It’s encouraging that the players who’ve stood out so far in this modified college football season are mostly defensive linemen.
I’m just not sure how many are going to last deep into the second round.
Patrick Jones (EDGE, Pittsburgh) and Alim McNeill (DT, NC State) have the potential to shoot into the top-50 given time. Later on I’ll discuss Georgia’s rising star Azeez Ojulari. Vanderbilt’s Dayo Odeyingbo is heading the same way. He’s a good combine away from solidly being a first round pick.
He was impressive at the weekend against South Carolina, even in a heavy defeat, with two sacks, 1.5 TFL’s and three quarterback hurries.
His first sack came early in the game when he lined up inside on 3rd and 10. His primary opponent is the right guard but he makes sure to shove the tackle out of the way first, then drove the guard into the pocket and disengaged with a brutal spin move to reach the quarterback.
Technique, physicality, athleticism — it was all on show.
The second sack was a little more fortunate. He attacked the left tackle, who engaged him as he attempted to rush the edge. Then as Odeyingbo countered inside, the tackle was off balance and facing the wrong way. He couldn’t turn back and the quarterback was hammered. Kudos to Odeyingbo for the counter but it was poor technique from the left tackle. He’s got to do a better job squaring up.
A former four-star recruit, his athletic ability leaps off the screen. He’s listed at 6-6, 276lbs and he cuts an imposing figure off the edge or when he moves inside. Yet despite the huge size, he still flashes genuine speed-rush potential.
Against Tennessee last year he had a snap where he attacks the left tackle from a speed rush position and just dips around the attempted block with supreme balance and agility. It looked a lot like Darrell Taylor at his best. The left tackle had no answer.
With his size and length they line him up inside a lot. Even against LSU’s uber-talented O-line from last year, he ploughs his way through blockers and just won’t be denied. He shows off brute force, keeps his legs moving and simply powers his way into the backfield. There’s nothing subtle here. He’s simply bigger, stronger and longer than the players trying to block him and when he gains separation he has the athletic qualities to finish.
Look at his pursuit against Joe Burrow to force one of the few interceptions Burrow had last year:
Look how easily Odeyingbo works in space despite his size. He’s not a stiff power-end. He can handle an option off the edge, read-and-react and pursue.
It’s incredible given his frame:
He’s long limbed but with a big, powerful upper body. He’s so agile and quick that he can engage and control blockers while working to stretch out runs and set the edge.
I’ve seen him throw off blockers with disdain, win from the interior with get-off, explode off the edge with a speed rush and bully tackles in the running game.
For me he’s everything you want in a defensive end. He can play any scheme, any situation. For all the hype you see from national pundits about a lot of other college prospects — for me you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone more impressive at defensive end than Odeyingbo. He warrants serious consideration as one of the top college prospects.
Along with Pittsburgh’s Jones (who dominated again against Boston College at the weekend with three sacks) and McNeill at NC State these are three names to monitor closely for the rest of the year.
Other notes
— I listed Liam Eichenberg (T, Notre Dame) in my summer watchlist but keep an eye on left guard Aaron Banks too. The pair were fantastic against Florida State on Saturday. Banks is 6-5 and 330lbs and incredibly powerful. They rotate between guard and tackle — a compliment to Banks’ athletic qualities. Against FSU there were a couple of occasions where he slammed defenders to the ground when lined up at left guard. He’s Seattle’s type of LG — basically, he’s massive. As we’re looking for names who might be available on day two — he is one to keep an eye on. The success of Damien Lewis can be repeated and Banks is one to watch.
— I watched Georgia against Auburn and Tennessee and Azeez Ojulari was the player who stood out the most. He’s really unrefined as a pass rusher and looks light. He’s modestly sized and he needs to develop a repertoire of moves to punctuate his athleticism. However — he does flash some big moments and shows off outstanding potential. He ran a 4.32 short shuttle and SPARQ and jumped a 40 inch vertical so he has an outstanding profile worthy of the early rounds. Against Auburn he rounded the arc nicely and was held on a fourth and 10, yet still created enough pressure to force an interception. He also attacked the B gap from the right side to plough his way into the backfield for a sack using pure power. Against Tennessee he beautifully attacked the right edge showing supreme balance and lean, then straightened to hammer the quarterback and force a sack/fumble which he recovered himself.
— It’s going to be interesting to see where Najee Harris (RB, Alabama) eventually lands in terms of stock. He’s listed at 6-2 and 230lbs which is taller than ideal for the position. He also carries his weight in quite a compact frame. Yet he’s such a playmaker who runs with toughness, physicality and he finishes. Against Ole Miss he flashed breakaway speed, the ability to run through tackles and he beautifully complemented Alabama’s passing game. He scored five touchdowns, ran for 206 yards on 23 carries and had three catches for 42 yards. It’s worth noting that neither defense played well in the game. Harris was charged with a joke of a fumble on the goal line on a play that should’ve been blown dead. He only ran a 4.66 at SPARQ and jumped a 32-inch vertical. His short shuttle was a 4.16. He might not have the profile to go early, even if he has the name recognition, but he will provide value if he lasts into day two.
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Yesterday’s article was about enjoying the win. Now it’s time for a more considered review of what we saw last night (while also looking ahead).
I have some draft notes written to share later in the week and we’ll do another podcast too, so stay tuned.
This was like the Niners game in week 17 last season
It’s funny how eerily similar the two games were. The final score in the Vikings game was 27-26 with the Seahawks scoring a late touchdown on fourth and goal to win. Against the Niners, the final score would’ve also been 27-26 had Jacob Hollister not come up a few inches short.
It was also true that Seattle were majorly second best for the vast majority of that de facto NFC West Championship game and only some late magic from Russell Wilson gave them a chance, after the defense — which had struggled — finally got a much needed stop.
Similarly, the Seahawks were outplayed for much of Sunday’s game yet the defense got a stop at a vital moment and enabled Wilson to perform.
Thankfully this time the Seahawks had a happier ending.
Have they reigned back the tempo?
