HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2025
(On how important home field advantage can be) “Yeah, just moving forward that was an
unbelievable atmosphere. Had so many people comment on just how cool it was to be at
that game. The impact that they had towards especially the end, they had the delay.
Obviously, they had to take the back-to-back timeout situation. You could feel it. It was a
really cool atmosphere. The place was going mental. We need that as much as humanly
possible moving forward. As much as we can get the fan base and community continue to
show up similar to that, that would be a fantastic home field advantage for us moving
forward.”
(On the challenge of replacing TE Brenton Strange with him on IR) “Yeah, I think [TE] Hunter
Long has stepped up in a major way, thought [TE] Johnny Mundt did a couple good things
the other night as well and then [TE] Quintin Morris has played better and better for us on
special teams and I do think that when his number’s called in games he won’t flinch either.
He was in on the third down in and I think two down at the low red zone, got in on a play that
he had not repped all week and goes in and executes it on the read option. But I have
confidence in that room to be able to continue to ascend and help us out in the pass game
and in the run game, both those guys.”
(On the challenge of not having Strange in the run game) “Yeah, the physical presence for
sure. The way that he plays, the violence, just he can pry some stuff open on his own just by
playing the way he plays. But that’s on us as coaches. We have to get creative and continue
to try to put those other tight ends in matchups that are favorable and even if they are put in
a tough position, having to block maybe a big or a defensive end that I do trust those guys
that they can get some of that stuff done.”
(On if he is worried about how the team will handle success) “No, I don’t want to say we’re
the most off 4-1 team, but like there’s definitely some feelings in the building over the last
few days of knowing that we have not still put out 60 minutes of our best football. I think
specifically on the defensive side, there was some frustrations in some of the things that
we gave up and specifically in the run game, that we didn’t probably have our best efforts in
stopping the run. Something that we had been doing at a pretty good level there. Then same
thing offensively, we punted twice, but we had the fumble at the goal line there and then
the turnover that we got to continue to try to take care of the football at a higher click. And I
think they just know that there was some meat left on the bone even after a really cool win.”
(On what makes the Seahawks run defense so good) “Man, I was just talking to Tony
[Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli] and James [General Manager
James Gladstone] about that earlier. Especially in the first half of games, those guys come
out and nobody’s running the ball on those guys really. Their front is so deep, they’ve got
eight guys up front that have played high level football in the NFL and have all been
impactful starters at some point in the National Football League at one point. So, they’re
very active, they move a lot up front. They stunt them. They move them, they’ll pressure,
their movements are very well coordinated up front and they have good players. They have
good players that have created havoc. They have definitely played on the offense’s side of
the line of scrimmage often this year. They don’t stay blocked long on double teams. So
huge challenge for us both schematically and personnel wise for us to have to go move the
ball and run the football effectively. We’re going to need to.”
(On if the team has adopted his personality) “I think that we—it was weird because when I
got here and had a lot of conversations with the guys individually, there was a little bit of a
chip on the shoulder and a little bit of a frustrated but eager mentality and so I think that
was pretty innate with some of the guys where that’s kind of been my approach in general
and the way I coach. So that just naturally I think connected maybe with some of the guys
or I connected to them because I felt that from them as well. And so, I was probably my
most calm the other night in ways and it was cool to see then Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence]
take over some of that and you saw some of the swagger that he had after he made the
throw to B.T. [WR Brian Thomas Jr.] and Dyami [WR Dyami Brown] and just you just saw
some confidence and grit and toughness that you want your teams to display, not because
it’s about my personality or me, it’s more because I think that that helps have an edge. And
ultimately, I do like our team to have an edge.”
(On if he was fiery as a quarterback) “I had a couple personal fouls as a player, as a
quarterback. Yeah, so I probably was in a lot of ways. I wasn’t really a trash talker
necessarily, but I think I was pretty limited athletically and so had to use the mind as a
weapon as well and to try to get yourself in competitive mode to play. And come from a
small school, small state where football’s not really that important in ways or wasn’t at the
time, maybe in terms of recruitment and exposure. And you go play FCS D1AA football and
you feel like you’re better than that and go and try to win as many games as humanly
possible while probably feeling like you’re maybe a little under recruited, maybe that’s
where that comes from. But no, I had a great experience, man.”
