What the coordinators had to say in preparation for Texans Monday night game

The Seahawks are coming off a solid win in which the defense recorded a season-high 17 quarterback hits and 7 sacks. While the offense managed just 60 rushing yards, Sam Darnold had another productive day, completing 16 of 27 attempted passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold was sacked once for nine yards. Jaxson Smith Njiba has eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown.

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ADEN DURDE

(On how the defense responded after the tough week against Tampa Bay)

“Truthfully, I think we just felt it just has to be done. This is NFL football. It’s not always going to be right. And I think these are the growth of where the defense is going. It’s like, ‘Okay, how do you reset and go again’ and then having that mentality of instead of a week-by-week mentality, how can it become a play-by-play mentality? That’s what we’ve been talking about over the last two weeks.”

(On his process for getting the team to focus on the next play)

“I think you constantly have to remind each other because within this game, there’s so many individual battles. It’s such an intricate game. It’s a game within a game. Two people have an individual battle. If one loses, it might look like the play was won, but someone else is bothered. You have to constantly keep reminding, reload, reset, go again, how do I take information and how do I use my technique? I think if you keep talking about it and you keep breathing it in, just like Mike’s (Macdonald) talking through with us, the guys start talking about it. And once the guys start talking about it, they truly can reset and reload. It’s the same for a play caller.”

(On Drake Thomas’s sack last Sunday)

“That hump move? It was sweet, wasn’t it? Drake’s (Thomas) doing a great job. Every week you see, it’s just so cool to watch. Like I’ve said with (Josh) Jobe and the other guys, some of the best things of coaching are when you see guys grow and suddenly, they start making plays and they start enjoying playing. And that’s what Drake’s doing right now.”

(On the difference of playing against a team with more gap and scheme running than zone)

“For us, it’s not really because you play looks, you play keys, and you play the blocks you’re getting. I think throughout the year, NFL run game stacks on top of each other. There’s like a certain amount of runs that they do, and every week you see them, but they’ve reshuffled the pack, and it looks a little bit different, but the blocking schemes are the same. It’s just making sure you understand where the deficiencies are in your defense and who’s got the two gap, who can play it, and how we move in to set each other free. They’re the things we talk about.”

(On if they changed anything after the miscommunication that led to the touchdown last Sunday)

“No, not really. The things you change are the reset, the reload, and make sure we get the communication right and we go again. You can’t run away from something. It’s more about confronting it, making sure we get the information out and we go.”

(On Nick Emmanwori playing a unique role on defense against Jacksonville)

“I think Nick (Emmanwori) could be a traditional middle back because of his size and the position he played. I think that when you have a player that has versatile traits, it’s about how you use him. He’s got to use correct technique. It’s easier for him if he’s in positions that he knows what he’s doing. Coming out of the first week, he had some snaps in Tampa and then he came and started here. He’s done a great job.”

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KLINT KUBIAK

(On what the offense must prepare for Houston’s defense)

“Just a very well coached unit with some really talented players, great pass rush, excellent in coverage, and they really do a good job at creating turnovers. They’re an opponent we have a lot of respect for.”

(On what his time in Houston meant to him)

“I was in college, but I got to be a part of the team, family, family ties. I’m really blessed to grow up in that environment and, as far as that goes, it’s another game for us and we’re getting ready to play. That’s a lifetime ago it feels like, and I’m excited for our players to go play their best football.”

(On how much of a factor the number of loaded boxes they face plays into their game)

“Every week is a little different. But like you said, I think that’s going to be something that we continue to see and continue to work through. I’ve seen a lot of strides, especially with our running backs, our offensive line, with the young group, I’ve seen those guys get better together. The results aren’t what we want them to be right now, but we’re just going to keep striving.”

(On whether big plays will open the run game)

“Every game is so different, and you prepare for things. Throughout the course of the game, coverages change, fronts change, and you’ve got to adapt. You’ve got to be ready to win multiple ways.”

(On how much of his offense is like his dad’s)

“It’s really the group of our coaching staff and what we’ve put together. The main thing is finding things that our players do well, whatever scheme it is, whatever verbiage that you use, just getting ready to put your players in the best position.”

(On how Jaxon Smith-Njigba is like Andre Johnson)

“Growing up and being around what does a true professional look like, it’s someone that comes to work and is passionate about the game, passionate about their craft, is a great citizen, and a great teammate. All these guys on our roster are so talented, but it’s the person that Jax (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) is, the kind of worker that he is, that’s what Andre (Johnson) was when I was growing up. That’s what my dad said, ‘Hey, if you want to know what a pro looks like, then look at 80.’ Obviously, Jax has had a solid start to the season. He’s young in his career, and we’re going to keep pushing to make him better, and he does that himself. That’s what great players do. They’re very self-motivated, and that’s what he is.”

(On Kenneth Walker III getting more playing time)

“He’s certainly earned more. We want to keep getting him more opportunities. He’s doing a heck of a job, but I don’t want to discount Zach (Charbonnet), and I don’t want to discount George (Holani). Those are really good backs and it’s going to take all three of them this season, and they’ve just got to be ready when their numbers called.”

(On how Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s passion for the game shows up)

“It shows up on the silent film. It’s nothing that you can say, it’s what you do, and you look at his tape and the way that he competes, and he’s having success because his teammates have his back as well. Sam’s (Darnold) doing a great job. Offensive line is protecting, and that’s how it’s been throughout the course of these first couple weeks, and we have a long season to go and by no means are we satisfied or are they satisfied.”

(On what kind of worker Jaxon Smith-Njigba is)

“He comes from a receiver room that’s extremely well coached by Coach (Frisman) Jackson and Coach (Jake) Peetz. Then he has Cooper Kupp beating all of us in the building every day. I think Coop (Cooper Kupp) raises the work ethic of the entire offense, for sure, and I think he’s been a great teammate that’s helped him develop his game.”

(On AJ Barner’s 61-yard play against Jacksonville)

“It’s more of just execution. There’s plenty of opportunities earlier in the game where we didn’t get things done and had chances, but that was all about the players. Players made a play at the end, AJ (Barner) did a great job, Sam (Darnold) made a great check at the line of scrimmage, and they just took what they did in the practice into the game. There was nothing special other than our guys doing a great job on the field.”

(On what Kenneth Walker III has done to earn more opportunities)

“His practice habits, keep seeing him improve as a practice player. The way that he finishes runs, his tracks. He’s very intentional about the things we’re asking him to work on and very self-motivated.”

(On what stood out about third downs against Jacksonville)

“Execution early, I thought Jacksonville did a great job, credit to them. They got after us up front, there were guys slipping, there’s play calls you want back, there’s protection issues, it’s the opponent doing a good job. Anytime you don’t have the success you want, you’ve got to go look at why it didn’t happen. For us, we didn’t execute as a team.”

(On whether he sees the same issues on third downs in general)

“I think overall, the guys have done a fine job and there’s plenty of room for improvement. What it all comes down to as well is not putting yourself in third and longs.”

(On whether he has watched Sam Darnold’s game versus the Texans last season)

“Both years has been a really, really talented defense. Definitely watched the game that Sam (Darnold) played in, but it’s a new year. They’ve got new players, but just a really talented pass rush, really well coached unit.”

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