One of the striking things about Seattle’s offense in weeks 1-3 was the way they got after opponents with quick tempo. They’d throw in a two-minute drill early in games. Teams weren’t being allowed to substitute, there were blown coverages and the sheer pace of Seattle’s offense caused problems.
In the last two games it feels different.
I wondered on the podcast last night whether it was tied to the defense. They’ve played a much more conservative style — a major departure from the blitz-heavy approach in the first three games.
Are the two linked? Are they concerned about leaving the defense on the field for long drives and then going too quickly on offense, potentially gassing the unit if things don’t work?
I’m not sure it made much difference last night seeing as many of Seattle’s drives were over in no time at all — tempo or no tempo. There did seem to be a noticeable lack of quickness though. It never felt like they had the Vikings on their heels. That might be just because they were getting whipped in the trenches.
Thoughts on Mike Zimmer going for it
It’s a fascinating discussion. The Vikings basically needed half a yard to end the game, having run for 201 yards already. Yet by going for it on fourth down instead of kicking the field goal for an eight point lead, Minnesota introduced the only possibility for a potential MVP candidate to win the game in regulation (and he did).
I’m not a fan of ‘win probability’ and the reputation it seems to be earning in the NFL.
Immediately after the failed fourth down conversion, NBC highlighted the numbers that possibly figured into Minnesota’s thinking. Sure enough — the analytics weighed favourably for going for it based on ‘win probability’.
Yet how do you truly measure this? For example — the Seahawks had a good idea, based on Minnesota’s approach so far, that they were going to try and run for a first down. How much does that impact the Vikings’ ability to convert?
And is trying to get half a yard on a run play when the opponent is expecting a run really that much more beneficial than having the comfort of an eight point lead and your opponent needing a 75-yard drive for a touchdown in less than two minutes, plus a two-point conversion, simply to take the game to overtime?
I’m sure, however, a compelling case could make to counter this. After all — get half a yard and the ball never returns to Russell Wilson. The game is over. You’ve been able to exert your authority throughout and the run game dominated. And if you don’t make it — the opponent still has to drive 94-yards to win the game.
It’s a fascinating debate on situational football.
What can they do on defense?
Last week I suggested a more conservative defensive scheme suited the Seahawks and they should proceed with less blitzing. I was wrong to frame it in such basic terms.
Blitzing 36% of the time (as they did in weeks 1-3) isn’t necessarily the answer but neither is the alternative as we witnessed on Sunday night.
The blitzing led to them giving up 430.7 passing yards per game, conceding the most explosive plays in the NFL and it was an ill-fit for a team that has traditionally rushed with four to allow the second and third level defenders to stick to their jobs.
Yesterday showed what can happen when they don’t bring a lot of heat. Long, sustained drives, an inability to get off the field, ceding control to the opponent. 31 first downs, 449 total yards and a time of possession advantage of 39:28 versus 20:32. They were badly outplayed and the lack of ‘explosive plays’ didn’t really have any more or less impact.
They desperately had to make Ryan Neal the designated pass rusher (aka the Jamal Adams role) with Neal blitzing to try and make up for a lack of pressure.
The Seahawks aren’t equipped to suddenly pivot to being a Gregg Williams defense but they don’t have the pieces to rush with four and sit in coverage like they used to.
Short of getting better players, it’s hard to know what the solution is.
It’s certainly not just bringing in Dan Quinn — who was fired because his Atlanta defense is as bad as Seattle’s if not worse.
Is this sustainable?
Pete Carroll has avoided serious questions about roster construction because his team keeps winning. Had they lost to Minnesota, especially given the Vikings’ dominance in the trenches, those questions surely would’ve been asked?
Instead that challenge is likely to be parked again in favour of a more generous line of questioning. Yet the issue as to whether this is sustainable warrants raising and it also deserves a proper answer.
So far the defense has clung on by its fingertips and — despite all the flaws — they’ve somehow found a way to still deliver huge, decisive stops and big turnovers.
Ultimately going 5-0 isn’t the target. It’s to win the NFC West and then be in a better position to win playoff games. A handsome, unbeaten start will offer a warm glow going into the bye week — but it won’t offer much comfort if they play like this again in January or face the same fate they have over the last five years — not winning the NFC West and exiting the playoffs in the first two rounds.
Many fans won’t want to worry about the defense given the team is unbeaten. That’s absolutely fine, as I’ve always said. Those fans should also offer the same courtesy to those who do want to talk about what is clearly a struggling unit.
Seattle’s defense has allowed 2,356 yards this season. That’s not just the most in the NFL this year, it’s a record pace: At their current pace of allowing 471 yards a game, the Seahawks would allow 7,539 yards in a 16-game season. That’s by far the worst ever.
Only one team in NFL history has allowed 7,000 yards in a season: The 2012 Saints, who allowed 7,042 yards.
Even at 5-0, you can’t just dismiss this. You can choose to focus on the wins and roll with the tide of positivity. This shouldn’t be ignored or undermined though. The Seahawks have done an awful job constructing their defense since 2018 with the 2020 off-season simply being the pièce de résistance. That warrants some push back.
It was hard to watch the Vikings kick Seattle’s arse in the trenches on both sides of the ball, dominate to the extent they did and think this is a Super Bowl team.
Had the Seahawks not pulled off a miraculous win to be enjoyed and savoured throughout the bye — the mood would be very different today. Seattle would be 4-1 and not 5-0 — not a massive difference. Yet the stark reality of where this team is would be clear for all to see. It was men against boys at times last night.
We’re in the exact same spot as a year ago. The Seahawks will win games because the quarterback is so exceptional and so is the culture and spirit within this team. The next reality check, though, will always be round the corner. Last year it was New Orleans, Baltimore, LA and Arizona. This year it starts with Minnesota — even if the result, thankfully, ended differently.
