2. Russell Wilson’s second half was an example of a player ready for a championship moment.
Although Carroll is not considered part of Bill Walsh’s coaching tree, he learned a lot from the legendary 49ers coach when Carroll was the defensive coordinator in San Francisco in the mid-1990s and Walsh, retired from coaching, was a member of the Front Office 49ers. And a conversation between the two that Carroll shared on Monday was about how Walsh teams tended to perform so well in the playoffs. Walsh explained to Carroll that the key to the 49ers’ postseason was to get players to treat these games like any other, which means they weren’t trying hard or going out on their own.
“You want to make sure you at least do what you are able to do and you will not get in the way of being distracted, trying to work hard, being out of yourself and not being yourself,” said Carroll, recalling Walsh’s advice. “And in that, they used to play so fast in championship situations, they looked so well shaped. Well, he never asked them to do anything that they weren’t already doing, that they didn’t already know. They would never do new things that would take a player or group out of what they are capable of.
“This mentality has meant a lot to me for a long time, we are talking about 20-something years thinking in that way. It is seeing the moments of the championship as moments for which you are prepared, and you don’t have to do things that are different to play in those moments What you need to do is do what you’re capable of, and that’s a challenge enough, because everyone wants to win, so they want to do what they think they need to do to win, and sometimes it takes you beyond what you’re good. We prepare and practice our tails to be really efficient and solid and technical and accurate about what we’re doing. And if you try to invent something different in gameday right now, you probably won’t do well, and we want to guarantee our success and ensure our consistency.
And on Sunday with the NFC West title at stake, the Seahawks took that approach by playing one of their best games of the season in their victory over the Rams. And a player who stood out for not trying to rise to the occasion was quarterback Russell Wilson, who after a quiet first half for him and the attack, completed 10 of 13 passes in the second half for 141 yards and a touchdown, giving the he got a 137 passer rating for half, while also running for a 4-yard score.
“In the second half of that game, Russell made 10 to 13, we went 5 to 7 on the third down, his passer score was 130 and a little, he ran one and scored, he launched another touchdown,” said Carroll. “That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what Russell is capable of, and then the moment of the championship, in the second half of the biggest opportunity we would have until that point in the season, he killed him. That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what we want. We want to act as you are capable. He didn’t do anything crazy, he threw a pass to David (Moore), he threw a little trash to Carlos (Hyde), and he stayed in the corner of the final zone. very well in the crucial situation of the third descent, he gave Jake (Hollister) a great launch that made him train every day. He did exactly what he was capable of, which is incredible under these circumstances. That’s what we’re trying to do, and that’s that we preach and that’s what we live for, and we live for those opportunities to prove that we can do that.
“When we needed it most, he was at his best and that’s all we could hope for. He didn’t have to do anything crazy, he just did very well, he just did it.”
3. The defense made “a dramatic change” at the right time of year.
The Seahawks’ defensive turnaround since the middle of the season has been impressive, with the Seahawks passing an average of 30.4 points in their first eight games to give up a 15.0 league loss in the last seven. And while Carroll has always believed that the Seattle defense was able to play that way, what encourages him most is that the defense is playing its best this time of year.
“It’s a dramatic change, statistically, more than anything,” said Carroll. “We had the guys to play good football here a while ago, we weren’t doing well, but now, to spend seven weeks of very, very good football, it’s a good turnaround now. I’m very happy for everyone, obviously and for the coaches and players and everything, but most of all we are hitting at the right time, this is what is really valuable … It really came through hard work and discipline and trust and belief and all of this is about believing in people, it’s the players believing in each other, as well as their coaches and everything. So it was a dramatic change in that sense, but the most important thing is that we are playing good football now. That is what is important. “
4. Jordyn Brooks continues to impress.
Newcomer linebacker Jordyn Brooks has been playing very well since taking over at the start of this season, and Sunday’s game was one of his best performances, with Brooks recording eight tackles while playing just 28 defensive snaps, including two during the third. Seattle game a quarter of the goal line.
“He played very well,” said Carroll. “He really did. He was physical and tough, and he really saw things well. We had to adjust some things during the game to fit things together, which he was able to do and did well. He is an impactful football player, “He’s really good. He really handles the game well and can communicate well. You don’t feel like you’re talking to a puppy that has wild eyes and everything, he’s really in tune and can understand the settings and things like that, which is very important, obviously, to play well. “
5. Injury updates.
Carroll said on Sunday that linebacker Bobby Wagner had a bruised forearm when he left the game, but asked about it on Monday, he said, “He won’t even let us look at it, so I think he’s fine.”
On the right, Brandon Shell, who was active but did not play, Carroll said that Shell wanted to play and could have gone in an emergency, but they wanted to give him another week to rest and avoid a potential ankle injury. Shell is expected to return to training this week, Carroll said.
Cornerback Tre Flowers, who retired from injury earlier this month with a hamstring injury, returned to training last week and should be ready for Sunday’s game against the 49ers, Carroll said.
Carroll said last week that the hope was that rookie Darrell Taylor, who was on the list of non-football-related injuries throughout the season, would return to training this week, but that may not be the case now.
“He is very sore after training at the weekend, so I can’t tell you, but that doesn’t bode well from now on, as far as I can tell. But give it to us until Wednesday and we’ll see what’s going on. “