NFL Playoffs - Press Conferences

[georgiafan]

JETS with coach cnorys4​

You finished the season 11-5 what were some of the key reasons your team made the playoffs?
Our biggest strength this year, and anyone can attest, was our defense. We kept things simple on the D side of the ball and ultimately put many guys in a position for success. Coming into the year we really emphasized pressure up front and I couldn’t feel more confident about that aspect of our game, but it truly was our Secondary that stepped up huge this season. I think the Legion of Boom took its talents east this year. The addition of Gilchrist, Revis, and Cro; really helped lock down the secondary and allow them to thrive in this 34 defense.

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You are the #5 seed and will face the AFC south champs Titans. When yall played earlier in the year the titans earned its signature win. How much are you wanting redemption for the 6 turnovers the offense had?

We saw a major opportunity entering the postseason to replay some matchups against the Raiders and Titans whichever way it sliced itself. These were the 2 stingers of the year. Being as that the matchup is against the Titans, we are definitely preparing for this game for full redemption. We take those 6 turnovers away and there is a good chance we win that ball game. If we don’t commit 6 turnovers in the next one….there is a good chance we win that ball game.

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You were in a odd spot with your week 17 matchup vs division rivalry the Bills. They are a team you could see in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Did you hold some plays/players back just for the reason or do you just worry about that if it comes up?
I take full responsibility for losing that last matchup against the Bills. A few bad decisions really cost us that game. With that being said, we’re not putting too much emphasis into this next one. We haven’t decided if we are going to hold anyone back, but the intentions are not to go out and get anyone hurt a week before playoffs. Should a 3rd matchup arise this season, then we will be ready, but for now our focus has shifted to the Titans.

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You currently have the 1st ranked scoring defense and 2nd in total yards. Anytime that happens it’s a group effort so tell me a few guys on the defense that's not getting a lot of press that we should be talking about?
Marcus Gilchrist came over from the San Diego Chargers this offseason and has been an absolute stud. Haven’t paid much attention to the DPoY talks, but hands down he has carried the defense all year and hands down the best free in the NFL this year. His stats aren’t the flashiest by any means, but it seems that everything he has done this year has come at the most opportune time.



Another set of guys who have really developed this year and have only gotten better as the year progressed are the MLB’s, Demario Davis and David Harris. Running a 3-4 means your middle backers must be playmakers and they have done that. We’ve seen our pass defense thrive all year, but our run defense was a little shaky at times Down the stretch we went from 10th all the way up to 3rd and a lot of that credit goes to them.

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Finish this sentence the Jets win the superbowl if........
The defense continues its dominance and the Offense secures the ball.


Xxclaywilliamxx cnorys4 Colefolks319 Jandy pack1797 BigTexas18 Konvict27 majesty95 Spayer419 Glen Cieske woodsmall12 NightHawkTH32 Ninersfan8052 rkjones217 ACH_Bucks BlackPaw Paytonno1son zbenjamin85 Studley021 Jukemwr21 simulationfl

 

[georgiafan]

With Bills - XxclaywIlliams​

question 1) The bills had a amazing record going 14-2 what are some of the key reasons for the record ?

answer 1) We added a lot of weapons on this team and they came here to prove themselves. played very well from behind and a lot of key plays on offense and defense, still a lot of improving to do and will do just that. Were happy to break the longest playoff drought in NFL history.
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questions 2)You were in a odd spot with your week 17 match up vs division rivalry the Jets. They are a team you could see in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Did you hold some plays/players back just for the reason or do you just worry about that if it comes up?

answer 2)I think both teams are happy to see the Bully Patriots behind us after ruling this division for the past 10+ years. The Jets are a tough team, they've come battle ready and to win games. If we see the Jets in the second week of the playoffs, will be ready for war.

as far as week 17 we will sit the necessary people that will really help us in the playoffs so we don't have unnecessary injury's
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questions 3) Your team played a crazy amount of close games with 10 games being decided by 4 points or less. How will that help you come playoff time?

answer 3) we did play way to many games that were to close. we need to start playing all 4 quarters instead of coming from behind in the second half. there's still a few pieces to be placed on this team and were looking to do that this off season. also like we talked mid season i really think Taylor likes the pressure, we have to focus to get him away from that.
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question 4) Tyrod Taylor finished with 4,602 yards, 36 TD and 20 Interceptions should he win the MVP?

answer 4) I think Taylor played great this year, there's still a lot he needs to learn thou. many guys in this league played well enough to receive MVP. that's not for me to decide, let the best man win!
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question 5)
Finish the sentence the bills win the superbowl if.......

answer 5) the bills win the Superbowl if... every member on this team wants to play their hearts out for the guy lined up next to him and leave every piece of them on that field.