The construction of the roster still needs to be asked about
Carroll isn’t afraid to tackle the subject of his defense. His best answers in the last couple of weeks have been on challenges regarding the unit. The question of sustainability warrants asking — as does the first serious question on how his stated desire to ‘fix the pass rush’ led to them spending over $50m in free agency, using a first, second and third round pick on two defenders with their top-two selections and trading two more firsts, a third and a player for Jamal Adams. All while they’re paying the likes of Bobby Wagner $18m. Yet the defense is so problematic.
How did the plan and the investment lead to this? Especially when the clear priority was to upgrade this year when instead they’ve actually regressed.
Yannick Ngakoue got his fifth sack of the season last night having cost the Vikings a second round pick plus a conditional pick. He took a significant pay-cut to join Minnesota.
How did the Seahawks completely miss out on finding value like that to fix their greatest need? Why didn’t they make sure, given the huge resources they had at their disposal, that they landed someone like Calais Campbell to anchor their D-line (and before anyone repeats the fake news that he hand-picked the Ravens — he’s already said that wasn’t the case).
How have they gone from having Frank Clark and Jadeveon Clowney, losing both, and are now left relying on Benson Mayowa as their premier pass rusher?
This still needs to be asked. A proper answer still needs to be heard — now more than ever with the defense toiling as it is.
And perhaps more importantly — what can they do to fix things other than hope that Snacks Harrison has a Peloton bike at home?
The run defense is proven to be a mirage
In searching for positives, the media and fans latched onto Seattle’s ability to defend the run. Yet it was always a massive red herring.
Opponents simply weren’t running against the Seahawks. They didn’t need to. They could throw for over 400 yards. Seattle, in fairness, also did a good job exerting scoreboard pressure in the first three weeks to further guide teams towards a pass-centric plan.
The numbers, therefore, ended up looking better than they actually were. In reality, teams were only giving their running backs about 10-15 carries a game. Nobody threatened Seattle with a sustained running attack until last night.
Miami running backs only carried the ball 15 times in week four. Myles Gaskin managed 40 yards on his ten carries. In the first three weeks, teams only attempted to run against the Seahawks 67 times. This included a combined 18 runs by Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Dak Prescott — most of which were clear short yardage situations or scrambles.
Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott ran only 14 times against the Seahawks. Three of those runs came on one drive on first and goal (one from the five-yard line and two from the one-yard line, leading to a touchdown). A further carry came on fourth and 1 (converted) and another carry came on 2nd and 1.
The difference on Sunday couldn’t be any clearer.
The Vikings ran for 201 yards despite losing Dalvin Cook for half the game. Both Cook and #2 running back Alexander Mattison combined for 37 carries between them. Minnesota averaged 4.9 YPC.
It was the first game where the run defense was seriously tested and it offered no resistance.
Essentially the Seahawks are in a bind with this defense. Teams are going to get their 400-500 yards. How they go about it will depend on personal preference and whether or not the Seahawks are able to get ahead in games.
I sense the front office knew the run defense was a mirage already. Why else do you bring in Snacks Harrison?
On the plus side…
K.J. Wright is playing superbly. At this rate, it can’t be his final year in Seattle.
Damontre Moore played his tail off yesterday and deserves a lot of credit.
Benson Mayowa is doing his best in a difficult situation. He should’ve never been placed in the position of needing to be Seattle’s premier pass rusher. He’s a very good complementary, rotational defensive end. Even so — he made some big plays in the last two games.
Nobody can question the spirit of the defensive unit. They are giving everything to the cause. They are simply short of blue chip, impact players.
Some thoughts on the trade market
We’ve spent a lot of time discussing the problem several teams are facing in 2021. With the NFL economy in flux due to Covid-19, the cap is likely to fall into the $176m range.
According to OTC, that would put 12 teams over the cap for 2021 as things stand.
Some of the teams will be able to manage this with a few choice cuts prior to the new league year starting. For example, the Bills are $4.7m over the 2021 cap. That’s manageable.
Other teams are in serious bother. The Saints are an estimated $82m over the cap, the Eagles are $73m over and the Falcons are $37m over.
The Saints and Eagles will feel they’re still in the playoff hunt so it’s not clear how they plan to address this. They can’t wait until the new league year begins because most or all of the dead money that exists would come off the books in 2021 — thus limiting their ability to reduce their spending.
The best thing to do would be to trade or cut players this year, eat dead money in 2020 and take big contracts that are due in 2021 off the books.
Yet if the Saints or Eagles do that — how can they seriously sell to their fans that they are trying to win in 2020? For the Saints this is especially vital, given it’s Drew Brees’ final season before retirement.
The Falcons are in a very different situation. They have fired their coach and their GM. They are 0-5. It would make sense to clear some money for next year — if for no other reason but to make the job more appealing to prospective GM and Head Coaching candidates.
Forcing a new regime to work with a group of players who are failing won’t be appealing. Neither will inheriting a $37m black hole in the cap for 2021.
They need a rebuild.
I’m not a cap expert but Over the Cap has a system whereby you can calculate savings based on players being traded ‘post June 1st’. This would allow them to spread the dead money out, making small but necessary savings over time.
I’m not sure they have much choice. The only other answer is running through a whole host of restructures, kicking their cap problems down the road.
They can’t deal Matt Ryan — his contract provides minimal savings and will cost an absolute fortune. They possibly can look at trying to make savings down the road for Grady Jarrett and Dante Fowler. They might have to look at trading Julio Jones.
It might even be a buyers market given their situation.
If you missed the instant reaction podcast, don’t forget to check it out:
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There will come a time when it isn’t like this. It may even be more relaxing, especially when you’ve stayed up until 4:30am to watch a game.
Yet for now, let’s take it. Embrace it. Enjoy it — if possible.
This crazy decade of extreme highs and heartbreaking lows. Just when you think you’ve seen it all — something else happens.
The Seahawks got their arses kicked tonight. The Vikings marched into Seattle and beat them up.
They set a new record for drives with 10 or more plays. They had 31 first downs, 449 total yards, a time of possession advantage of 39:28 versus 20:32. They ran the ball for 201 yards despite only having Dalvin Cook for a half.
The Seahawks were blown away in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They basically had one minute and 46 seconds of the game at the start of the second half and the rest, until the final drive, belonged to Minnesota.
