RENTON — Pete Carroll and Richard Sherman have cleared the air.
The Seattle Seahawks’ head coach and his outspoken All-Pro cornerback met for an hour Friday morning in the wake of Sherman’s latest sideline outburst, which came during Thursday’s 24-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field.
Midway through the third quarter of Thursday’s game, Sherman could be seen shouting angrily at Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell on the sidelines. It was Sherman’s second high-profile sideline incident this season, the first being his tirade during Seattle’s 26-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
But Carroll said he was satisfied with the results of his meeting with Sherman.
“We had a terrific meeting today, we addressed the issues of being a disruption, a disturbing moment in the game,” Carroll said Friday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. “He didn’t want to affect his team that way, he didn’t want to do that. … I feel very good about the exchange that we had, and he really wants to do everything he can to help his team.”
Sherman’s outburst Sunday came when Seattle had the ball on the doorstep of the Rams’ end zone. The Seahawks called passing plays on their first two attempts from inside the 2-yard line, had a running play stuffed, then finally scored on Russell Wilson’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin.
After the game Sherman made no attempt to hide what stoked his anger.
“I’m upset about us throwing from the 1,” Sherman said.
“I’d rather do what most teams would do, which is make a conscientious decision to run the ball straight up the middle.”
Sherman then referenced the ill-fated play in the final minute of Super Bowl XLIX, when the Seahawks elected to pass at the 1-yard line rather than hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch, and Malcolm Butler intercepted it to preserve the New England Patriots’ 28-24 victory.
“We’ve already seen how that goes,” Sherman said. “I’m sure you guys have seen that play enough times.”
Carroll dismissed the idea of there being tension brewing between Seattle’s defense and offense. However, he also had a considered answer when asked if Sherman’s actions constituted insubordination.
“I think if we weren’t able to come back from that, I think so,” Carroll said. “It would depend on how the meeting went. The meeting went very well and it was very clear. I know the guy I’m talking to, I know him as well as you can know a guy. I know how he feels about it and I’m fine with what happened. That doesn’t mean that it was OK, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t something that needed to be addressed — he’s the only guy who was in my office this morning. We went right after it and I was going to make my decision on how to move forward based on what happened and how we communicate. I feel very good about it.”
Carroll may feel good about the resolution, but he stopped short of saying he expected Sherman’s outbursts to end.
“He has as much passion and love for this game and playing with his teammates,” Carroll said. “He plays at the edge of that at all times. I’ve seen enough examples, and not just with Richard but with other guys over the years. Sometimes it gets the best of you and you’re not as clear thinking as you’d like. In retrospect you have to take a step back and look back at it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It can cause an issue at the time, so we dealt with it.
“I love this guy, and I love who he is, and I love what he’s all about and the man that he’s grown to be and going to become,” Carroll added. “These are all great lessons and opportunities to learn. He has a lot to offer the world and I’m proud to say he’s growing, he’s learning and he’s getting better.”
Extra points
Carroll said he would take a wait-and-see approach with regards to punter Jon Ryan, who suffered a concussion Thursday at the conclusion of his 26-yard run on a fake punt. He said the extra two days of recovery may allow Ryan to recover in time for next Saturday’s home game against the Arizona Cardinals. However, he said defensive end Michael Bennett, who left late in the game with a neck issue following a violent collision with Rams running back Todd Gurley, was feeling good Friday. … Carroll said the competition will continue between Bradley Sowell and Garry Gilliam at right tackle. Gilliam started the first 11 games of the season, but was then left inactive for two straight weeks after losing the job to Sowell. Gilliam was active Thursday, and he replaced Sowell down the stretch.
For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at www.heraldnet.com/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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