The Vikings are set to host the Seahawks for the first time since 2009. It will mark the return to Minnesota by Seattle Head Coach Pete Carroll and Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell, who were previously Vikings assistants. The return was just one topic this week as Seahawks coaches and players addressed the media.
Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll on Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater:
"I see him doing a really good job of giving them what they need to have a successful team. You know he's doing like our quarterback. We build our team around the running game, and play defense and special teams. The quarterback is a point guard, and spreads the ball around.
"I think Teddy is doing a great job of that. He's resourceful with his movement and getting out on his feet when he has to. He's made big plays when you need him and he takes care of the football really well. Those are huge elements of a winning team."
Carroll on his five years as an assistant under Bud Grand and Jerry Burns
"They were five great years for me growing up as a young coach in the league. Bud gave me a chance to get back in. I started with Buffalo and got fired my first year and got back in with the Vikings and kind of got settled in to the league. Having a chance to be with Burns and Paul Wiggin and all of the guys that we worked with and having the chance to visit with Bud whenever I could get to him. He was always really gracious. I had a blast listening to the stories and trying to gain his perspective when he would share it. It was a very rich time for me going as a coach.
Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell on his time coaching in Minnesota:
"It's kind of been a long time now. There will be some guys who it will be cool to see. There are some players there that I felt real close to. Obviously Adrian (Peterson), I was there with him for a long time, and kind of got him started in the league.
"There's really some great people in their front office, and I appreciated my time with them. But other than that it's just another football game."
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson on the Vikings defense:
"They are coached extremely well. They are right where they need to be, they fly around to the football. You watch guys like Harrison Smith on the back end making plays. The corners are really good in (Xavier) Rhodes and Terence Newman. The linebackers the two guys in (Anthony) Barr and (Eric) Kendricks. They are young guys, but they fly around and make a lot of plays. Obviously Chad Greenway, he's been in Minnesota the whole time, so he knows his team and knows how to play."
Wilson on his offense spreading the ball around:
"The good thing about our offense and the thing we are trying to do is spread the ball around. We try to get the ball to everybody. It makes it tough on the defense when there's so many different guys, so many playmakers."
Seahawks CB Richard Sherman on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson and the rest of the offense:
"Obviously with AP you have got to feature him. He's one of the best running backs in our game and has been for a number of years now. They also try to get the ball down the field. Their receivers have a lot of speed. So you have to expect them to try to get the ball to them. [Kyle] Rudolph has been having a pretty good year so you expect him to get the ball as well."