Seattle didn’t convert a single third down (0-7). Russell Wilson played like he often does in the rain. The Seahawks started slow, in the season where they’ve started fast.
They were out-coached, lacked energy in the first half and looked like they were searching for an umbrella rather than a ball-carrier.
Yet somehow Wilson summoned something to drag Seattle into the winners enclosure. A hopeful heave downfield, completed on fourth down to D.K. Metcalf. He scrambled to avoid pressure. He rediscovered Tyler Lockett. Another throw to Metcalf in the end zone for the go-ahead score with the game on the line, moments after one slipped through his grasp.
A win.
A MVP statement.
On an off-night, with everything going wrong, Wilson delivered in Prime Time.
That, along with the mad one minute and 46 seconds at the start of the third quarter, was unbelievably enough to go to 5-0.
This is the ideal time for the bye week because let’s not kid ourselves, this is a team with massive flaws that need to be fixed because they might not be so fortunate down the line.
For tonight though — let’s enjoy Metcalf’s two touchdowns, K.J. Wright’s interception, the fourth down stop delivered by Cody Barton (of all people) and Bobby Wagner at the end that ended up being so critical and the turnovers of Kirk Cousins.
The defense is terrible but somehow they keep making big plays in big moments.
We can worry if it’s sustainable or not tomorrow.
This was one for the collection. Another ending you couldn’t even begin to imagine.
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It’s not often you find players with the size, proportioned body weight and ability to drop the anchor as a nose tackle with the elite athleticism to work openings in the pass rush and move across the line to present attacking opportunities from different positions.
NC State’s Alim McNeil is a rare find.
I watched him against Virginia today and it was an exciting experience. Not just because he managed to tip a pass into the air, catch it himself and then run it back (while breaking a tackle) for an 18-yard touchdown.
He’s listed at 6-2 and 320lbs. You can load him up inside and he can handle blockers to control the running game. Double teams can’t shift him. Against Virginia he dominated with NC State giving up just 63 yards on 26 carries (2.4 YPC) until late in the fourth quarter and the game was over.
That’s not the exciting bit though. You can always find big, powerful nose tackles. It’s the athleticism that goes with it that is exceptional.
I’ve not see many men his size move with the freedom he does. He has a first round athletic profile.
At SPARQ he ran a fantastic 4.96 forty and then, unbelievably, followed it up with a 4.27 short shuttle. To put that into perspective, Joey Bosa ran a 4.21 at his combine. Montez Sweat ran a 4.29. Bradley Chubb ran a 4.41. Malik McDowell ran a 4.53.
Players with his size simply don’t possess his level of agility.
He’s also highly explosive — jumping a 34-inch vertical.
If he gets anywhere near these numbers at the combine — there’s a distinct possibility he will fly up draft boards.
Watching him today and on tape from other games is a real treat. His ability to shift across the line has to be seen to be believed. He’s like a stunting EDGE. He has complete control of his feet and he uses minimal steps to work to openings and explode into the backfield. When he engages at the LOS he drives defenders deep into the pocket with power. He locks on and finishes. He’ll take a center for a ride and bull rush to the QB.
McNeill has a terrific swim move to break free from initial contact. You can line him up at the five technique to attack the B gap. He’s just too slippery, too quick — yet with the frame of a bulldozing defensive tackle. It catches blockers off guard.
Incredibly he has minimal bad weight. He’s a big dude — but he looks in fantastic shape. There’s amazing definition in his arms and he isn’t carrying a big gut. Dare I say — he almost looks a little bit like Aaron Donald at times. He’s compact, explosive, cat-quick and put-together. He blows up the interior the same way Donald did at Pittsburgh too.
Yet you can also use him on early downs to control the interior running game:
Let me be clear — he isn’t Donald. Nobody is. It’s just very unusual to see a complete defensive tackle with the power, size and control McNeill possesses combined with unique agility.
I’ve not been this excited about a defensive tackle in a long time. If he continues to play like he did today against Virginia and if he tests as well as expected at the combine, I doubt Seattle will have much of a chance at drafting him. Yet he’s amazingly talented and worth keeping an eye on just in case. He could be a big riser over the coming weeks.
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Before getting into this weeks advanced stats review, check out our latest podcast previewing Sunday Night Football…
Advanced stats review for week four
It was very evident that Seattle blitzed a lot less in Miami and that shows up in their blitz percentage for the season — which has dropped to 30.2% from 36% last week.
It’s also clear that Seattle is essentially stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of trying to create sacks. They know they don’t have anyone on the D-line they can rely on to win 1v1. The pass rush has never looked this weak. As a consequence, they’ve had to blitz a lot to try and manufacture pressure.
That in turn led to a ton of explosive plays and yards being conceded. Seattle remains #2 in the NFL for explosive plays given up (20) behind only the hapless Atlanta Falcons (21). They have given up 1604 passing yards which is still easily first in the league. The second placed team, Atlanta, have conceded 1366 yards.
Seattle has given up 1111 air yards, the most in the NFL. Second placed Cleveland have given up 813. The Seahawks have given up 609 yards after the catch — third most in the league behind only Arizona and Las Vegas.
The Seahawks are also conceding 7.8 yards per pass attempt.
So they reigned things back against the Dolphins. The blitzing was replaced by a much more conservative approach which clearly suited the second level defenders. The big question now is — how do they create pressure playing this way?
Even taking the Miami game into consideration, the Seahawks have blitzed 65 times this season — third most in the league behind only Baltimore and Buffalo and level with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh.
Despite missing the Miami game, Jamal Adams (31) remains the fourth most blitzed player in the league behind only Alexander Johnson, Shaquil Barrett and Matt Judon.
Bobby Wagner has blitzed 21 times — 20th most among all players.
The blitzing enables Seattle to lead the NFL in QB knockdowns (20) and their knockdown percentage of 10% is ninth best in the league.
