Seahawks Press Pass

Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Brian Fleury met with the media to discuss preparing for a defense he once worked with, expanding Rashid Shaheed's role in the backfield, and the ongoing right guard rotation. He detailed how spring and training camp groundwork allowed Seattle to call backfield plays for Shaheed with confidence, praised Emanuel Wilson's decisiveness getting downhill, and welcomed Zach Charbonnet back to the practice field. Fleury also credited longtime colleague John Benton and Thomas Hammock for the offense's continuity and run-game detail, while framing the matchup against former co-workers as "just another opponent."

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Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde met with the media ahead of Seattle's matchup with San Francisco, breaking down how the defense plans to handle a quarterback who processes pre-snap and throws on time. He addressed lessons from the two meetings last January, the second-half breakdown and penalties against the Chargers, and the 49ers' added receiving and backfield weapons. Durde also highlighted the early-season development of defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and cornerback Trevon Diggs' solid work in his snaps on Sunday.

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Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold met with the media as the Seahawks prepared for a "really good" 49ers team ahead of Sunday's matchup. He broke down why San Francisco leads the league in limiting explosive plays, explained his approach of staying on schedule rather than hunting big plays, and discussed his collaboration with Offensive Coordinator Brian Fleury on the game plan. Darnold also praised teammates Emanuel Wilson, Rashid Shaheed, Zach Charbonnet and Nick Emmanwori, credited Head Coach Mike Macdonald's situational practice work for Seattle's late-game comebacks, and said he must do a better job protecting the football.

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Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV met with media ahead of Sunday's NFC West matchup against a 4-0 San Francisco team, downplaying rivalry and revenge narratives in favor of execution. He broke down the 49ers' athletic playmakers and decisive quarterback, detailed the players-only conversation he initiated after Sunday's penalty issues, and pointed to communication and checks as the defense's biggest focal point in what should be a loud game. He also praised fellow linebacker Drake Thomas and the mentality he tries to instill on the sideline.

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Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed met with media to discuss taking carries out of the backfield in last week's game, a wrinkle the offense had worked toward for weeks. He credited the blocking of fellow receivers Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba for his touchdown, traced his running back background through high school and his first years at Weber State, and explained how Offensive Coordinator Brian Fleury's vision for receivers in the backfield stresses defenses. He also addressed Smith-Njigba's role in the passing game, how he evaluates his own season, and his decision-making on punt returns.

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Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald met with media to preview Seattle's matchup with San Francisco and update the roster. He praised new running back Robert Henry Jr.'s vision and burst, called defending the 49ers' efficient, explosive offense "an 11, 12-man job," and said the fix for third-down struggles is attacking the process together. He also offered availability notes on Leonard Williams, Irv Charles and Ty Okada and credited Offensive Coordinator Brian Fleury for his steadiness through early injuries.

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Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp met with the media to preview the matchup with San Francisco and assess Seattle's offense a quarter of the way through the season. He broke down how the 49ers limit explosive plays by rarely blitzing and dropping seven or eight into coverage, and explained that beating that approach comes down to executing assignments, understanding where the space is, and reading and reacting. Kupp also praised teammates Rashid Shaheed and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, offensive coordinator Brian Fleury and head coach Mike Macdonald, while stressing that the offense has plenty of potential but must cut down mistakes and string drives together.

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Seahawks defensive end Jarran Reed met with reporters ahead of Seattle's Week 5 matchup with San Francisco, detailing how the defensive front plans to handle the 49ers' misdirection-heavy run game and a mobile quarterback. He also confirmed the defense held a players-only meeting on Monday, led by veterans including Ernest Jones IV, Leonard Williams and Julian Love, to clean up avoidable personal fouls without sacrificing the group's physicality. Reed closed by praising the emergence of defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and the versatility of safety Nick Emmanwori.

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Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald met with media following the team's latest game and ahead of a matchup with San Francisco. He emphasized the red zone as a focus area, praised the effectiveness of the run game and downfield blocking, and addressed the defense's penalties as a byproduct of playing on the edge. He also provided availability updates on several players, including Ty Okada, Irv Charles and Zach Charbonnet's return-to-play progression.

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Head coach Mike Macdonald met with the media to reflect on a 3-1 start he called something he's "very grateful" for, while making clear the Seahawks are not yet playing to their own standard. He praised the run game and a defense that stayed together to finish, but drew a hard line on seven personal foul penalties he called "unacceptable on any level," promising to address ball security and discipline over the next 24 to 48 hours. He also offered updates on Sam Darnold's toughness behind too many quarterback hits and availability notes on several players heading into the coming week.

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