Pete Carroll: Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas ‘Will Be Fine’ for Super Bowl

With just eight days to go until Super Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks are gearing up for their showdown with the Patriots in the hope of becoming the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since the Pats did it 10 years ago.

And head coach Pete Carroll is optimistic that two of his biggest defensive playmakers – cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas – will be ready to go.

“This was an excellent week for us,” Carroll told the media on Friday. “We did it just the way we wanted to. We practiced as though we were playing a game this week so we got all the installation in as we always do so we’re ready to go. We’re really happy that a lot of guys returned to practice – were in pretty good shape and will go into game week really ready to finish it up in preparation.”

Sherman and Thomas were both injured in the Seahawks’ 28-22 comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC title game. Sherman hurt his left elbow in a collision with teammate Kam Chancellor while trying to tackle Green Bay’s James Starks. He had an MRI on Jan. 19 and was diagnosed with a sprained elbow.

Thomas injured his shoulder in the first half of the game, but missed just four defensive plays and played the entire second half.

“Richard did everything; he took every play this week and looked fine,” Carroll said. “That’s a big statement that Earl’s going to be fine for next week. It’s going to take him all the way until game time – we will keep him from getting banged but he will be fine by game time.”

Thomas did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, but returned on Friday as a limited participant. He is listed as “questionable” for next Sunday’s game.

“It’s really good – really good to get [Thomas] back out,” Carroll said. “He missed a couple days and all the continuity that these guys have shared for so long is not felt when he’s not out there – he’s a great communicator and he sends such a message about the concerns of doing all the things right and all that. He picks everybody up so it was great to have him back.

“It’s over. It’s over, really. It was two days of him being very uncomfortable with the setting and it’s over now. He was back in action and in full flow today.”

Having Sherman and Thomas on the field is key for the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” secondary that has become a force in the NFL over the past two seasons. The two have teamed up for 23 combined tackles in Seattle’s two postseason games, with five passes defended, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.