PETE CARROLL: Really a big day for us. Fantastic illustration of hanging on and staying, maintaining belief and giving yourself a chance to win a football match. Nice illustration of this. I don’t know, it took 30 seconds or something to win the football game. And to celebrate the throwbacks and all that, I hope the fans loved it. It was fun for us. It was a beautiful image in the stadium. It was really cool to see that. We didn’t talk about it much here after the game, but I know the guys really appreciated the opportunity to do it. I keep coming back to all the memories everyone had. That’s why they loved seeing it so much, and I’m glad we got to be a part of it. It was really fun. Tough football match. These guys are really tough. They have the formula of playing great defense and running the football, and it’s a formula that gives you a chance to win every time. I thought PJ Walker did a really good job of keeping them moving and keeping them in position to win the game. They did some things that we needed to stop, but we didn’t stop either. Screens were a big part of the game. We didn’t play the running game as well as we wanted, but it’s pretty average for them. That’s how they do it. But overall, Geno led this drive, the guys kept it clean up front so we could throw the ball to do what we needed to do to finish the game, the guys made catches, the touchdown play to win the match was fantastic. block by DK. To do the housework. The guy looked him straight in the eyes. This is the call they sometimes make. I thought he did it perfectly. Jaxon milked every inch of this game in truly championship fashion. A lot of really cool and exciting things happened today. Fired up about it.
Q. You mentioned a good example of an outfit. For the offense and Geno to go through this long…
PETE CARROLL: We’re off to a good start. It looked so good at first and I just couldn’t find the rhythm. That’s because they’re really good. And the fact that it’s close is no surprise.
Q. To then be able to turn it on and get that drive at the end.
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, that’s what we like. The final execution that allows you to achieve victory, we are very proud of it. We always talk about it and strive to do it. That’s why I like this illustration that we can do this. Next time we have the chance, we’ll know we’ve been there before.
Q. What did you see during the play that allowed you to recover the ball, the interception? What did you see?
PETE CARROLL: Great call for one. They made a great call to give us a chance to send Mal (Jamal Adams) under pressure. He had to figure out what to do with it, because I think the guard or someone else, the tackle, was jumping on him and he had to do something, and he figured out how to get off his feet and make contact with the ball. Then there were some spectacular tips and spills for us. For Julian to come in and make a big play, we stole the opportunity from them with that play. They were really guys that wanted that, and I was happy about it.
Q. Despite everything Jamal has endured over the past year, to put on a play like this…
PETE CARROLL: Man, this is what he lives for. He lives for these opportunities and for taking them when they’re on the line. You know, there he found a way to figure it out and did something that changed our fortunes in this game. Fantastic.
Q. Jake Bobo participated in these jet movements. Make blocks on the goal line. What did you think about him taking the ball there?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, we kind of figured if we handed it to him, he would figure out how to get in; He did. It wasn’t perfect, but it was clean enough to get a score. So we continue to incorporate him into everything we do because he’s a good ball player. He must be part of it. You’ll see him continue to get more opportunities in different ways.
Q. (Regarding a hold.)
PETE CARROLL: Yes, because when a guy runs around the block, you also see the tight ends in the back and the front, and he did it perfectly. He kept his hands very tight and released it at the right time so there was no penalty. No problem with that. Just the way you should do it, when we needed it most.
Q. You were pretty heated at the end of the first half, the throw that Geno intercepted.
PETE CARROLL: I was complaining about them in the neutral zone and I thought I had one for sure, so when he wasn’t called and then we turned the ball over on that same play, I would have reversed this whole result. . That’s all. So I was just kind of competing.
Q. Jordyn Brooks, another big game. What has he shown you in recent weeks?
PETE CARROLL: There it is. He’s on his game. He’s just playing excellent physical football. He’s a fantastic linebacker. He runs and he hits and he can make things happen. We keep trying to put him in his place and just emphasize the fact that he’s that kind of factor. He is doing very well.
Q. (About Boye Mafe.) What did you see of him?
PETE CARROLL: Let him just continue to play really solid, consistent football. He’s been doing this all the time for a month. Great to see. I was really counting on him and he came through again.