 

[georgiafan]

Ravens - Konvict​

You went 2-0 in hate week with both wins coming by a combined 5 points. How sweet was it to win those games knock the browns out of the playoffs because of it? Rumor has it Johnny is putting in extra practice hours for the games next year
We always get up when we have face the Browns with Johnny being a duel threat he always keeps us on our toes. Plus matching wits with the vets they have on defense has Joe spending extra hours in the film room. We have to always install some new plays for "Hate Week".

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Your rushing game is only 24th in the NFL with 82 yards per game and your starting HB only has 4 TD's. Do you need feel you need to run the ball more in the playoffs to win?
Running the ball is how you win in the post season and we are more than capable of moving the ball on the ground and we will.

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Tell me a few players that we aren't talking about that we should be paying attention ?
mean we have a lot of young talent on this team and I can't tell you how proud I am of the ball these young men are playing. If I had to pick a couple guys who are under the radar I would have to say Kyle Juszczyk and Kamar Aiken. Like you said our leading rusher only has four touchdowns but Kyle has six. Plus with his soft hands he is easily becoming one of the best fullbacks in the league. Kamar has been our silent assassin this year third on the team in receptions but first in yards the sky is the limit for this young man.

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Finish the sentence the Ravens win the superbowl if.....
The Ravens win the Super Bowl if everyone does there job everyday.

 

[georgiafan]

Chargers - Glen Cieske​

Going into week 16 the division looked like a longshot. But you beat the raiders on week 16 and Broncos week 17 then the raiders got upset against the Chiefs. What are you thoughts on being the 2015 AFC west champs?
It feels great, we had a few missteps in the beginning of the season but we fought back and got rewarded for it. It's going to be an interesting post season.

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The Chargers finished 11-5 this year tell me a few key reasons as to why you was able to have such a good season?
The defense kept improving game after game. We were able to stay healthy. Our confidence is high, we are ready to keep moving forward.

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Make your case for Melvin Gordon to be the rookie of the year over Todd Gurley ? He has also been mentioned in the MVP race.
Wow. Um, Gurley is a stud and is going to continue to be great in that system. What I think separates them is Gordons 230 total yard game against the Browns.

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It's no secret that you and the raiders coach go way back and yall split the season series. Its now looking like there is a very good chance yall face each other in the first round of the playoffs. How fitting is that?
It's perfect, this is becoming one of the biggest rivalries on Px1. It's going to be a battle. Perfect game for a live play by play

* after this went to press the bengals upset the ravens knocking them out of the playoffs

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Finish the sentence the Chargers win the superbowl if......
Melvin gets going, we need to control the clock and lean on the defense. Gordon is the key to controlling the clock.

 

[georgiafan]

Seahawks - Woodsmall
​

You and the rams both finished 11-5 but the rams won the tiebreakers and are division champs (I think) and will host home field. How big of a deal is that?
Home field advantage is HUGE ... hostile environment which can effect our snap counts, audibles, and just getting into the head of our players ... and if the Rams decide to pipe in crowd noise, then we are in big trouble


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Yall split the season series and yall win play again this week in the first round of the playoffs. How fitting is that? Is knowing your opponent so well a positive or a negative?
Knowing their tendencies will help prepare us to try something different in our game strategies ... we know their weaknesses so we plan to exploit those areas ... we know they will go to Gurley often ... the guy was Offensive Player of the Year in NFC ... Rams also have two of the top ten LBs in Lauranitas and Ayers so our blockers need to find ways to get to the second level and get hands on the LBs ... Rams overall tend to play their best football in the biggest games ... this game should be no different ... we expect to play error free football and always be moving forward

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The seahawks defense was once again one of the best in the NFL 1st in total yards and 3rd in scoring defense. Anytime that happens its a group effort so tell us a few guys that we aren't talking about that we need to.

