A day after Seahawks coach Pete Carroll announced that Bryan Walters would take over punt return duties, safety Earl Thomas, the player who lost the job, talked about his coach’s decision.
While Thomas says he didn’t fight Carroll on the change, his comments made it pretty clear he wasn’t thrilled about it.
“It’s not about me, it’s about the team,” Thomas said. “So I just took it that way. I’m all in, no matter what the situation is. B-Walt, he’s a great returner, he deserves it, he’s been working hard. It doesn’t always happen like you want it to, but I know I’m still up as far as situationally. I’m always going to be prepared. I know I’m going to impact this team as far as punt returns in a positive way. I have full faith in my capability, and I’m not worried about anything.”
Thomas noted that those fans who were worried about him getting hurt on punt returns can relax a bit: “The fans, they can kind of sleep easier now. They can stop sending in their regards… Overall I’m just happy to be a part of this team, that’s it.”
Thomas did, however, say that not wanting him to return punts for fear of injury is a “selfish” notion, noting, “That’s just like me saying on your job I don’t want you to get a promotion because you’re too good at what you do. People don’t understand you, so they don’t know what you’re capable of, they’re just so used to seeing you in a certain role, they don’t want you to expand. That’s just my mind frame.”
When Carroll explained the decision to remove Thomas from punt return duty, he said the primary concern was that the focus the safety was putting on that was taking away from his focus on playing safety. Thomas didn’t agree with that idea.
“I wasn’t distracted, I was still making plays,” he said. ‘I had a chance at an interception, I still was in control, dictating what the quarterback wants to do. It was the same, I just had a chance to impact the game in a better way, in my eyes.”
Yet even if Thomas didn’t agree with his coach, he didn’t try to talk Carroll out of the decision. And he also hasn’t given up on the idea of return punts at some point.
“I didn’t try to convince him, he’s the boss,” Thomas said. “I’m not about to argue with him. I’m just here to do my job, but one thing I can say, I know I could be one of the best returners in the league, no matter what people say. I know my opportunity is going to come again, it’s going to be in a big moment, one of those games where I’m feeling good on defense, and he’s going to put me back there and I’m going to make some plays. That’s what I’m banking on.
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