Q. For only allowing three hits on Geno and one sack on 37 dropbacks today, what do you think of the O-line performance?
PETE CARROLL: I thought they did very well. I thought they did well today. This is the most vicious running team in football today. They’ve had their way with a ton of teams with their top four. We managed to keep them at bay. I don’t know if we dominated anything. We held on and gave up a sack. It was really exciting to see Jason Peters play today. I think he played about half the time. We just wanted to see what would happen and then we were going to decide as the match went on and he did well, and so he kind of rotated. It’s just another boost for us to have an experienced player like that at our disposal. So anyway, I don’t know what that means for the future, but I was really excited for him. He played in an NFL football game
20th season. Man, that’s a remarkable accomplishment. So remarkable. Someone needs to go get George Blanda’s file, which goes back so far.
Q. What did you think of your running game? Part of it came to life.
PETE CARROLL: I thought we were unequal. We had some big plays. Kenny played a big role. Zach looked really good at the end, I thought when he got his opportunities. It’s here. It’s here. We haven’t really found it yet that we can really count on, but it’s there. We just have to keep working.
Q. Were you surprised that you only had 13 running back carries in the game as it unfolded?
PETE CARROLL: Yes, 11 in the first half; I didn’t run with the ball much after that. You know, we took what they gave us. We protected the passer better than we thought and so we followed and gained a few yards for ourselves.
Q. What about their screen acting?
PETE CARROLL: We weren’t surprised at all. We practiced them all week and they still did it, so I was really disappointed with that. You know, they were very successful. The tight end looked great as well as the fullback. We talked about it throughout the match. We were there. They just passed us. We need to do a lot better there.
Q. On playing well in the second halves of games this month.
Q. What do you think?
PETE CARROLL: I’m excited about that. I’m delighted to finish halves like that. That’s something we can continue to rely on and rely on, and it makes you really hard to beat when you play like that in the second half, close out games.
Q. Thoughts on being the division head.
PETE CARROLL: What week of the season? Eighth week? Okay, so we’re not halfway through 17 games yet and no one will ever make it to halftime here. Halfway through, we are in pretty good shape. It’s good. We are still growing. We’re out of this game. I don’t have any names for you when it comes to guys getting laid, which is incredibly good. We just have to keep growing. It was just like that. I know maybe it makes you old to hear it, but when you do another one, and another one, and another one, you get better at it. It’s difficult to stack the games. I’m glad we played – won three in a row here at home. I like this. If you want to have a good season, you have to play well at home. And so we live with that and really try to use it as a battle cry so that we can play well here at Lumen. So we’re rolling right now and halfway there.
Q. Your rookies put in some big performances today, what can you say about the infusion of talent over the last two years?
PETE CARROLL: It’s a bit of an old topic because we keep bringing it up. It’s a beautiful subject for us because it shows the continuity of the way we work and the way we choose players for the team and the whole part of John’s world that he owns. To have the obvious success from last year, come back and complete the whole thing again and experience it again and here we go again. I mean, what’s going to happen next time is what’s really exciting. So it’s fantastic for us. You can see rookies everywhere, playing, contributing and doing things. It’s a real boost for us heading into the second half of the season. Could it be the second half of the season now? Type of? I mean, it’s so fucked up. It used to be pretty easy, but it’s not easy anymore.
Q. What did you think of Geno’s day overall with two picks; a few missed throws that he usually makes.
PETE CARROLL: He’s upset. He doesn’t like it. I thought he found a way to get us off to a great start and we looked great, and then in the end we had to have it, he took us out on the field and we scored and we won the match. There are things in between. There were a few passes that seemed a little odd. He threw one to Jaxon; Jaxon stopped on the course and blew it, and it looked like we threw the ball to the other guy. It was a mistake. But he has room to play better. I like the way he plays and manages us.
Q. Jamal left the game briefly. Were you just managing his snaps?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, I just manage his shots. Exactly.
Q. What message will arrive in Baltimore next week?
PETE CARROLL: I don’t know. I do not really know. They are really good. Did they win again today?
PETE CARROLL: Okay, they’re really good. That’s all I know.