They have 21 TFL’s so far — sixth highest in the league. Jamal Adams, Alton Robinson and Poona Ford have three TFL’s. K.J. Wright and Benson Mayowa have two. Bobby Wagner, Ugo Amadi, Quinton Dunbar, Lano Hill, Bruce Irvin, L.J. Collier, Bryan Mone and Anthony Rush have one each.
Unsurprisingly the heaviest blitzers — Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay — lead this category with the lowly Jets having the same number as Seattle. Again, as we’ve discussed, blitzing clearly manufactures production in the way of pressures, QB hits and TFL’s. The key to whether you’re succeeding doing it is sack percentage and that’s where Seattle is struggling because they don’t have a proper starting DE on the roster.
The Seahawks have only six sacks in four games. Only five teams have fewer sacks (Detroit, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Las Vegas, Carolina). Despite blitzing so much, their pressure percentage is 20.5% — just outside the bottom third in the league.
Seattle’s sack percentage dropped from 3.1% to 2.9% after the Miami game. It’s now the second worst mark in the league behind only Carolina (2.0%). That’s the statistic, in my opinion, that is the most concerning for this team.
Snacks Harrison, who is joining Seattle’s practise squad and will eventually be added to the 53-man roster, is not going to make a jot of difference in terms of sacks. He has just 11 sacks in his eight-year career. He’s a run-stuffing, classic nose tackle.
Their ability to find someone — anyone — who can win off the edge in 1v1 situations is the key to the Seahawks truly elevating their defensive performance. I still think they should be aggressive in the trade market to solve this problem.
Pull this off and we could easily see a rapid improvement. Clearly some things are working. Their turnover percentage is 17.8% — the fifth best mark in the league. That’s likely why the Seahawks are ranked 21st on defense per DVOA (and not lower). Add a pass rusher and who knows what they could achieve?
The Dolphins carried on the trend of opponents not running against the Seahawks. People have put this down to ‘great run defense’ but it’s more a result of scoreboard pressure and Seattle’s inability to defend the pass.
Miami running backs only carried the ball 15 times on Sunday. Myles Gaskin managed 40 yards on his ten carries.
As a consequence of this performance, where the Seahawks gave up 103 rushing yards, their expected points contributed by the rushing defense dropped from around three points to -0.97.
Seattle’s passing defense has an expected points contributed tally of -50.09 — sixth worst in the league behind Atlanta, Jacksonville, the Jets, New Orleans and Dallas.
A lot of people seem to want Dan Quinn back in Seattle if he’s fired by the Falcons. His defense has an expected points contributed by the pass-defense of -76.46 — by far the worst record in the league in this category. You might also notice that Quinn’s defense is among the worst across the board in most categories and he’s leading an 0-4 team.
Shaquill Griffin has been targeted 36 times this season, second most in the league. He’s given up the second most completions (24). Tre Flowers has given up 23 completions despite only starting two games. Griffin has given up the most yards in the NFL (348) and Flowers is third on the list (290).
The Seahawks have only missed 19 tackles so far — a big improvement on last season. That’s the third best tally in the NFL.
It’s well known that Seattle’s special teams is excelling. The Seahawks force their opponents on average to start drives on the 21-yard line. That’s the best record in the league and a credit to the punting of Michael Dickson and the kick-coverage.
Roster moves
On top of Snacks Harrison joining the practise squad, the Seahawks also added Jonathan Bullard to their 53-man roster (with Neiko Thorpe heading to IR).
Bullard was a highly rated prospect in 2016 who somewhat unexpectedly fell to round three. After an underwhelming period in Chicago he had a year with the Cardinals and was recently on their practise squad.
His main issue was size. His best position was operating as an interior disruptor yet at 285lbs he wasn’t going to be able to play early downs. Yet equally he lacked the length and profile to play as a defensive end who kicks inside.
He does have a desirable profile though with 33.5 inch arms, a 1.65 10-yard split, a 4.56 short shuttle and a 9-8 broad jump. He’s explosive and aggressive and had a superb highlights reel at Florida.
The Seahawks might utilise him as a specialist interior rusher. They could also have him offer some depth at the five-technique seeing as Rasheem Green is still out. It’s an interesting addition.
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I had an opportunity to watch most of the Rams vs Giants game on Sunday and suddenly got a great sense of déjà vu.
Los Angeles only managed 240 total yards on offense — the worst performance since Sean McVay was appointed Head Coach.
They stuttered and stalled and simply couldn’t move the ball.
If it wasn’t for bad mistakes by the New York offense and a blown coverage on a 55-yard touchdown to Cooper Kupp — the Rams would’ve lost and would’ve barely reached double figures in points.
It felt a lot like Super Bowl LIII.
On that night the Patriots held the Rams to 260 total yards and three points — despite LA dominating the league for the entire regular season with a prolific, unstoppable offense.
So what’s the consistent feature here?
Bill Belichick’s plan.
The Patriots had two weeks to prepare for the Super Bowl and cooked up a scheme that could possibly be Belichick’s greatest coaching achievement. Holding McVay’s Rams to three points was incredible.
He tackled LA’s endless misdirection and desire to reach the perimeter by installing athletic players up at the line of scrimmage with the ability to operate in space once they’d diagnosed the play and fly to the ball carrier.
In order to defend the Rams’ deadly outside-zone running game, Belichick played the exact same front. He played a four-man defensive line but flanked it with Patrick Chung and Donta Hightower, creating a six-man surface for the Patriots defense. The Rams weren’t going to get an on edge on this front.
Los Angeles, which ran outside zone more than any other team in the league, ran it just three times against New England. That’s why we saw so little of Todd Gurley, who lost snaps to C.J. Anderson for the second game in a row.
Throwing out the six-man line served its purpose … just like it did when Belichick used the same exact front the slow down the Bears in the 1990 playoffs. Chicago finished that season second in the league in rushing. Against Belichick’s surprise six-man front, the Bears managed only 27 rushing yards on 16 attempts. Nearly three decades later, the strategy worked again, holding a Rams run game that finished third in rushing to 62 yards.
Fast forward nearly three years and here’s a New York Giants team led by Joe Judge — a long time Patriots special teams coordinator — enjoying the same success.