(On if he has talked to QB Trevor Lawrence about not sliding) “Yeah, we did. We talked
about it downstairs after the game. We did, in the lobby, we were talking about it and I said,
‘dude, I just want you to protect yourself, whatever that is for you. I can’t truly tell you what
that looks like because I haven’t been in your shoes at in at this level.’ And so, we talked, I
was just like, ‘dude, it does frustrate as well. It will frustrate the defense more when you do
run and now they don’t hit you and when you slide.’ So, it can frustrate and irritate the
opposing team, the opposing defense when you’re able to get out, still remain a passer, but
then you do take off and now they can’t touch you and it’s like that can become frustrating
for them. So that’s a little game within the game that we were talking about, but he didn’t
really have much of an answer. It was just like, ‘hey, that’s kind of how I was I’m running’
and I respect and appreciate it, but we do need to keep him healthy (laugh).”
(On if Lawrence is endangering himself by finishing head first on runs) “Maybe. So, I guess I
can kind of sympathize based on what did occur last year and I can’t say that. He has never
mentioned that play. So that’s the cool part about it is that he doesn’t even talk about that
as being something that’s in his head or that he thinks about. I mean the guy was running
like a crazy man out there. So, I think he’s just being a football player trying to go play and
compete.”
(On his appreciation of Seahawks QB Sam Darnold’s journey) “Yeah, I have a lot of respect
for Sam. I don’t know him personally, but obviously through Grant [Offensive Coordinator
Grant Udinski] and Kevin [Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell] and then obviously
[Offensive Line Coach] Shaun Sarrett being here, having stories and watching him throw
the football. He is very talented. There’s a reason why he was the top five pick. I remember
all the comebacks that he had at S.C. [University of Southern California] and to see guys—
so much of playing this position, I think in this league is timing and circumstance and
there’s so many talented guys that people end up saying can’t do it or it doesn’t work in that
timing, in that circumstance and now look what has happened to him in his career. Baker
[Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield] and him are on the same team and couldn’t quite play on
that team. So, it’s just time. So much of it is not giving up on these guys and knowing that as
time goes and they accumulate more reps, not just in games but in practice, calling plays,
guys coming from spread systems, no huddle, shotgun, like that whole operation is new.
It’s different, it’s a different mode of operation for those guys. So really cool to see guys like
Sam, continuing to get better as they go throughout their career.”
(On how he evaluates the coverage so far) “Yeah, obviously and Njigba, [Seahawks WR
Jaxon Smith-Njigba] Cooper [Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp], those guys got a lot of respect
for them as well. Sam can put it in tight spots and Njigba’s got great body control and hands
at the point of contact. I think he’s faster than maybe people give him credit for and Cooper
still, the guy that can go and compete with the best of them, he’s going to block his tail off.
He’s still getting open. He’s a great person in that room to have, I think for probably Jaxon
Smith-Njigba, but as well. And they’re not afraid to push the ball down the field. They’re
pushing the ball on the play actions. They’re able to get it down there so, we definitely have
to be better than we were the other night. In terms of, we had some communication errors
in the back end. We did have a few, one-on-one opportunity type plays that we didn’t end
up coming down with but I do have a lot of confidence in those guys back there. What that
looks like from a rotational standpoint, I think we’ll know a little bit more in the next day or
two. I thought Travis [WR/DB Travis Hunter] makes a good play on Kelce [Chiefs TE Travis
Kelce] on the third down. Montaric [CB Montaric Brown] makes a huge deflection on a big-
time play. [CB] Jarrian Jones gets in at the end of the game, makes the tackle at the end, so
all those guys I think are going to continue to play and get reps and opportunities and what
that looks like from a rep count standpoint I think we’ll know a little bit more throughout this
week.”
