SEATTLE -- Jimmy Graham was in the middle of answering a question about what the past week had been like for him when a teammate interrupted from across the locker room.
"It don’t matter!" barked quarterback Russell Wilson. "It don’t matter!"
So Graham decided to incorporate the message into his response.
"I don’t really watch TV, so I didn’t find out about all this until I had my press conference," Graham said. "For me, it don’t matter. When I come in every week and I work, I ignore the distractions. It’s not about that. It’s about these guys in this locker room. It’s about winning. And that’s all I care about."
After a one-catch, two-target outing in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers, there was plenty of talk -- both around Seattle and nationally -- about Graham’s role and his level of frustration. That discussion was tabled for the time being.
Graham’s performance against the Bears was exactly what many had envisioned when the Seahawks acquired him from the Saints in the offseason. He finished with seven catches for 83 yards and a touchdown on eight targets.
The 30-yard score showcased Graham’s talents. He was matched up one-on-one against Bears safety Brock Vereen, created separation on an in-breaking route and broke a tackle at the 13. Two more Bears defenders tried to sandwich Graham at the 2, but when he finally hit the ground, he was in the end zone.
"Russ was real patient in the pocket and really waited for me," Graham said. "He knew it was man-to-man, great strike. Obviously we’re getting better in our connection."
The play had coach Pete Carroll gushing.
"The finish of the play was really cool," Carroll said. "He got out of the tackle and bounced off a guy and knocked it in the end zone. That’s playmaking. That’s a special play right there."
Graham was not the first option on the score. Wilson thought he had wide receiver Doug Baldwin in the flat, but decided to hold it, going through his progressions from right to left until he found Graham.
"He ran a nice in route," Wilson said. "Kind of gave the guy a little juke move at the top of the route and came across the middle and caught the ball and was very physical to the end zone. That’s what we’re looking for."
Chances are there will be games similar to Week 2, when Graham didn't get many looks. But those should be the rare exceptions. The Seahawks’ offense has had stretches in each of the first three weeks when it looks lost -- often in the first half.
Graham can be the answer to some of those dry spells. He said he tells Wilson every day that it doesn't matter. Even if he looks covered, just throw it up there and he’ll make something happen. That’s what Seahawks fans should expect to see more of going forward.
"I didn’t know I was frustrated last week," Graham said. "But just to clarify things, I’m not frustrated at all, because we won. And that’s really all I care about."