How many rushing yards did the Giants give up against the Rams on Sunday?
58 yards on 23 attempts for an average of 2.5 per attempt.
It worked again.
They’ve found the secret formula to limit the Rams.
Let’s compare this to Seattle’s performance against the same offense. In the last five games between the teams, LA scored 42, 33, 36, 29 and 28 points.
Here’s the total offensive yardage conceded in each game:
Pete Carroll put together the bulk of his current staff in 2018. It was the start of the re-set with a number of high-profile players and coaches departing.
The Seahawks had completely lost their identity and in an attempt to regain control, Carroll appointed familiar faces and people who would run his system.
It was the right thing to do at the time. Seattle recaptured its identity, avoided a huge downturn in results despite the siphoning of talent and quickly got back on track.
Now that they’re three years in it might be time for a rejig. Arguably, they could do with some outsiders to come in and offer new ideas.
It’s not unfair to contemplate the possibility of big changes to the defensive staff at the end of the season. The poor results so far aren’t entirely the fault of the staff — many of Seattle’s issues on defense are down to personnel and team building decisions.
Nevertheless, it seems somewhat likely there will be some moves in the off-season.
It might not be a bad idea to find someone who is currently with the Patriots in some capacity or was part of the staff in 2018 and give them a job.
Belichick’s defense is different to Carroll’s. Sometimes though, you need to steal an idea or two. A new voice can be a good thing.
In 2017 Paul Allen asked Carroll and John Schneider to appoint an outsider in an advisory capacity. Allen wanted to find ways to challenge his GM and Head Coach, to present a new perspective.
Mike Pettine, now the defensive coordinator in Green Bay, was brought in. Pettine’s background is not in the 4-3 under but he spent a year as a consultant in Seattle.
Who knows how Carroll felt about that plan or whether he saw any worth in it? He hasn’t made a similar appointment since.
However — it’s hard not to observe the success New England and New York have had against the Rams being led by the same connected coaching tissue.
One of the main reasons the Seahawks have only won the NFC West once in the last five years is because of the way they play the Rams. Perhaps this year will be different? Regardless — if there are coaching changes in the summer, it might not be the worst idea in the world to identify someone with experience of the plan that has stymied the Rams twice to see if you can bring that same impact to Seattle.
The Seahawks are meeting with an old friend
Snacks Harrison isn’t the only player coming in for a visit this week. It’s been revealed that Mychal Kendricks is too.
This would be a smart addition for the Seahawks.
Kendricks was put in a difficult position in 2019. With the defense operating mostly in base, he was tasked with playing a lot of coverage and trying to offer some pass rush from the SAM position.
Pete Carroll regularly referred to his 4.47 forty at the 2012 combine to justify the move. While he’s certainly still a good athlete, the chances are he’s lost some speed since then.
Nickel cornerback is one of the toughest positions to play in the modern NFL. Having to take on some of those duties as a 240lbs linebacker is a thankless task. His play suffered, he missed 21.1% of his tackles and then he picked up a serious injury.
With the Seahawks moving away from base, he would be the ideal rotational linebacker.
As a pass rusher he graded well last year — receiving a 75.3 grade from PFF for his 84 pass rush snaps
With Bruce Irvin out for the season and Jordyn Brooks seemingly set to miss a chunk of time with a knee injury — the Seahawks’ depth at the position has taken a hit.
And sadly, Cody Barton continues to struggle.
It was bad enough last year when he was being blocked in the playoff by Aaron Rodgers and stiff-armed by Kyle Allen:
You could put it down to some rookie growing pains. Was he unsure of himself? Did he need to settle into the league?
He certainly needed to improve though. There were too many mistakes, too many missed opportunities.
Last Sunday in Miami was his first chance to start this season and it didn’t go well. Again — he was missing tackles, being juked in the open field and he just doesn’t seem to have the ability to read and react. He could make up for that by playing with an aggressive, physical nature but that’s also missing (see above).
His PFF grade against the Dolphins was a 48.1 with a horrible 40.1 tackling score.
Reportedly he’s carrying a quad injury. The Seahawks can’t afford to carry anyone this year though, especially with the defense in the state it’s in.
Kendricks might not suit playing as a hybrid SAM/Nickel in an ambitious (and possibly misguided) return to base defense. As a third linebacker complementing Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, however, he’s certainly up to the job.
If Jordyn Brooks is going to be out for some time it makes sense to bring him in.
As for Barton — it’s hard to know where he goes from here. They wouldn’t be meeting with Kendricks if they weren’t concerned. Is he salvageable? They traded up in round three for him in 2019 but he’s just not showing enough.
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Duane Brown has had a tremendous start to the season
Reviewing the PFF grades
***Edit — information removed***
Now comes the real test
The Seahawks have enjoyed a winning start but the next run of games will be a serious test of their credentials.
By the end of tonight there’s a reasonable chance their four opponents will have combined for a 4-12 record so far. Dallas have looked abysmal and probably should be 0-4. The Falcons, who are wholly responsible for the Cowboys not being 0-4, are likely to lose against Green Bay and remain winless. The victory against Bill Belichick and Cam Newton was clearly a strong result but the Dolphins remain in rebuilding mode.
The next opponents, Minnesota, are probably better than their 1-3 record suggests. They showed in the playoffs last year when they won in New Orleans that they’re a match for anyone on their day.
It could potentially be Seattle’s toughest game so far and shouldn’t be taken for granted. The benefit of winning it, however, can’t be underestimated.
After the bye week the Seahawks face Arizona (A), San Francisco (H), Buffalo (A), LA Rams (A), Arizona (H) and Philadelphia (A). That’s a difficult stretch.
Starting 5-0 would afford Seattle the ability to drop a couple of those games and still potentially remain in a strong position to contend for the #1 seed. Especially considering the following three games would be against the Giants, Jets and Washington.
As I said on the podcast yesterday — the Seahawks are far from a flawless team but they are a winning team. We’re about to find out how good they truly are.
