Three things we heard from Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll’s Thursday OTA press conference

Seahawks head coach  Pete  Carroll held a Zoom conference with the media Thursday afternoon after the Seahawks organized team activity.  Carroll gave an update on who was in attendance, the progress of the attendees, and what lies ahead for the team. First here is the schedule of the Seahawks offseason schedule

Here are the offseason program dates for the Seahawks:

Rookie Minicamp: May 14-16

OTA Workouts: May 24, May 26-27, June 1, June 3-4, June 7-10

Mandatory Minicamp: June 15-17

ON HOW MANY PLAYERS ARE ATTENDING THE OTA’s

 “We’ve got just under 40 guys, about 35 guys or something like that, that are working here. The guys that have come in at this time of year are from the rookie class primarily. We’re catching those guys so that when we get to camp those guys can hold their own. We have guys that are working out all over the country. The guys that are working out locally, that are doing their stuff- these are the guys that are getting the work on the field right now. We meet four days a week virtually with our team and we’re making tremendous progress, and things are moving along.”

ON HOW WELL THE ROOKIES PERFORMED

“Yeah. I think you’ll be surprised how sharp they are and how far along they’ve already come. I made the comment to them again as we broke for the weekend – that they’re working really hard. They’re really diligent about it. It matters to these guys obviously because they’re putting in the time and they’re able to bring it from the meeting room to the field. We’re making good progress. They’re going to be caught up when we come together. I told the team that today in our zoom meeting, that they’re going to be surprised at how far along these guys have come. It’s a good group.”

QUARTERBACK  COMPETITION

The  first two spots on the Seahawks  quarterback depth chart have been solid for  the last several years. Russell Wilson is the starter  and Gino Smith has been a solid back up. With Wilson and Smith working out on their own Carroll was asked about the  competition for the no. 3 position.

  “We have a couple guys in here that are doing a nice job. Alex McGough has done a really nice job. Danny [Etling] is doing his job too. These are guys that we have had in the past. Danny had a good year with us last year and those two guys are competing like crazy, so they’re battling. I know Russ [Wilson] and Geno [Smith], those guys are working out hard, working out with our players when they get their chances to do that. Russ has had a number of guys come work out down where he is in San Diego. The quarterback position for us is very competitive. This is a really cool time for these guys to learn the offense, learning Shane [Waldron], and picking up on the stuff we have adapted. It’s a fun challenge for these guys and they’re taking it to heart.”

AHKELLO WITHERSPOON SHOWING GREAT PROMISE

The departure of Shaquill Griffin saw the Seahawks sign  Witherspoon  who spent the last four years with the 49ers. Despite limited participation in the OTA’s   Carroll and  Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton are expecting an immediate impact on defense.

“We’ve seen him play over the last couple years with the 49ers. We’ve seen the style of play that he brings. He’s got the make up speed, size, length, the kinds of stuff that we like in our guys. I’ve had my eye on him since we first saw him coming out of Colorado. He was available, we saw the opportunity, and we pursued it. His mentality, his awareness, he is still a very young player, almost like a rookie to me coming in -he’s not but it feels like that a bit. We’re going to teach him. His first time in the program, just take him right back to the basics. He’s been really available to us. He’s been here every day working out and preparing and getting ready, he’s on the field with us almost every day. He’s doing a good job on all of those, and he is really bright. He had some really good recommendations from coaches that have worked against him as well and have worked with him. It’s a good opportunity for him.”