Our success on defense starts with hiring the right personnel and aligning with the team's schemes and plans ... you have to know player's strengths and combine that as you play to your team's strengths ... For instance, we can't match up a slow footed LB in man coverage vs TE Cook, who is their leading receiver ... we need to match up a Safety or Nickelback to shut it down ... Gurley finished 2nd on the team in receptions and we have to be aware that the Rams will try to exploit the LB vs RB mismatch as well ... screens and throws in the flats along with the HB angle are expected ... this is where playing a team twice has its advantages ... you know what formations can call for these particular routes ... The other key to running a successful defense is recognizing your opponents tendencies and making the proper adjustments ... its a chess match back and forth, eye for an eye ... we expect this from the Rams as both games were hard fought battles ... Our Seahawks will take a "Bend don't Break" mentality


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Your running game was only 28th in the NFL with 67 yards per game. Will you have to run the ball better to make it to the superbowl?

Our run game HAS to set up our passing game ... Lynch is not a break away back so we didn't expect to blow away the league this year ... Lynch will have to pound the ball and grind out yards, no doubt ... push the ball forward and not take on any negative yards ... early on we became a pass happy team and we had to really scale back to allow our young WRs time to develop ... running game still is lacking but we feel that Marshawn can and will lead us to victory

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The Seahawks will win the Super Bowl if ...
they can win the turnover battle and prevent negative yards on offense

Should be a great match up vs the Rams and we expect a hard fought battle ... very excited to get into this game and see what the Rams have to throw at us ... they are riding on a lot of momentum at this point ... they beat us in wk 16 and Wilson threw for 4 picks ... they beat us out as the division champ so they are currently on a hot streak and king of the hill ... we have Redemption our our minds and we wanna push the chubby fat kid off of his hill!

 

[georgiafan]

Lions - Blackpaw​

You finished the season 14-2 what are some of the key reasons for your success?

Executing the game plan. We want to be as efficient as possible. Some things we can get cleaned up but we like where we are at this point.

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Stafford had another good year with over 3,000 yards and 34 TD's (5 rush). How important is this postseason for him to prove to everyone that he can take his game to the next level?

Anytime you take the field you want to do one thing; prove to yourself that you can overcome what ever obstacle you may face. I expect Matt to continue work efficiently within the game plan. In terms of the next level; the kid has already thrown for over 5k during the regular season in his career. So I certainly have no doubts in which level he resides.


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You currently have the 2nd ranked scoring defense and 3rd in total yards in the NFL anytime that happens its a group effort. Who are a few guys on that defense that we aren't talking about that we need to be?

Execute, execute, execute. It's all about being efficient in the game plan. Nothing is bigger than the TEAM. Everyone knows that. When you want to look at a guy who just flashes on film; it's gotta be Whitehead. He has stepped into a bigger roll this season. He has answered that call and delivered superbly. The Backers are just flat out dominate. Levy and Whitehead lead the way with tackles for a loss; with 12 and 18 respectively. That's the type of efficiency we look for and we are definitely getting it from those two guys.

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You made a trade mid season to bring in Knile Davis and has been a brilliant move. He has over 1,000 yards, 10 TD's and over 5 yards a carry. How big has he been for this team to to take some pressure off the passing game?

Well, as a former player here; I'm a bit bias when it comes to assessing play from the running back position. He has come in and juiced the motor on the offense. Efficient in his runs, executes assignments at a level of excellence, just has done a great job. So it has worked out well for us. Berry, has also been vital this season. As a part of that deal, he was a great asset. He swiftly picked up the game plan. Further committed to the team and organization by resigning his deal early. Second on the team in tackles; 101, AIR ASSAULT!, pulled in five picks. So they both have come in an contributed at a high level. Something that we are very pleased with.


Finish the sentence, the Lions win the superbowl if........

they Execute and be Efficient.

 

[BlackPaw]

Good read.

 

[georgiafan]

I just sent questions to the panthers so I think after that all that is left is myself and the Rams

 

[georgiafan]

Titans - Georgiafan​

You took over the projected worst team in the NFL won the AFC south in year 1. How surprised are you to be in the playoffs?

We are very surprised to win the division and be in the playoffs taking over a team that had the 2nd overall draft pick and starting a rookie QB. We was picked by the experts to have the least talented roster in the NFL. We started the year off 1-4 but after that we won 6 of 8 games and then the huge win vs Texans to clinch the division title in week 16. As the year went forward we started making more and more plays in the passing game.

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You earned your best win of the year vs the Jets in week 14. That's who you will face again in the playoffs. How does that change things?

At first glance you might think it helps us out because we have proven we can beat them but I think it gives them the edge. We kinda played spoiler for them as they was close to winning the AFC east and I am sure they want to get the last laugh. In that game they had 6 turnovers and we know that's not going to happen again. We will have to play better then we did that week if we want to beat them again.



