What the Seahawks players and coaches said after their dominant performace over the Patriots

Dominating performance by the Seahawks defense, a record-setting five field goals by Jason Myers, and Most Valuable Player performance by Ken Walker III saw the Seahawks secure a second Super Bowl Trophy.

SOME DAUNTING NUMBERS

The Seahawks defense recorded six sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and two interceptions, forcing the Patriots to punt on their first eight full offensive series. Jason Myers’ five goals set the Super Bowl record for most field goals in a game . Ken Walker finished with 135 rushing yards on 27 carries. Walker had 94 rushing yards at halftime. Byron Murphy had two sacks and a fumble recovery. Derick Hall had two sacks and a forced fumble while Uchenna Nwosu capped the defensive performance with a 45-yard pick-six.

WHAT WAS AFTER THE GAME

HEAD COACH MIKE MACDONALD

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald

(On the importance of coaches being ‘from all different backgrounds’) “We’re in the business of winning football games and to win football games, you have to be a great team. And, great teams have people from all over the place that come together. That’s why football is so special. You look at that locker room and what people have gone through to get to this point in their career on this particular team. It’s a beautiful thing, man. It’s really, really powerful. Really awesome.”

(On Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon) “Incredible, incredible. Spoon had a phenomenal game. Affected the quarterback, made the play on the ball. We haven’t blitzed him that much this year. He hasn’t made that many plays on the quarterback. Not for a lack of wanting to on his end but called his number today and made it happen. So, he’s a tremendous player.”

(On Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier)

“We would not be having this press conference right now if Leslie wasn’t a Seahawk. He was the first person I called when I got the job and hopefully I made it very clear to him that we needed him. He’s just a great compliment to my skillset, to my personality. He’s such a great connector with the players, such a great communicator. He calls our bluff when we’re full of crap on defense or when we do stupid stuff on game planning which happens probably too much, more than we want. But, he’s been tremendous.”

(On losing Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak)

“We love Klint. He’s done a great job. I haven’t thought about it yet. So, think about that later.”

(On his team’s faith mindset) “I think one of the great things about our team is that we grow together. And, that’s something that’s part of my life. It’s been a journey, you know. It hasn’t always been that case, my faith hasn’t always been strong. You have doubts, it’s kind of a rollercoaster ride. And the last few years it’s been really strengthened. You see what our players do and what (Seahawks team chaplain) Jonathan Rainey does every day and brings people together. It’s a journey that we’re in together and it’s empowering and it’s inspiring to pursue that part of your life that’s so important.”

(On Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall)

“I’m incredibly happy for him. He’s played great football for us all year. Just plays the right way, man. Just plays so violently, relentlessly. I mean, even like the sack was on a counter, you know? And then got the ball out, which was something we needed to do to win the game.”

(On Seahawks QB Sam Darnold)

“I was just spending more time with Sam on all these interviews. It’s like Sam doesn’t care about the obstacle. Like everyone’s made a narrative of this guy. They

have tried to put a story and a label on who he is as a person, who he is as a quarterback. He does not care. He is the same guy every day since he showed up. He’s so steadfast. He’s a great teammate. His teammates love him. All he has done since he’s walked in the door has just been a tremendous player on our football team and a tremendous leader who is the same guy every day. And that’s who he is. And that’s how we need to talk about him moving forward.”

(On the team’s core philosophies)

“Honestly, no. When you talk about stacking and stacking wins, which is one of our core philosophies, you have to believe and have faith in the power of doing that over the course of time. So, you could really take any element of our team, and you can kind of go back to that philosophy and our run game is a great example. We were talking about a run game at the beginning of the season, but we just stuck to it, kept attacking the details. Takeaways are something, how you affect the court, it’s always something, right? There’s always some part of your team that you’re trying to attack and improve on. But if you stick to the process and the process is right, then the results will get to where you want. But I think what you saw today is just the end point of a team that has been dedicated to becoming this team since we walked in the door in April. And it started with our offseason program. It started, then it went to training camp and how they handled the off season, and we just did it week by week.”