(On the advantages of having OL Cole Van Lanen as an extra jumbo lineman) “Well,
especially with Brenton now being out a little bit, you’re always trying to look for
opportunities to take something off the tight ends. Like they have so much on their plate
from the pass game and the run game and when you’re trying to get them matched up,
specifically maybe in pass protection or in the run game, you’re trying not to match them up
with a defensive end all the time. And I think that’s probably where the jumbo can come in
and help you just take a couple of those downs, hard downs off of a tight end to where that
matchup is a little bit more favorable for us in ways. So, I think that’s something that we’ll
continue to build off of and it’s great to know that those guys can go in and handle it
mentally because they’re not being tagged as an offensive lineman. And they have to know
the why formationaly and now we try to keep it pretty simple so it’s not multiple per game
plan, but I do think that we can use it more and more as we go.”
(On reports of WR/DB Travis Hunter practice habits) “I have no idea what that is. The only
thing said was just that he practiced a little bit more on defense than offense, so not really
too sure where that’s going.”
(On coaching Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp) “Man, Cooper—I almost named my son Cooper.
So yeah—that’s how much respect I have for him. He has sent me texts throughout my
career, whether I was with the Rams, at Kentucky, in Tampa or here, randomly at different
points of just thinking about you, hope you’re doing great, proud of you. Definitely more
than just a player-coach relationship. I learned so much more from him and like guys like
Matthew [Rams QB Matthew Stafford] and I learned so much more from them than I think I
probably ever could have given them as a coach. I learned so much more from him and
guys like Matthew [Rams QB Matthew Stafford], I learned so much more from them than I
think I probably ever could have given them as a coach. His understanding of all 11 on the
field, his understanding of the run scheme, blocking assignments in the run game, his
understanding of the quarterbacks timing and rhythm, progressions, reads, coverage. He’s
the smartest football player, him and Matthew, that I’ve ever really truly worked with for an
extended period of time. I’ve obviously worked with a lot of really good pros, but I can’t say
enough good things about Cooper and the type of man that he is.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2025
(On if he has a favorite song that has been put to the video of his game-winning touchdown
against Kansas City) “I don’t know if I have a favorite. I’ve seen a couple of the things. Pretty
funny. You’ve got to laugh at yourself. Obviously, it’s funny because there’s a good result
behind it, but yeah, it’s pretty crazy still. But yeah, there’s some good stuff out there.”
(On if he has a favorite nickname for the play) “No. I don’t know. Slip six, that’s a good one.
We’ll go with that.”
(On whether it is difficult to transition from the short week and get ready for a new
opponent) “I mean, that’s part of this league. You’ve got to be able to move on quickly. So,
I’ve had experience with that over the past few years, and I’d say physically, obviously,
playing a Monday night game, it is a quicker turnaround. You lose almost two days. So, it’s
just trying to take care of your bodies and get ready to go because today’s a Wednesday,
and we’ve got to prepare for Seattle, and it’s really less than two days after our game. So
that is always a little bit of a challenge, but everyone has to do it. Everybody plays Monday
night games, so it’s just something that comes with a territory and obviously, we’ve got to
get back as quick as possible and get a great week of preparation in for a really good Seattle
team.”
(On how he feels coming out of the game) “Feel good. Yeah, feel good. I mean, obviously,
you’re a little sore coming out of a hard-fought game like that, that goes down to the end
but feeling really good and like where our team’s at, and we’ve just got to continue to get
better every week. That’s what it’s about, a big win this past week, but now we’re onto the
next week, and it’s still early in the season, and we have a lot more work to do. We’ve got to
just keep getting better.”
(On if the team has taken on the personality of Head Coach Liam Coen) “Yeah. He’s really
brought a lot of energy, and I think the team has for sure taken on some of that and just the
way he carries himself, and you guys see him in the locker room and on the field, on the
sideline. That passion and that energy is contagious, and our team has bought into that. So
yeah, I would definitely say so.”
(On how he decides whether to go headfirst or slide to finish runs) “I think it just depends
on the situation. I think headfirst honestly is safer, based on my past experience, and then
just seeing around the league, I mean, guys get hit like that a lot trying to slide and protect
themselves and end up making it worse. I think also too, you can get a few more yards. So,
depending on the situation, if it’s kind of like dead to rights, there’s nothing there, I’ll go feet
first and just go down when there’s still space. But trying to get a first down, especially on
third down in the open field and trying to get as much as I can, a lot of times will go
headfirst. I feel like it avoids more hits, honestly.”