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You was 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards with 127 per game and Sankey went over 1,300 yards. The Jets have the best DL in all of football. Is it safe to say that's the matchup to watch ?

It is without a doubt strength vs strength when it comes to who wins the rushing battle with us on offense. Like you said we was 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards but they was also 2nd in the NFL in rush defense. If you believe the ratings that are around we have 3 players starting on the OL that are in the 70's. Meanwhile I don't even know if they have anyone under a 90. To win the rushing battle our guys upfront have to play a perfect game.

A lot of times this year we saw our drives come up a yard short and we cant have that happen in the playoffs. If Sankey wants to be the bell cow HB on this team going forward then he has to pick up that extra yard to get a fresh set of downs.


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Some critics say you don't deserve to be in the playoffs this year since your record was only 8-8. What do you say to those people? Do you feel like you have nothing to lose and everything to gain at this point?

Without a doubt we got a little lucky with our division being down this year. We know that will not be the case next year with the new Texans coach and the Colts are always gonna be a major threat. Also the NFC had a team make the playoffs at 8-8 and it was a wildcard team. The last few times a teams has been in our situation they have won a playoff and we hope to continue that trend. Anytime you are in the playoffs you have something to lose if you don't win. Our goal is to win a superbowl and we still have a chance for that to happen.


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Finish the sentence the titans win the superbowl if.....
we win the turnover battle every game and finish drives with points

 

[georgiafan]

I screwed up the running game question for the seahawks (pasted the wrong one) but it has now been fixed. His answer was right just not my question

 

[georgiafan]

Rams with nighthawk ​

1. You and the rams both finished 11-5 but you won the tiebreakers and are division champs and will host home field. How big of a deal is that?


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2. How much extra pressure does the game being live play by play bring?


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3. Make your case for Todd Gurley for rookie of the year over Melvin Gordon?

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4. What is one position battle that we need to watch for that will play a huge outcome in the game?

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5. Finish the sentence The Rams will win the Super Bowl if ...

Answers​

1. Home Field is huge in the playoffs. I feel like that can be a deciding factor in this one.

2. No extra pressure. We're ready to be on the big stage and show the league what we can do.

3. Gurley and Gordon both had great years no doubt but Gurley led his team to a division crown, enough said.

4. Our linebackers have to contain jimmy graham. He will get matched up alot with our linebackers because we have to respect Marshawn Lynch and the running game.

5. We can play the way we have all years and limit our mistakes

 

[georgiafan]

Raiders - Spayer​

You took over the raiders after they fired there coach in the middle of the season. You have been to have a amazing turnaround and likely/made the playoffs. What have been some of key the reasons for the turnaround?

Well i think for one, we were able to get off to a good start by dipping our foot in the water. Our first two games were against the Broncos and Chargers. The Broncos are a struggling CPU team, and while Glen is a great player, I've played about 20 seasons of NCAA football with him, so I was familiar with his play style. Beating the Jets and especially the Lions was a huge confidence boost, and every game I continued to better understand my team's strengths and what we needed to do to win.

From a X's and O's standpoint, we were able to win the turnover battle in our wins, control the line of scrimmage from both sides, and allow our playmakers in Cooper and Murray carry us home.

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Amari Cooper got off to a slow start but exploded after you took over as coach and finished the year with 90 catches, 1129 yards and 11 TD. Just how good can he be? Do the other WR's Crabtree and Rod Streater need to step up or are you pleased with the production you got from them?

Amari Cooper can be historically good, a Hall of Famer we think. He is so shifty after the catch, but can also make plays down field. We would like to see him be more dynamic on jump balls, but that might not be his game.

Crabtree has made some plays for us this year. The game against the Titans, again, comes to mind. But we've thrown several picks trying to give him fades in the redzone, and that's what we really want out of our big possession receiver. Streeter has been a ghost this year.

We're actually scouting receiver very heavily, and are considering using a #1 on a wide out again this year to take the burden off of Amari.

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You won 10 games in a row but yall lost the final 2 games in a row including a shocking 37-13 loss to the Chiefs. How much does missing the playoffs hurt? What went wrong in those final 2 games?