A reminder that pressure matters
Against Miami, the Seahawks found some answers on defense. The blitz-heavy style of the first three weeks didn’t suit their personnel and was conceding too many points, yards and explosive plays.
The conservative nature of sitting in coverage and a weak pass rush will be problematic some weeks against better opponents. However, there’s surely no doubt that forcing teams to ‘take what they’re given’ and hoping to tighten up in the red zone is better for this team than giving up 93-yard drives in 38 seconds.
This style will be even better if they can somehow find a trade partner before the deadline to acquire a dynamic EDGE. They just need somebody — anybody — who can win 1v1 battles to create the sacks they’re currently struggling to find.
If you’re wondering how important this can be, just look at the Niners vs Eagles game yesterday. A week ago Nick Mullens was being touted to replace Jimmy Garoppolo. Not anymore, not after his horror show on Sunday night.
The cause? He was pressured on 54.8% of his dropbacks — the most of any quarterback on Sunday. He was rattled and made mistakes. Garoppolo and Jared Goff are prone to this too.
The Seahawks have pulled off some smart trades before the deadline in the past — such as Quandre Diggs and Duane Brown. They need to rekindle that magic again in order to really elevate their post-season chances.
If you missed yesterday’s instant reaction podcast, check it out below:
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The manner of this game could benefit the Seahawks in a big way moving forward. They’ve found a way to play on defense.
It was conservative. It gave Miami an easy option on most downs. Some quarterbacks will be too good for this to work and could slice and dice downfield and then hit in the red zone.
However, the key is there was never a sniff of an explosive play downfield. When you constrict everything and tighten up in your half, you can hold teams.
Miami collected field goals today and that was fine.
When they had to press and chase the game, mistakes were made. They couldn’t go through the gears. They were taking what they were given and when they had to get more, they couldn’t.
It’s a style of play that not only suits the existing scheme and personnel — it can also complement a prolific offense.
Forget blitzing 36% of the time. Forget needing your cornerbacks to plan man in those situations. Forget needing the blitz to work (it wasn’t — 3.1% sack rate) or you run the risk of getting burned.
This is the style to play for this team.
All of the problems we’ve talked about still exist. This D-line still badly lacks anyone who can win 1v1 and get after the quarterback consistently. They still need to try and acquire that player before the trade deadline.
They also gave up a touchdown drive at the end that was far too easy — a common trait through four weeks.
Yet this works so much better. It was safe, sound and that’ll do.
It was needed too because the offense stuttered and stalled for large parts.
After three weeks of electric, record-setting prolificacy — there were some issues (with the exception being a terrific performance from David Moore).
Two drives ended prematurely thanks to drops by D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. The Seahawks failed to convert a 4th and 3 despite being in field goal range (an aggressive call, which is fine, but they lost points). Russell Wilson threw a red zone interception at the start of the second half.
It all adds up in the end. When Seattle took a 17-9 lead into the half, then marched into the red zone to start the third quarter, that should’ve been the moment to put Miami away.
Instead, it turned into one of those games — with the defense hanging on.
Thankfully they were up to the task — and clung on long enough for the offense to rekindle its mojo late in the fourth quarter.
Shaquill Griffin looked a lot better. Tre Flowers was much more comfortable. There were no glaring issues in the secondary and the linebackers appeared a lot more free to roam, read and make plays.
Hopefully this is the blueprint going forward. It won’t work every week. Teams will have tape now and will find ways to capitalise on a lack of aggression and pressure. In those games, the offense will simply have to be more like weeks 1-3 and less like week four.
Next they face the Vikings, who won their first game of the season today on the road in Houston.
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It’s very important to establish why certain statistics exist.
Listening to the radio and Pete Carroll’s press conference yesterday, there were several references to the ‘good’ run defense and the number of pressures and QB hits the Seahawks are delivering.
Stats can be deceptive, however. In isolation they don’t always tell the full story.
So let’s do some fact checking using Pro Football Reference.
“The Seahawks are hitting the quarterback a lot and this is good news!”
Seattle leads the NFL in QB knockdowns after three weeks (18) and their knockdown percentage is 11.6% (sixth best).
They also rank second in the NFL for pressures (37) although their pressure percentage is only middle-of-the-road (22.4% — 16th in the NFL).
Without context, these stats suggest Seattle’s defensive line is doing a better job than many people think.
A more extensive look at the stats tells a different story.
If you blitz often, you will manufacture pressure.
If you send six or seven defenders to take on five blockers — you will have players in the backfield and you will hit the quarterback.
Seattle’s blitz percentage is 36.4% — fifth highest in the league. In comparison, last year they blitzed only 26.9% of the time and in 2018 the number drops to 18.4%.
The Seahawks are currently blitzing more than Gregg Williams (32.7%). They have blitzed 60 times, second most in the NFL behind only the Steelers (65).
Jamal Adams has blitzed 33 times so far — the second most among any player in the league behind only Shaquill Barrett (37). Had Adams finished the game on Sunday, the chances are he would be leading the NFL in blitzing.
The high number of pressures and QB knockdowns are simply a result of Seattle’s increased blitzing this year.
For example, the Pittsburgh Steelers have by far the most pressures in the NFL after three games with 59 (22 more than second placed Seattle). They also blitz 51.2% of the time — way more than anyone else. It’s 7.4% more than the second heaviest blitzers (Tampa Bay — 43.8%).
The reason the Steelers have so many pressures is directly because they are blitzing on more than half of their snaps.
Seattle’s QB knockdowns and pressures are equally manufactured because they are blitzing more than they’ve ever done under Pete Carroll.
It’s not indicative of defensive line improvement or success. It’s simply a byproduct of a more aggressive approach.
The key to success when blitzing is sacks — not pressures or knockdowns. If you are bringing the house you have to get home. If Jamal Adams bursts into the backfield and hits the quarterback but the pass is complete — that counts as a pressure but it can still lead to a big play (as we are seeing).
Seattle’s sack percentage, despite their blitzing, is just 3.1%. It’s the fifth worst in the NFL. That is the problem and that is the key statistic to focus on.
