Carolina Panthers-30, Seattle Seahawks-24
PETE CARROLL: This game didn't go at all like we had planned, falling behind early and getting in trouble. You know, made obviously a challenging return, but we did it. We got back in this game. We got back in there with a couple of touchdowns and got the ball coming out at halftime.
Shoot, we are in the fourth quarter, and it was 20-17. From there we had to finish the game. We had a few chances, and we weren't able to get it together enough to get it done.
They ran the ball really well in the fourth quarter. We respected them that they would try to do that, and when they went to it, we couldn't get off the field. We had a couple of drives and our chances. On the other side we had to go ahead and get down. We backed up, but we still had our chances. It was great fourth down stand down there by the defense, but when it came down to it in the fourth quarter, we didn't have what we needed to have to get it done.
Really disappointed in that because we focused on the areas that we're looking at. The running game on offense and running game on defense were both focus points for us. We have to get this thing turned, and we're still on it. Those are our issues going into the fourth quarter of the season right now coming up. It's a turnaround really fast against a really good club, and we have to get our act together.
Geno had a night right off the bat. He throws the ball to him. Next time he throws a pick, he thinks he has an offsides call and got a free play. Didn't get that call, so he chucks the ball down field knowing it's a free shot, but we didn't get that call. That's too bad. That screwed us up and gave them a chance.
A lot of guys played well. A lot of guys did really good things. Tyler had a heck of a game. DK had a heck of a game too, but not enough today. So we have to turn it right around. We'll be meeting tomorrow afternoon and starting on San Francisco for the Thursday flight game.
Q. How much were you missing Al down the stretch when they were running the ball like that?
PETE CARROLL: You saw that Shelby just came in sick as a dog this morning. He just couldn't answer. He got IV'd, and they did everything they could for him. They couldn't turn him around.
Shelby is a big part of our play up front, and Al going out in the second quarter, those are two heavy dudes up front that we're relying on. We had moved Al to get some extra play out of him at the end spot. Overall in general I think they had 60 yards at halftime or something like that. Things were somewhat in control, but Al couldn't come back for the second half, and not having Shel, that made a difference.
Q. Their last drive where they scored all the runs, was there something particular they were taking advantage of?
PETE CARROLL: They ran their game. That's their running game. We were trying to knock them back, and we couldn't get it done. He tried everything that we had to get it stopped, and we were not able to stop them.
Q. What kind of disappoints you most about the defensive running game, and you guys know it's been a point of emphasis for you...
PETE CARROLL: Exactly that. That's it. Our guys are trying. They're working hard to get it done. We went through all of the process during the week to line it up so we knew what they were doing. We were not fooled by anything today. We were on it.
But you have to play the line of scrimmage and get off the blocks and play together. Everybody has to fit together. It's always about those fits. It wasn't good enough. It was just plain old wasn't good enough.
Q. Were either Ken or DJ close to playing, and can you say --
PETE CARROLL: As it turned out, neither one of them could make it. They couldn't. DJ, high ankle sprain is hard to turn it around. He was really hopeful and optimistic and all of that and trying to bounce around during the week, but when it got down to it, often high ankles feel okay until you really have to call on it to push and it's not there. That's kind of what happened.
Ken is dealing with an old injury that jumped back. He has been through it before in years past, and we just have to get him through it and see if he can play Thursday night. I don't know. I'll take it one week at a time, one day at a time.
Q. How could you scheme out of physicality being if the team just runs straight at you?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, there is stuff. There's stuff. I have to do more. I have to do better. I have to help our defense better, and I'm really disappointed. I've been looking at the running game for a long time, and there was no new plays. This was the same stuff, and we just have to do it better.
Q. Sorry if you were asked this already, but did Geno think he had a free play on the second interception?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, he did. He did, so he chucked it. That's how we've always trained him. We train him to try to see that flag out of the corner of your eye. You can't just go on the flinch.
He thought he saw it. That's what felt it was free and all that. I know the officials came to me after halftime and they said they thought he wasn't in the neutral zone after looking at it, so know I don't. Who knows?
Q. Is Geno okay? It looked like maybe he hit his hand.
PETE CARROLL: He is fine, as far as I know.
Q. What did you think of his game today?
PETE CARROLL: It gets marred because the first play gives him the football, and that was not a good play. It was one of his plays that he regrets the most. Tried a little too hard on the play. He put the ball in the flat really easily on the first play of the game. I mean, that's really the play.
They get an out, steal an out at the end of the game. I thought he did a lot of good stuff. I don't have any idea what his numbers are. I didn't see any of that yet, but he made a lot of great throws today. You know, he hit Tyler and those guys on the sidelines and Marquise. Made some fantastic plays today.
Q. You mentioned Tyler. That was six straight games with a touchdown, which is a franchise record. The consistency he has shown this year...
PETE CARROLL: He has been amazing. He just has. I don't even know what are all the accolades you can pull up for him that we haven't said. I don't know. He has been a great player and continues to be.
Q. The challenge, obviously you thought you had a chance to win that one there.
PETE CARROLL: That was as funky a play as you can see. Did that ball graze the ground or not? You know, they took a good look at it, and they thought not, but it was worth a shot.
The guy rolls over, and there's no ball in his hands. So trying to figure out how he held on to it. Did he maintain control? We'll see. They got a great look at it, and Bill looked at it really to make sure that it was the correct call and they could call it with confidence, and they did.
Q. The horse collar, did you get an explanation on that?
PETE CARROLL: I'm going to say we assume that was a horse collar call, and it didn't look like a horse collar call, so that's what we were hooting about. The hand was on the back of his jersey, the shoulder pad.
I'm not sure if they called it that or called it a late hit. It sure seemed like that was the call, but I didn't get that clarified. It didn't matter. It was already over.
Q. Godwin had 104 returns yards today. Do you think you'll see him in more future roles?
PETE CARROLL: Yes. Yeah, he did great. I thought he was a real surprise for us today to pop up like that, and he looked great at it. He was tough and fast and explosive and all of that. He will get another look.
Q. What did you think of Travis Homer's day?
PETE CARROLL: He never really got going. He had one great run and just couldn't get going. We've continued to find trouble at the line of scrimmage, and we haven't been clean for a bit. He couldn't get rolling.
Q. Was the early deficit a reason to kind of trend away from the run game as the game went on?
PETE CARROLL: Somewhat. We just needed to get first downs. As has been the case, we've had more success throwing the football, and we've been pretty darn good at it. But when you turn the ball over three times, you lose. It's almost impossible to overcome that, and so it didn't matter today.
Q. Playoffs is the goal. When you look back on these last four games, all these teams that are right now under .500, does that enhance the frustration at all?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, yeah, it does. Really it's the manner too. It's the manner. This really happened on the ground. I'm really disappointed in that because I pride myself in thinking we can scheme our way into all kinds of good things to offset that, and I've got to do better.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports