Seahawks 24, Vikings 13
PETE CARROLL: Small crowd. Must be late (smiling).
Tonight was nothing but fun. We had a great time. It was hard getting started. You could tell. This was the first time we tackled anybody. That's why we use the pre-season game. We needed the first quarter to, whatever, shake the cobwebs, whatever.
The defense came back in the second quarter and played great all night long. Those young kids did a beautiful job of playing the scheme and making the plays we needed to make.
I thought all in all it was really a really strong win for us because if we can build on all of the things that happened... The cool thing was the young guys playing in the fourth quarter, playing well enough to win the game, hold the defense, all of that.
I thought Drew did really well tonight, did a nice job. I believe the ball got tipped on the pick. He was reading the right guy and all that. Ball got tipped at the line of scrimmage. Other than that, he was in command, had a nice night.
We didn't run the ball as well as we did early. Same thing, blocking and tackling took us a while to get going. That's why we got to play these games.
There's so many names to talk about. You guys ask me the questions. But I was really excited about Holton. Holton, in the end of the game, did what he needed to do, finished up, found a way to make plays.
I know they're hooting Tebow and all that kind of stuff. He did a great job for us tonight to finish the game.
Q. Do you have an update on Cade?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, the first thing that we heard is there was no findings. I think he got concussed, but there was no findings beyond that at this point. We got a real good report, the early one. I'm hoping that's conclusive. That's what we heard.
Q. Did it happen on the kickoff?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah.
Q. He had movement and everything?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, yeah. They just went to the max precautions. The findings were already really positive.
Q. You had 30 players not play tonight for you guys. The amount of guys you chose to sit out, what went into thinking of that?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, I didn't say anything to you guys about it. I was waiting to see what happened with the week, who did we need, all that. There was some decisions on some guys that are in competitive situations that hadn't played for us, hadn't shown for us before. Evan Brown has been playing with the first group, just we needed to see him play, wanted to see him go against Olu, as well.
Phil, we needed Phil to play, too. Wanted to give Drew a little security in there with guys he knew could guarantee they make the blocks and right calls to get him started well.
Colby was another guy we thought about not playing. Felt like we needed to. Our tight ends were banged up all the way going into the game. They made it. We had decisions like that. We held most of the older guys basically.
Q. Coby Bryant is new playing safety. Big hit. What did you think of him out there?
PETE CARROLL: He's doing really well. He's looked really apt for the position. He fits well, moves well, reads the quarterback really well. Covers ground really well back there. Good decision making on playing making opportunities.
I think it's going to be a good spot for him. He's also going to be called on to play corner for us. He has nickel and dime he is playing. Like I told you earlier in the week, he's doing everything.
Q. Is Cade spending the night in the hospital?
PETE CARROLL: I don't know. I don't know that.
Q. When you look at the run defense, averaged 3.2 a carry, even with different guys out there, do you take something out of that?
PETE CARROLL: Absolutely. Scheme worked well. We liked the way we played. The choices we settled in on for the way we basically played, the calls worked out really well tonight. The guys were confident in them. As we played more, we got better. They brought the scheme to life a little bit.
It was a good night for us on defense, a really good night, except for the start where we couldn't tackle anybody. It was terrible right up to that.
Q. You said you wanted Drew to play a lot this pre-season. What are you hoping to see?
PETE CARROLL: I want him to be ready to start games. I want him to be ready to play football games and win championship games for us. He needs to play to do that. He sat around all last year.
This formula of him getting three quarters, that's great for him just to be out there playing football. He's going to play a lot.
Q. You probably can't tell from the film, did you notice run fits, did you notice any difference?
PETE CARROLL: We were better. We hit a couple pressures, then the balls popped into the secondary. Made a couple errors where that happened. Once we got going, we were really clean.
I thought that Patrick made a bunch of plays tonight. Devin Bush made some really nice tackles, too. The backers did a good job for us.
Q. (No microphone.)
PETE CARROLL: He was out there banging away. Had a couple good plays on perimeter plays. He was captain tonight in this game just because just because. He got back to playing football. It's just heartwarming to see this story.
If you ever would have seen how hard he had to work to get back, how much he overcame, so few people do what he did. He just never, ever wavered that he was going to get back. He's playing. He's the captain in his first game back. He was out there making tackles. Kicking game, too. He did a great job tonight.
Q. Bobo was not the fastest receiver but seems to get open a lot.
PETE CARROLL: Ask me the question.
Q. How does Bobo get open?
PETE CARROLL: He's a good player. He just continues to find ways. Really creative and athletic. Look at the great play he made on the punt. That was a perfect play there. He's doing good stuff.
Q. (No microphone.)
PETE CARROLL: He twisted his knee. Cartilage thing. We don't know how bad it is yet. He's getting around on it. It's not horrible. It wasn't catastrophic. We have to big out how severe it is.
Q. Why don't Cody Thompson play?
PETE CARROLL: He came up yesterday in practice, his groin was tight. We felt like let's hold him out. It wasn't clear that he could go out there and take off and play through the night. We just said let's rest him. Really wanted him to play tonight, but he couldn't do it.
Q. Zach Charbonnet had a couple of physical runs.
PETE CARROLL: Looked good, didn't he? He looked really physical. Guys on the sidelines were going crazy for him.
He has had a great start with us. Looking at him in our off-season work, then in camp already, really it's not a surprise at all. We just needed to see him go do it. He was knocking heads out there. He was really tough.
Q. Cameron Young didn't play.
PETE CARROLL: He has a calf strain, got it a couple days ago.
Q. Seems like Derick Hall has made some strides the last few days.
PETE CARROLL: No doubt. Did he do the extra little thing at the end? He's doing really well. Give him the month that we need right here, he's going to be in the midst of rotations I think because he's just too physical, runs too fast, had a great head on his shoulders about playing defensive football. We really like the heck out of him.
It's just a matter of time, honing his game down. Special teams, as well. He's going to have a big factor on special teams. He's got one of the really, really good attitudes about playing defense. You love his heart, what he wants to do, how he wants to play. He's really one of the fellas.
Q. Your team is full of high energy. How important was it for the rookies to continue today to come with that high energy?
PETE CARROLL: It's really important. It just makes my heart soar. To see them go out there and have them have that much fun playing, see the finish come to them, have an opportunity to finish the game, they find their way to it. Playing good defense, we are playing good offense, we are killing the clock, we're doing all the right stuff. And the guys on the sidelines were going crazy for them.
That's what I hope they would feel. I mean, if I could tell you what I hoped this game could be like, that was the game. I don't care how we start. We wanted to see what happened when we finished. We finished with all of the fun. Like Okada said, he couldn't believe how much fun football was for him tonight.
Go a little further. We dedicate this first game to the young guys. We make a big deal about that in the meetings during the week. Veteran guys talk to them, told them about their first game, gave them a little bit of advice. We just had fun. Made them stand up when they were talking to this them, all the rooks. We wanted to make it memorable.
They ain't forgetting this first game. They'll know this first game forever. That's all I could ask for.
See you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports