Pete Carroll rocked his press conference from Seahawks first day of camp

As always, Pete Carroll was entertaining and informative in his press conference. He had much to say after the Seahawks first day of camp.

You can always count on Pete Carroll to say something to grab your attention, can’t you? Whether he’s talking about how the Seahawks were really “movin’ and groovin'”, or how “T2 looks sweet” – that’s safety Tedric Thompson, not Ahnold the Terminatuh. By the way, Coach: go with student, not “studier”. Yes, it’s in the dictionary, but come on, who uses that? Even from Pete, it sounds awkward. And that’s saying something.

Anyway, Coach Carroll had tons of news after the first day of camp. Some not so great news, meaning injuries, first. Under the Carroll category of starting slow, we’ll begin with the man expected to start at tight end, Ed Dickson. He’s starting slow due to a minor groin injury. Since the press conference, he’s been placed on the Non Football Injury list, and the Seahawks signed three more tight ends. Not the best start, but Carroll said Dickson is expected to be back within a few weeks.

Dion Jordan will likely miss at least a few weeks, too. Hardly the news we needed on Jordan, but at this point, it’s the news you sadly expect. In better news, and yes it’s still about injuries, Carroll said George Fant is expected to be ready in four or five days. He later mentioned the 8th as a target date, though, so keep your eyes open. When Fant returns, he’ll likely line up at left tackle, at least to start. As Carroll said, Fant has zero experience on the right side, so he won’t be moving, at least not until he’s up to game speed and comfortable again.

The next Carroll category is “ramping up”. These are players who are recovering from injuries that the Seahawks don’t want to rush back. Put potential red zone target Brandon Marshall solidly in that group. Carroll said you can expect him to be full speed within a few days.

Seattle Seahawks

Thankfully there was more news than which Seahawks are banged up

Most interesting of all – at least to me – was Carroll’s extended response to a question about the NFL’s new tackling rule. Carroll was really enthused about this, as you’ll see. The question comes at the 12 minute mark.

"There was a time – I don’t know how many years ago it was – I was fighting it like crazy, man. I was fighting it just like an old dog. I didn’t want to see it coming, didn’t want to have it come our way. And I transitioned a while back, and so as this is coming to us now, I’m excited about the change for the game. I think that you won’t see the difference in the game, the fans won’t see the difference. The players will feel the difference in time, and I think we’ll be able to see a great product. It’s not going to change things drastically at all."

Carroll went on to say that the hits would be any lighter or softer, at all. Hits will be delivered just as hard, but with the shoulder, rather than the helmet. He was adamant that this is just change in technique, not a fundamental change of the game itself.

Carroll also talked about the role of pass protection for the running backs. He said that running backs coach Chad Morton “went after it right off the bat” because of its importance to the Seahawks. Carroll did say they had no missed assignments, so it was a really good first day. If you want to play this season, you better be able to block as well as run, as Carroll said “It’ll keep a guy off the field if he can’t do it.”

Enough highlights; it’s time for the real show. There is so much more than what we’ve highlighted above. There’s more talk about the offensive line, Neiko Thorpe and his chances at cornerback, Kam Chancellor and his return to the team after his holdout, even Tyrone Swoopes.  It’s truly worth your time. Make sure you have 21 minutes and 54 seconds of “me time”. Maybe during a conference call at work, if you’re lucky. Enjoy the show!