Carroll interview: Personnel notes on Bennett, Mebane and Bailey

The Seahawks are beginning a three-day minicamp for rookies, but a large number of their veteran players have been back at team headquarters for voluntary workouts for the last two and a half weeks.

Coach Pete Carroll, a guest on “Brock and Salk” Friday morning, said he likes what he’s seen as the team has gotten back to work following a most disappointing Super Bowl finish.

Listen: Pete Carroll’s interview on “Brock and Salk”

“The attitude coming back has been really obvious,” he said. “These guys are really pumped about getting back to work. There’s no question about it. They’ve all worked really hard to get back. We were applauding the fact that they came back in good enough condition to really take advantage of the offseason program.

“That means they worked their tails off. Everybody’s tuned in in that regard. This offseason was one that everybody had to treat individually and they had to work their way through it and get back to business, but back to business is what’s happened.”

Carroll shared the following personnel updates:

No concern with Bennett situation. Carroll said defensive lineman Michael Bennett is not asking for a trade out of Seattle, contrary to a report. Bennett has said the same thing himself a few times, first on 710 ESPN Seattle last month and again Thursday on KING TV. Carroll: “He’s proving that the media isn’t always right. He keeps telling you, ‘I’m not talking trade. I don’t know who’s talking that way.’ He’s said it 10 times already.” Bennett has acknowledged that he isn’t satisfied with his contract, which was signed last offseason. Is there any concern with Bennett’s situation? “No, not at all,” Carroll said.

Mebane looks ‘fantastic.’ That was the word Carroll used to describe nose tackle Brandon Mebane, who is recovering from a hamstring injury that cut his 2014 season short. Carroll: “He really has worked his butt off and everybody knows it. I don’t know what that timeline is for him to be back to full speed, but yet he’s way ahead of schedule. He’s looking great. He’s just really dedicated to it.”

Bailey has lost weight. Recall Carroll saying on 710 ESPN Seattle last year that offensive lineman Alvin Bailey had eaten his way to 350 pounds. Bailey has apparently shed quite a bit of that weight, which will only help his chances of claiming the starting job at left guard. Carroll: “It was great to see Alvin come back maybe 30 pounds lighter. That’s a fantastic commitment. That’s a big statement of what a guy took to the offseason. Everybody appreciates that. The fact that he’s back working hard and he realizes this opportunity is here, he’s jumped at it.”

Jeremy Lane’s recovery. Nickelback Jeremy Lane is recovering from a broken arm and a torn ACL, injuries that were sustained in the Super Bowl and required surgeries. Carroll shared an optimistic outlook on Lane’s recovery but offered nothing definitive about when he’ll be available. Carroll: “Jeremy, you see him, you can’t tell he’s hurt. He looks great moving around and all that right now in the rehab session. It’s going to take a while because his arm was really as big a factor as his knee was. It was really a terrible broken arm, but he’ll make it back. His attitude is great.”