RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard pointed the finger at himself when asked about Julio Jones' touchdown last week that led to cornerback Richard Sherman erupting on the sideline.

"Working my hardest to be a better coach because that's really what it comes down to," Richard said. "I'm responsible. I am responsible for that. When things go wrong out there, I'm the first one. I look right into myself to see where I can improve as a coach to make sure our guys will not be put in that position.

"When we get out there, we have to make sure that we see our formations and we execute our assignments, and that's my responsibility."

When Sherman came off the field, he chucked his helmet and engaged in a shouting match with Richard and others before the whole defense tried to calm him down.

"I was surprised, but we have to know that we have to respond better," Richard said, noting that he loves Sherman's passion. "We have to respond better. Everybody hurts in those situations right there. Again, in the light of it, what could I have done better is where I'm going with it.

"I'm very hard on our guys. I'm very hard on them. I coach them hard. And in light of those situations right in there, maybe I need to calm down, just relax, take it all within itself. We all understand and know that nobody wants to harm this defense."

Asked about coaching a player with Sherman's passion and intensity, Richard said, "You do the dance. We do the dance. We understand who he is. We know who he is. We know how much he cares, and that intensity and that chip is what's been able to propel him into the excellence and to that level that he presently sits on right there. Where do we all want to grow from there? It's just understanding that those proper responses in those situations, cooler heads will prevail. So we have to maintain our poise, maintain an excellent level of humility and then continue to play."