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon

(On how the Seahawks executed their Super Bowl win)

We had a great game plan laid out and we went out there and executed. We played complementary football, the offense made sure they had our back too. Like I said, we had a game plan laid out and you know how you’re going to execute it, you just have to go out there and play ball that’s what makes us who we are. We trust each other and we go out there and do our thing.

(On Ernest Jones IV)

It means a lot, it means everything. You talk about a great team, (Ernest) is everything to us. When you talk about a linebacker who sets a standard for us, who goes out there and keeps us controlled and composed, he’s everything. For that, I am really just focused on the now, living in the present. I’m not really worried about what everybody else has going on. I’m just living in the present right now.

(On how much he enjoys blitzing)

I enjoy them a lot. I haven’t been blitzing a lot this year but like I said it was best for our team. I’m going to do whatever our team needs to do to win.

(On the Seahawks defense)

They said we handled our business the way we did all year. Like I said, talking about a group of guys who play together out there and give each other everything they need and have each other’s backs out there, don’t let another person down. It’s everything you want in a defense.

(On if this is one of the best defenses of all time)

I didn’t really think about it. I know when we’re the best defense this year and that’s all that matters.

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams

(On what words he would use to describe the defense)

“I would say relentless, locked in, but the loose and focused thing coach Mike Macdonald talks about, I think this team really embodies that. I’ve been telling everybody that once I started working with Mike and [Seahawks GM] Dan Schneider and being a part of this team, it reminds me of my young days when I was in college and when I was in high school. Guys are just playing for the love of the game. In the NFL sometimes you see people in different agendas. Sometimes it’s about money, sometimes it’s their family all these different things. There’s a bunch of grown men that have their own agendas, but on this team our agenda is each other and this team. I think we really embodies that.”

(On where the Seahawks defense ranks in Super Bowl defenses all-time)

“I think we did a tremendous job today. We were honestly mad they scored at all. We were trying to get a shutout in the Super Bowl and make history to put a stamp on that dark side defense that we’ve had this year. We did a great job of getting after the quarterback. Unfortunately, my sack was taken away at the end, but I’m just so proud of the guys, man. It’s not about me. I’m just happy we did such a great job today.”

(On what the locker room was like after the win)

“I honestly got in there late because I was doing some stuff with the NFL and media, but by the time I got in there I couldn’t see or breathe it was kind of smoked out from all the cigars. I think every position group has their own set of ski googles. I got the whole defensive line some chrome hearts ones, you know I had to one-up everybody. It’s just amazing seeing everybody smile. I think that’s what makes this moment so special for me. Seeing my teammates who have put the work in and put the grind in. Everybody on this team deserves it.”

(On how proud he is of Sam Darnold)

“I’m super proud of him. He’s had doubters his whole life and he’s had a lot of ups and downs. He’s had a tremendous journey and I think one thing about him is he’s been unwavering throughout it all. He’s never let one doubter skew his mindset or change who he is and he’s a tremendous leader. He brought us to the Super Bowl and won us the Super Bowl. I can’t say anything more about that guy, he’s just a great guy.”

(On how the secondary played today)

“I think our secondary did a tremendous job of covering in the backend. It forced Drake (Maye) to hold onto the ball and it allowed us time to get after the quarterback. Throughout the playoffs, we saw that was something we were able to exploit. They played against some great defenses against the whole playoffs, including Denver and Houston. Both of those defenses were able to sack him a few times. Being a quarterback, you’re the head of the offense, you’re the head of the team. If you take the head out, the rest will follow. We felt like he was the guy that we had to attack.”

Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers

(On special teams)

“What this organization does is treat special teams as an actual third of what the game is. Which is what [special teams] is. When you have Jay Harbaugh leading us in what he does – the guys buy in and the guys that take pride in special teams. Obviously, there’s been games all year where we’ve either flipped games or started “on slot” to win games [however] you can’t say enough about guys who take pride in that in the group that we have. [Michael Dickson], how many did he have inside the 10? He’s the best in the world at what he does and he proved that today. We take pride in special teams and obviously it showed that it can really do wonders for our team.”

