defense the credit for the victory. He called it a masterpiece of up-front defense in the way the Seahawks shut down Adrian Peterson. He praised defensive end Michael Bennett for being “all over the place,” and he said cornerback Richard Sherman, who’s known more for his coverage, put on a tackling clinic. But Carroll said it was a complete group effort, and that the entire defense is connected right now.
– Carroll expressed nothing but sympathy for Vikings kicker Blair Walsh, who missed a 27-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining which would have given Minnesota the win. He said he wasn’t feeling dread because he knew a lot of things had to happen right for the field goal to happen (snap, hold, kick), and the cold was making things more difficult in every respect. He also said that Sherman nearly blocking Walsh’s previous field-goal attempt may have played a role in Walsh missing.
– Running back Marshawn Lynch surprisingly didn’t make the trip, having practiced in full Friday afternoon but not boarding the team plane shortly after. Carroll explained that following practice Lynch, who seemed set to return following seven weeks out because of an abdominal injury, said he didn’t have the confidence that he’d be able to play in the game. Carroll said the trainers went back and forth throughout the week over Lynch’s readiness, and he remained non-committal with regards to Lynch’s availability for next Sunday’s divisional playoff game at Carolina.
– Speaking of Carolina, Carroll said the 15-1 Panthers found everything they needed to have a dominant season, including beating the Seahawks in Seattle. However, he feels comfortable playing against Carolina because the Seahawks are familiar the Panthers’ players and schemes, and he has no concern about traveling because the team has figured out how to win on the road, having won six straight.
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