Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll

RE: Opening statement
“The look of this game is kind of like a microcosmic of the season. We struggled so much early on in the year to get going, it took us a long time and when we finally did, we caught fire and got rolling. Everybody in here just feels like we just ran out of time, it wasn’t quite enough time to get this thing done.”

RE: What do you attribute the slow start to?
“We misfired on the first big run. That was kind of a shock that we would give them inside the 20-yard line right off the back. Couldn’t stop them there, then we made a mistake and score a touchdown and its 14-0 before we even start it. I don’t think it had anything to do with anything in general, we just started so miserably and they took advantage of it.”

RE: The condition of the field a factor?
“No, both sides.”

RE: Did the onside kick bounce the way you had hoped?
“It didn’t get up quite as much as you want it to. The ground is so soft, it is such a soft field, it just didn’t elevate. Thomas Davis made a great play on the ball, did a great job of getting the football and hanging on to it. We needed another couple of feet up. That sometimes happens when you hit it just right, I don’t think that field would allow any better than that. It was a great execution by Steven Hauschka.”

 

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson

RE: Opening statement
“We overcame a lot, a lot of adversity, and even in this game, down to a team that has played great all year, they are up 31-0, we had no doubt in our minds that we could still win the game. We showed that all the way to the end, and unfortunately, if we could have one more drive.”

RE: Do you have the Panthers regular season game circled on your calendar for next year?
“No, we are just circling the offseason, and getting ready to have a championship offseason. Getting ready to go. That’s the only thing we can focus on right now.”

RE: Was your footing an issue?
“I noticed it was a little slippery earlier in the pregame. That’s why I go out there so early and just kind of run around and stuff. I changed my cleats. I put the long detached in just to make sure that I was ready to go, so it wasn’t a problem for me.”

 

Seahawks S Earl Thomas

RE: If he felt like they could pull off the comeback
I felt like this: if we would have gotten it to overtime, I was just thinking, “Overtime, overtime … it’s over.” But it’s a game of inches, man. Hats off to Cam (Newton), they did a good job.