There are things the Seahawks need to work on controlling better, other than their injury reports.
Specifically, coach Pete Carroll said the team needed to do a better job of handling their emotions as they move forward.
“I think there was a couple outbursts that we had that we documented well, that really took us to a place we don’t want to be, we don’t want any part of it,’’ Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “The emotional side of it brought out some expressions, took us to a place that was a distraction and we had to get through and we did. . . .
“Sometimes the setbacks can allow you to grow and they did. We don’t need those distractions, it’s hard enough. It’s hard enough to get it done when everybody is in lock step and all of that.’’
In addition to defensive end Michael Bennett blowing up at a reporter, there were numerous incidents of the frustration boiling over on the field against the Falcons.
Carroll said he communicated the need to maintain a balance between intensity and distraction when he met with them one final time on Sunday, and acknowledged it’s on him to control.
“I do, because it’s important for me to tap into these guys, their emotional side, and it becomes part of their play when it fits the person and that’s how they operate,’’ he said. “But sometimes, like I said, we make mistakes. I needed to do a better job of helping them head that off. This is a game that calls for guys to play at the edge and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But I think there’s a mistake when they go too far.”
Of course, it’s also a part of who they are. You can’t collect big personalities and expect them to become docile when they get there. And they don’t want that, because aggression is part of the organizational ethos. But too often this season, those personalities became the story instead of the play on the field.