NEW YORK -- John Fox and Pete Carroll wrapped up their week of media availability with a joint news conference Friday morning.
As recent tradition dictates, the two coaches answered questions side by side. The lightest moment came when both were asked what they envied in the other team.
"We'd like to have their points. How many did you score, like 800?" Carroll cracked. "That would help out our defense."
Carroll also quipped that he'd like to have Denver's altitude, a surefire boost to the kicking game.
Here's what else we learned from Carroll during Friday's dual-presser:
- The Seahawks coach has been asked all week about his evolution as a coach since being fired by the Patriots and Jets. "That's a long story, with a lot of challenges along the way," said Carroll, who talked about his long run at USC as a stop that allowed him to craft his philosophy and fine-tune his message. "It has been a long journey," he said. "We're very excited that we have a chance to show you (Sunday) what we're all about."
- Carroll called Paul Allen the "perfect" boss, saying the Seahawks owner affords both he and general manager John Schneider extensive freedom to make decisions and the leverage to take risks.
- Carroll and Fox were asked (once again) about the matchup of Denver's top-ranked offense against Seattle's No. 1 defense. After Fox pointed out that Super Bowls often boil down to "the unknown guy in the game," Carroll emphasized that Seattle's offense and Denver's defense -- the game's less-hyped units -- also "want to be part of the narrative."
- Very little news was made, as reporters almost exclusively tossed low-speed softballs. To the credit of both men, Carroll and Fox have done an A-plus job all week, patiently answering every query without exasperation.
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