Pete Carroll On Seahawks Penalties, ” We Have To Stay Cognizant Of The Rules “

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was clear and concise during Monday’s press conference with the media. The sternness was to be expected even from a coach who believes in full-blown self-expression by his players. Carroll is and has always been known as a player’s coach around the league. His ability to let players be themselves has made  Seattle a  prime destination for NFL  free agents. 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

On Sunday the  Seahawks player’s self-expression crossed the line with several unnecessary penalties. The  Seahawks had a total of 10 penalties for 100 yards. The lack of discipline by the Seahawks extended numerous  Tennessee drives that ended in points for the visitors.

“You have to be accustomed to being in that kind of rage that we play in and how to manage it. We’ve got to stay cognizant of the rules and the plan of how the referees call the things. Sometimes the guys might lose the interpretation a little bit, but I think the game was called well. I don’t think that there were any calls, of the ones that I’m referring to, that were in big question. Our guys just have to stay aware and make sure they’re mindful of the situations they’re in and make really good choices and decisions and protect us whenever they can.”

REED OVER THE TOP

Of all the Seahawks penalty transgressions on Sunday the taunting call against D.J. Reed left fans and some players questioning rule intention versus rule application. In the fourth quarter  Hawks nickel back D.J. Reed was flagged for taunting the Titans A. J Brown after a 3rd and 18 incomplete passes. Reed in celebrating the accomplishment of perfect pass defense on the play turned to Brown in celebration. 

Reed was flagged for a  taunting giving the Titans a first down at the Seahawks 37-yard line. While the  Seahawks weathered the storm and forced the Titans to give up the ball on downs the play was the topic of discussion during Carroll’s conference.

“I really respect what they’re trying to get done. They would like the game to not have that in it. It’s a hard transition. You saw what it took for us to get a penalty there. I think we’ve opened a can of worms and have to find our way through it as we go. I don’t know how other teams are doing with it, but it hasn’t’ worked well for us so far. It’s clear what the rule is. We just have to react the right way. It’s the reaction of the player in the moment that we have to train. You’ve got a lot of guys that have to deal with those explosive moments, and they have to turn their focus away from the opponent. It’s a good thought, it’s just hard to manage it.”

LACK OF DISCIPLINE  LEADS TO  LACK OF EXECUTION

In losing a 14-point  fourth-quarter lead and eventually the game in overtime the Seahawk’s lack of self-discipline resulted in a lack of execution.  To contain  Derrick Henry the league’s premier back you have to stay disciplined in your gaps for all four quarters.  Henry had 35 rushing yards in the half.  6’3 245 pro typical back finished the game with 182 rushing yards when the whistle blew to end the game. The Seahawks looked like they had the blueprint to shut down a premiere NFL back for four quarters last week against the  Colts. The Hawks defense checked Colts running back Jonathan  Taylor for the entire contest holding him to just 58 rushing yards on 17 carries.  Carroll was asked why his team was unable to produce a repeat performance on Sunday.

“I thought it was the way we played more so than fits of it. We didn’t have to change from the first half to the second half. We were in those spots. Spacing changed a little bit. Derrick (Henry) changed it a little bit by coming downhill at us. I think once we took a look at the film it was just a matter of fitting it up consistently play after play and hanging in there and outlasting it. They did a really nice job. He did a really good job.”

The game kind of went in their favor. As it was close, they just kept running it. He ran the ball 35 times, or something like that. That’s a lot of carries for the guy. Everything is really clear on the film. We’ll look at it. Playing the running game is always about spacing, and we needed to do a little bit better job there.”

LACK OF  GOOD DECISION

When asked what if anything stuck out after watching the game film of Sunday’s disappointing loss , Carroll pointed to the lack of good decision making.

“The thing that bothered me the most about the game was how we failed to make the good decisions at the time of the end of the play, and we gave them 75 yards and five penalties. Five major penalties. That was really disruptive in the game. We had slugged it out, and those changes in the field position, it just disrupted the flow of the game for us. Made us adjust the momentum that we would build, and we stop them and now they get the ball with a first down again. It was really obvious that the rest of the game was just a slugfest for us on defense. Offensively what was obvious is that we never really found the rhythm because we scored so quickly in the first half. When we needed the running game that needed to be developed during the course of the game, we didn’t have it.

 Didn’t finish the game the way I would have loved to have finish that thing. We had a chance to hold it and work the football. All of those things that really seemed clear coming out were pretty obvious watching the film. There was a game to be won there, and that’s why it was a real disappointment that we let them get away with it.”

OVERALL TAKE

There is plenty of blame to go around in a debilitating loss like the one the Seahawks suffered on  Sunday. The offense, defense, special teams, and coaching. This loss looks eerily similar to last season’s  Wildcard l Playoff loss to the Rams. An unprepared team with just one plan and unwilling to change directions. No, the season is not lost but this pattern of paralysis when plan A does not work must be quickly corrected.