(On winning the Super Bowl)

“It’s amazing. You always want to be here obviously. You know you always dream about playing in the Super Bowl. Some of us, it took a little bit longer to get there and to win it. But that locker room and what we had all year was amazing, it was a great experience and great relationships. There are no words to express what that team is in there.”

(On setting a new record, scoring 200 points in a season)

“Even winning right now doesn’t feel real. You hear those numbers being thrown out there. We had an amazing defense, obviously an amazing special teams and offense just moved the ball. It’s been so great all year. As a specialist you can’t really force the game. You get limited opportunities and whenever your number is called you just go out there and do your best.”

(On if the MVP honor crossed his mind during the game)

“No, I mean I write it on my wrist, I just go one for one. Whatever kick that is in front of me I just make that my best effort. I put all my hard work all these years and all the offseasons and just put that to work. I truly go one kick at a time. Whatever happens, happens.”

(On the identity of the team)

“People first. Especially this week with the media and stuff, you get asked a lot of questions. It feels weird when you say it so many times about how close this team is, people think that you’re just forcing that and saying that; but honestly since April this team has been extremely tight. Every week it’s an amazing experience in that locker room, the whole organization. I think that really carried us through the entire year.

(On winning the Super Bowl)

 “I’m so lucky to get to experience this. Just as a human, to get to experience this type of feeling, not many people get it, so I’m super grateful.”

(On his preparation and execution)

 “This week was no different to any other week in the year. I always want to give my defense the best field position. It was cool hitting it inside the ten a few times and getting the boys around me. It was special.”

(On representing Australia and the culture of Seahawks) 

“It means a lot. I keep saying it, but I’m just pumped that I get to share a ring with this team because it couldn’t be a better group of guys. There are no egos. It’s just brothers in the locker room every day. We get to go to practice together. We get to hang out in the locker room together, go to meetings together. We’re so lucky that we’re this close and get to share a ring together.”

(On his last punt with 1:57 remaining in the fourth quarter)

“Jay Harbaugh obviously spoke to us on the sideline. He gave us the heads up saying, “Hey, they are probably going to do this,” and gave me a chance to hit something at a faster get off. Going out there, I knew that it was going to have to be quick because if they get a block there, it can change the game. I knew that once I saw the returner come up, once I saw the jammers come in and I knew it was an 11-man box and we only have 10 guys protecting me, I knew that I needed to operate at a really fast level and I caught it and Stolly (Chris Stoll) snapped a perfect ball and I was able to get it off quickly because of that.”

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba

(On what Jaxon has to say to other wide receivers)

“Man you got to have faith. You got to believe in God. You got to give it to him. You’re gonna get battle tested. There’s gonna be ups, there’s gonna be downs. But, you have to – nobody can move you, nobody can change you. You have to believe in what you believe in and stand tall on that and never waver and have faith, man, have faith. Your faith has to be there. It’s been a blessing and everybody a part of your journey is – everything is everything. When bad things happen, good things happen, you have to use that. You have to use that to be a a world champion. You have to believe that you’re a world champ before you’re a world champ and it’s amazing. Thank you so much.”

(On Sam Darnold)

“He’s a beast. He’s everything that you want in a quarterback and a leader. He led his troops today like he’s been doing all season. He doesn’t let the noise get to him. He’s a baller, man, and I’ve been saying it. I’ve been saying it. The media, they have their own – they want to talk about some, but he’s a world champ, and that’s something you can’t take from him. That’s something that’s cemented in history.”

(On how tough the matchup was against the Patriots)

“Honestly, I feel like we had our way. We didn’t score in the redzone, but I felt like we had our way. We drove the ball down. I thought K9 (Kenneth Walker III), I’m so happy for him. Man, y’all don’t understand what K9 has gone through. He’s a special player. He’s a special player and our offensive line they are special. We have a special group of guys. I feel like when you look back at this team, y’all will realize how special we are.”