Pete Carroll doesn’t anticipate locker room issues with Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham scraped with Bruce Irvin in pregame warmups prior to the 2013 NFC playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks.

Defensive end Michael Bennett blasted Graham after the game calling the then-Saints tight end “overrated” after being held to just four catches in two games against Seattle.

Graham will now be joining that locker room after being acquired in a trade with the Saints on Tuesday.

Despite the run-ins with Graham in 2013, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll doesn’t anticipate the incidents causing any problems now that Graham is joining the team.

“I don’t have any thoughts that there will be a problem,” Carroll said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. “I think that’s gamesmanship and guys getting ready to play and all that and that’s all understood.”

Graham was warming up on Seattle’s side of the field prior to the Divisional Round matchup between New Orleans and Seattle in January 2014. Irvin approached Graham and told him to get back on his side of the field.

““He said, I’m Jimmy,” Irvin said at the time of Graham. “I said, who’s Jimmy?”

Irvin then swatted a football from Graham’s hands and punted it across the field as the players had to be separated.

Bennett then spoke his mind on Graham after Seattle’s 23-15 victory. Graham was held to just one catch for eight yards against the Seahawks.

“Because he’s overrated,” Bennett said. “If he doesn’t get a chance to get the ball, that’s all he can really do — he doesn’t help in the blocking game — so I think he’s overrated and I’m not scared to say that on TV.”

Carroll said the team has already spoken with Graham following the trade. Russell Wilson had already reached out about setting up dates to workout before the players are allowed to practice together at the team’s facility as well.

“I know a number of our players have already contacted him and talked to Jimmy and I’m sure that helps him if he ever had any thoughts (about that),” Carroll said.
“We’ve had good visits with him already as well. Yeah, I’m not worried about it a bit. It will be great to have him in here and get him with our guys. I’m sure they’ll get together well before we can start working here at the facility and expect that all of the groundwork for that relationship to begin will start all over again.”


(profootballtalk.com)