Pete Carroll: "We Didn't Stop Them Consistently"

Pete Carroll (0:00)

Watch out. Really disappointing, missing this opportunity right here.

At home, everybody was ready. And this was a great one, and we missed it. We went right on defense in the running game again. And so it's been repetitive, we can see it. We played better in the second half, we get 40 something yards in the second half, but the first half, they had their way with it.

And so some stuff we got to get right for our last opportunity next week. But on the other side of the ball, we moved the ball, but we didn't get the ball enough. We couldn't get the ball back to the offense. Minimal amount of drives, it was just the clock was just roaring in their favor.

So I'm surprised we didn't play better. We did the things we needed in the game plan, and we called everything that we had, and we didn't stop them consistently. Both the running backs did a really nice job against us, and it was just more than we could handle on this day. A couple of guys get banged up, you saw Kenny couldn't play, got his shoulder banged again. So that was tough, and Abe banged his knee again, too. And Evan got hit in the head, needed a break. So some guys will have to figure out what's going on with them next week.

SPEAKER_2 (1:24)

With the round defense, Pete, is it as simple as just tackling, or is there more to it than that?

Pete Carroll (1:28)

The tackling just seemed like it was really off. It seemed like we just did not make the tackles that we had to, did not have the piles back like we'd like to. And I mean, I really wanted to see the film, see where it was happening to guys other than scheme, and make sure that I understand that, which we will. But the tackling wasn't good enough, and we weren't efficient enough. We had shots, and we had shots in the line of scrimmage, and we had opportunities. And they won the battles better than we did.

Pete, what can you do about the tackling you haven't already tried or done? At this point of the season, I need to see really great, what again happened this time that might have been unique.

But there's all kinds of the fundamental stuff, it's about wrapping up, bringing your feet, and doing those things. I mean, it can't be more obvious from watching the film. And so, the principles that we stand for and teach and all that, we're gonna come back to them again and see if we can pull it together.

SPEAKER_2 (2:30)

Did they throw anything at you offensively that you weren't expecting, or is that what you expected?

Pete Carroll (2:35)

The first play of the final sequence, surprise that they're called the slam route and hit it. It's a rare thing that the team would do.

And they executed it really well and changed the kind of that sequence for us. I was surprised they did that.

SPEAKER_3 (2:50)

But nothing with the way they were running the ball was different?

SPEAKER_4 (2:54)

Is there mindset that has to change the tackling as well besides this machine? Is there a mindset there?

Pete Carroll (3:02)

That's part of it. It's certainly part of it. I would thought we felt like we were jacked and ready to go. And we felt like we really hammered the principles in this game this week. So that we could play really efficient at the line of scrimmage. And it didn't work for us, and we didn't work out.

They continued to fall forward and make their yards.

But mindset is a good question because it needs to be different than it was. Or look what just happened, we gave them too much.

SPEAKER_3 (3:34)

What's just kind of the message coming out of this game with one left to go?

Pete Carroll (3:38)

There's one game to go, and we don't know what the scenario is gonna bring us. We've been here before, I think it was last year, pretty much the same thing. We gotta go to Arizona and go play really well, and get a win, see where that leaves us. And there's stuff tonight and all that, but the particulars right now, I don't care if we get to go win a game and see what happens.

SPEAKER_2 (4:00)

What would you kind of see on that play with Gian and Stripzak?

Pete Carroll (4:06)

A guy made a nice pass rush move and hit us on the fumble that we lost. Yeah, we got beat and the ball got knocked out. We couldn't come up with it.