The common denominator in both games was turnovers. Just like some of those early wins helped us build confidence, I think we eventually got overconfident and forced the issue too much on offense. The strength of our team is and has always been stout defense and fantastic special teams. If you look back at some of our games - the one against the Titans on the PX1 Twitch comes to mind - when we didn't end our drives in scores we ended with punts, and pinned Tennessee inside the 10 two or three times. Against the Chargers and Chiefs we thought we couldn't be beat, and that arrogance eventually lead to us beating ourselves. It hurts not to win the division, because this is the best division in football and we had it in our hand. But it's a learning experience for our young team.

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Lets be honest how much are you wanting the ravens or benglas to be on the schedule for next year ?

Can't wait to play the Ravens next year. When I watched that game, I felt like they weren't even playing to win. Honestly, I feel in the back of their mind, they didn't want the Raiders. And that's fine, but we are circling that team today. They're a great team, so I don't want to take anything away from them. But I will never forget them fair catching on their own 8 off a kickoff.

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* the following question at press time was done with the anticipation that the ravens would beat the bengals in week 17

It's no secret that you and the chargers coach go way back and yall split the season series. Its now looking like there is a very good chance yall face each other in the first round of the playoffs. How fitting is that?

It's very fitting. Glen and I played about 20 seasons together in NCAA football online dynasties - me as the Buckeyes and him at Wisconsin. Oftentimes we played in the B1G title game, and if not, our regular season matchup would still have postseason implications yearly. I know that every year I'm going to have to go through Glen - whether that's to win the division, a playoff game, or the AFC Championship. He's the best coach in this league in my mind, and I'm sure this will be a yearly occurrence.

 

[georgiafan]

Panthers - Zbenjamin​

You had the best record in the NFL this year at 14-1-1. What are some of the key reasons for that?

This team has really come together this year and have been able to find wins even if the team wasn’t playing at its highest level. When the moment counted the players were able to go out and make big plays that put us in a very strong position to win games. We as a team understands that we have a chance to win a title this year and our record right now is 0-0.

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Despite being the #1 seed you will likely face a tough road to the Superbowl with the winner of Rams/Seahawks then likely the Lions in the NFC title game. Meanwhile the Lions get the winner of the Giants (cpu) and 8-8 Redskins. Do you think that is unfair?

We are at the crazy part of the season that every team is going to be playing at a very high level. We have a week off to get our players healthy and ready to face whoever is placed in front of us. We will be ready to take the field and have our crowd fired up for playoff football in Carolina.

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Your offense is the best scoring offense in the NFL and 3rd in total yards. What is making your offense so good? Does Cam have to protect the ball better he threw 26 interceptions this year? Or do you not want to risk taking away the big plays?

Balance has really helped with putting points on the board. While we would like to see Cam lower his turnovers and protect the football, we feel comfortable putting the ball in his hands and letting him make plays. With Stewart playing at a very high level to end the season with 16 touchdowns and a leading 25 rushing touchdowns as a team, we feel that teams will have to stay balanced on defense to have a chance of slowing us down.


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Your defense so far has been bend but don't break they are 21st in total yards but 4th in defense points. Can that still work in the playoffs?

You always want to say that you can stop a team on every drive, however that is not the case in the NFL. The talent level is always playing high and you have to adjust during the game. We feel that if we can keep teams out of the end zone and keep getting the ball back to our offense we will always be in good shape.

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Finish the sentence Panthers win the Superbowl if……

We don’t want to look ahead to the Superbowl. Our goal is to get healthy this week and get ready to face a strong playoff team in the NFC Divisional round and we are getting ready for that game. We want to hear Bank of America stadium rocking next week and we challenge the fans to be ready as we make a strong push in the playoffs.

 

[georgiafan]

Super Bowl Press Conference with Marshawn Lynch​

In the regular season from last year to this year your stats was down 300 yards, 2 TD and 0.7 yards per carry. What was the reason for the decline?

I am just here so I don't get fined

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Next year you will be over 30 years old the age where HB's typically start to slow down. How many more years do you plan on playing?

I am just here so I don't get fined

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How important is it for you to get another super ring after the way last years game ended?

I am just here so I don't get fined


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Last year in the superbowl with the game on the line the coaches didn't give you the ball. Do you expect to see the the ball time time if that situation comes up?

I am just here so I don't get fined


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The seahawks was only 28th in the NFL in rushing in the regular season with 67 yards per. But in the playoffs yall are avg 119 per game. Whats the reason behind the improvement?

I am just here so I don't get fined

 

[woodsmall12]

Awesome!