(On if he has made the plays necessary to win in the fourth quarter this season) “I mean, I
think there is something to be said for it, not just me, I think, just our team making plays
when it matters the most. That’s the way these games are in the NFL. It’s going to come
down to the end of the game most of the time. There are some games that are a little
lopsided, but most of the time it’s a one-score game. So, finding a way to make a play when
you need it, when you have to, in order to win a game, that says a lot about our team, and I
think preparation equates to that a lot of times. Just feeling confident and prepared and
regardless of how the game has gone, being able to move on to the next play is something
that I’ve had to learn throughout my career of, maybe earlier on in my career it’s like some
plays that I wanted back earlier in the game might affect me later in the game, but I’ve just
realized that, at the end of the game, it’s going to come down to a series or two and
whoever makes those plays, whichever team makes those plays is going to win. So, I’ve just
had a lot of experience of being in that situation on the other side of it too, where you don’t
make those plays and you just learn a lot, and I think that’s helping us, and we’ve got to
continue to do it. Like I said, it’s early in the year and we’ve been able to make some of
those, but it’s been cool to see from our team being able to respond.”
(On how it felt to make clutch throws to WR Dyami Brown and WR Brian Thomas Jr.) “Yeah,
it felt good. I took a bad sack earlier in that drive, so to be able to hit those shots down the
field and kind of get us in position to where now we could actually just play regular football
and get back on track was big. And we know that defense is a really good defense, a great
scheme, and in those big moments, they’re going to challenge you, and they’re going to play
some man coverage, and guys got to go win, and our guys did an awesome job of that.
Obviously, BT [WR Brian Thomas Jr.] on the sideline and then Dyami too on the other
sideline. I mean, those are huge plays to set us up and get us in position to where it’s not
just a prayer that we score, we’re actually in territory where we can call normal plays and
kind of move the ball down there.”
(On if he wonders how the team will handle the success) “It doesn’t worry me. No, I mean
obviously it’s something that we do have to handle the right way. We’ve got to know that we
haven’t done anything. I mean, the only thing we’re guaranteed is that we’re going to win
four games this year, which isn’t enough. So, we’ve got a lot more work to do. So, I think the
guys know what the right mindset is, though, and I think guys know that we play a really
good Seattle team this week, and if you’re still thinking about the game we just won, then
that’s a problem. We’ve got to move on. So, I really like our group and how mature we are.
We’ve handled everything well so far, but yeah, we’ve got to continue to do that.”
(On the first moment he noticed Coen’s fire and energy) “The first moment? I mean, I’ve
noticed that ever since he’s been here. Just the energy, the passion. I guess, in-game
moments, I noticed that early on. Whether it was preseason or even just throughout the
season or even in practice through training camp, us talking about different plays, and I
don’t want to say getting into it, but just the competitiveness coming out, and it’s been
cool, just our communication, how our relationship’s grown, and now understanding each
other more and more. I know how he works, he knows how I operate and how I think and
how I carry myself and it’s been cool for our relationship to grow and build and to really be
able to communicate at a high level regardless of all the emotions, all the stuff that
happens throughout games, because there is a lot of that and I think we’ve both been able
to manage it well and it’s getting better.”
(On if his calmness and Coen’s intensity are the perfect balance) “I think it is (laughs). I
wouldn’t use the word crazy. I think the intensity, and I think that’s brought more out of that
from me, to be honest, and the sense of urgency. I think it’s really, he has brought some
more out of that, some more of that out of me, just the way he operates. And I think, I’m a
good balance for him too because I’m usually pretty, I guess, even keel, level headed, don’t
get too high or too low but I think it’s been a good balance of both of that for me and
bringing some more intensity and sense of urgency to our offense because there’s been
times where we need more of that and we’ve got to clean up some of the stuff that has
been hurting us a little bit at the beginning of the season.”
