Carroll explains second half turnaround against Carolina
Dec 6, 2010, 12:04 PM | Updated: Apr 4, 2011, 7:52 pm
MyNorthwest.com staff
As he does every Monday during the season, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll joined Brock and Salk on Monday to break down Sunday’s game.
The first question was about Seattle’s second half turnaround in Sunday’s 31-14 win over Carolina. After falling behind 14-3 at halftime, the Seahawks shut out the Panthers for the rest of the game and scored 28 of their 31 unanswered points.
Carroll: “The whole thing really started during the week, particularly the night before the game. We talked about finding the right attitude to finish games without being affected by the situation that had already taken place. I was disappointed in how we responded in the fourth quarter a week ago (in a loss to Kansas City), we were (trailing) 21-17 and we didn’t come to life and finish that game when we should have. So we were talking about it and the players at halftime just responded. It was just that time. It was kind of the moment that we needed to take a positive step in how to deal with a game, regardless of what (happened in the first half). So we did that.”
The highlight of that second half turnaround was Lofa Tatupu’s third quarter interception of Jimmy Clausen on a pass in the flat intended for Carolina’s fullback. Tatupu returned the pick 27 yards to the endzone to give the Seahawks a 17-14 lead.
Carroll said the Seahawks’ defense was designed to stop a short-yardage play and that the linebackers had man-to-man coverage on the running backs.
Carroll: “A lot of times in situations like that when you’re in a third-and-1, linebackers get caught up in the play fake and don’t see their coverage and the back slips into the flat. It’s one of the easiest plays in football. But a really instinctive player like Lofa doesn’t miss the little trigger points. The flat angle of the fullback – he saw it beautifully and slipped by the pick route on the flanker and got through it and was thinking interception from the moment the play started… He was taking a shot from the moment he saw the play. It’s just a guy capitalizing on great instincts and anticipation and understanding the game and how football works. He took advantage and made a huge play for us.”
Listen to the entire Pete Carroll Show here.