(On what TE Brenton Strange has meant to the offense and the challenges of his going to IR)
“Yeah, he means a lot to our offense, and he is a great player. Really unselfish player, really
does a lot for us. Passing game, running game, screen game, everything. I mean, he’s just
an important piece to our offense, so we’re going to miss him. Obviously, want him to get
healthy as fast as he can and take care of himself, and I know as much as we’re going to
miss him, no one wants to be out there more than him, so hate that for him. We’ve got a
great tight end room that’s going to step up and you’ve seen these guys be able to come in
and make some big plays for us already, so I’ve got a lot of confidence in them. But
obviously, a player like Brenton, you are going to miss him. He’s a really good player for us.”
(On what he looks for when studying the Seattle defense) “Yeah, just what they’ve been
running, he [Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald] has been there for a couple of years,
so we have some good stuff to watch and to look at, and obviously, played against him
when he was in Baltimore too, so have some of that. You don’t have to go too—I don’t know
if you go too far back in the vault for some of that. You don’t want to overload and just watch
everything possible, but there’s plenty to watch, and he is a really good D coordinator. The
defense is playing really well. I think they’re good on all three levels. They do a lot of things
well, get after the quarterback, they’re good against the run, they’re just a solid, well-
coached defense that flies around. So, it’s a challenge for us for sure.”
(On whether the pass rush or the secondary stands out more) “I mean, both. I think when
you—and then especially when you put those things together, you get a pass rush and
secondary that can cover and changes the look on the quarterback and does a lot of
different coverage variations. I think a mixture of those two things makes it hard for an
offense. So, I think obviously the pass rush is kind of where you start and you look at that
and you say, all right, we’ve got to deal with this up front and we’ve got to have a good plan
going in, and I know we will, but it will be a challenge for sure.”
(On the performances of the rookies so far this season) “I just think the way that they
prepare. Those guys are just—Jonah’s [OL Jonah Monheim] in all these meetings with me
and Rob [OL Robert Hainsey] and Nick [QB Nick Mullens] and all the quarterbacks and
protection meetings throughout the week and all this stuff and all the work you put in just
because you never know when your number’s going to be called. And it’s called in the
biggest part of the game for Jonah, and he didn’t flinch, he was ready to go, and our
communication really didn’t change whether it’s him or Rob out there. Obviously, I have a
lot more banked reps with Rob, but Jonah’s in all that stuff with us, so he hears it all, he’s
taking the notes, he is getting the mental reps every day. So, he was ready to go, and that
stuff pays off because you just never know when your number’s going to be called. Same, I
mean, LeQuint [RB LeQuint Allen Jr.] being ready every day. He’s been awesome for us, and
he is really smart and plays the right way, and I love having him out there.”
(On when WR/DB Travis Hunter will score his first touchdown) “Hopefully soon. Hopefully
it’s very soon.”
(On if Hunter is reminding him about scoring) “The right way. I think all good receivers tell
you when they’re open all the time. So, there’s a little bit of that, but I love it. He’s awesome,
the feedback is great, and as a quarterback, I think guys don’t mean anything by that. They
just want to let you know they want the ball. So, I love it, and our relationship keeps just
growing and growing, and just the whole group, I think it’s coming together the right way,
and we still have a lot to improve on and a lot of opportunities that are still out there for us.
So, that’s the great thing, and like you said, I mean, getting him in the end zone, that’ll
happen. So, not too stressed about that, but obviously we want to make that happen.”
(On if he has played with a receiver with Hunter’s energy) “It’s unique. I mean, I think just—
no, not really. He’s definitely unique in the way he plays, the way he carries himself. Just the
energy. I mean, flying around, and then just seeing him out there playing defense too, it’s
kind of unbelievable how he’s able to play that many snaps and still look fresh and still be
running around full speed. I mean, it is impressive. So, that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Then,
to make some of the plays he made on Monday, it’s pretty cool to see. Don’t want his head
to get too big, so I don’t want to give him too much love. But no, he’s a great guy and
handles himself the right way, and it’s been fun to play with him.”