Let’s look at the five worst teams for sack percentage and how often they blitz:
With the exception of struggling Minnesota (who are missing Danielle Hunter), none of the other teams are blitzing anywhere near the rate the Seahawks are. Seattle’s sack percentage is comparable to Detroit and Las Vegas but they are playing so much more aggressively to try and sack the quarterback.
This is a failure.
They are producing sacks at the rate of teams who rarely blitz — and yet they are one of the heaviest blitzers in the NFL.
Let’s go back to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lead the league is blitzing. Their blitz percentage is 51.2% but their sack percentage is 12.3% — also the highest in the league. That is what it’s supposed to look like.
Tampa Bay, who blitz 43.8% of the time, have a sack percentage of 9.7%.
The simple fact is there’s no comfort to take from Seattle’s increasing pressures and knockdowns. That is an inevitability of blitzing at the rate the Seahawks are. The problem they have is despite being so aggressive in bringing heat, their sack percentage is poor.
It creates a perfect storm of mediocrity. You’re exposing the second and third level of your defense by blitzing so much but by not sacking the quarterback, you’re giving them an opportunity to expose your limited numbers at the back end and find mismatch opportunities.
For example:
A downside to how much the Seahawks are blitzing Jamal Adams is that it can leave situations like this:
A LB ends up having to cover a WR in man coverage due to the pressure rules being the final eligible receiver count (#3 for the LB here) as opposed to a "like body" (RB/TE). pic.twitter.com/0vHPivMZAm
Hits and pressures are nice but the Seahawks will continue to give up a NFL-leading 430.7 passing yards per game, 6.6 yards-per-play and will blow-up the league record for passing yards conceded in a season (they’re on pace to give up 6891) unless they turn these blitzes into more sacks or they blitz less and find a way to do a better job rushing with four.
“Seattle’s run defense is really good!”
This is an even bigger mirage.
Teams do not need to run against the Seahawks and the stats make this case very well. Seattle isn’t ‘taking away the run’ and ‘forcing teams to pass’. Opponents are simply ignoring the run and preferring to pass.
There are two reasons for this.
One, the Seahawks are doing a good job applying scoreboard pressure and forcing teams to ‘chase the game’. That isn’t conducive with running the ball and ultimately it isn’t a review of Seattle’s run defense. This is down to the success of Russell Wilson and the offense.
Secondly, teams are passing for 430.7 yards per game and it’s too easy to throw against Seattle. The Cowboys had a three-play, 75-yard scoring drive that lasted 48 seconds on Sunday. Throws for 13 yards, 22 yards and 40 yards had them in the endzone. They then had a three-play 93-yard drive that lasted only 39 seconds. Throws for 52 yards and 42 yards were enough to score a touchdown.
The Seahawks gave up similar drives against both Atlanta and New England.
They’ve conceded more explosive pass plays than any other team in the league. They’ve surrendered 18 pass plays of +20 yards and six pass plays of +40 yards.
Are passing yards against everything? No. However, there’s a difference between giving up slow, time-consuming drives and giving up loads of explosive plays that lead to quick touchdowns. The Seahawks are giving up far too many explosive plays.
Basically opponents don’t need to run. They are saving their running games for short yardage and goal line situations, having thrown to get into position to score.
Atlanta, New England and Dallas only combined to run 67 times against the Seahawks — the third lowest total in the league behind only Pittsburgh (61) and Green Bay (63).
The difference between the Seahawks, Steelers and Packers is quite simple. Passing yards conceded:
Seahawks — 1292
Steelers — 708
Packers — 741
When you combine Pittsburgh’s sack percentage (12.3%), passing yards conceded (708) and running yards conceded (162) you can make a strong case for them possessing a rounded, elite defense. Last week they were ranked #2 in the NFL on defense by DVOA.
The Seahawks are in a totally different situation. Their sack percentage is 3.1%, they’ve given up 1292 passing yards and 200 running yards. This isn’t rounded at all. It’s emphatically weighted towards a negative pass defense.
Teams are having their merry way with Seattle when they throw the ball. It makes the running game a complete irrelevance.
Seattle is giving up, on average, 8.5 yards per attempted pass (second highest in the NFL). In comparison, Tennessee have the worst yards-per-run statistic so far at 5.8 YPC. So even compared to the worst running defense in the league, you’re still getting nearly three more yards per play if you throw against the Seahawks.
Running against Seattle simply makes no sense. Not because they are doing anything right but because they’re doing so much wrong in the passing game.
Media members and fans have been quick to praise Seattle’s 3.0 YPC conceded so far. That’s the third best mark in the league, behind the Steelers (2.7) and Buccaneers (2.9). Again though, this doesn’t come close to telling the whole story.
As noted, teams have only attempted to run against the Seahawks 67 times so far. This includes a combined 18 runs by Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Dak Prescott — most of which were clear short yardage situations or scrambles.
These types of runs are not intended to lead to big gains. A small sample size can easily be impacted if you have teams running mostly in short-yardage situations. If the max-gain on a play is a couple of yards, you’re not going to see a high YPC average.
In comparison, Pittsburgh’s 61 runs faced include two rushes by Jeff Driskel, four runs by Daniel Jones and one run by Deshaun Watson for a total of seven quarterback carries — 11 fewer than Seattle has faced.
The Packers have faced only five quarterback carries (four by Kirk Cousins, one by Matt Stafford). Without the high number of quarterback carries in their first three games, the Seahawks would’ve faced by far the fewest runs in the NFL.
Zeke Elliott ran only 14 times against the Seahawks on Sunday. Three of those runs came on one drive on first and goal (one from the five-yard line and two from the one-yard line, leading to a touchdown). A further carry came on fourth and 1 (converted) and another carry came on 2nd and 1. He also ran the ball from his own end zone leading to the safety, with the Seahawks wisely guessing the play-call and bringing the house to score two points.
Nearly half of his carries were in situations not conducive with big gains. So again, this impacts YPC.
Pro Football Reference has a statistic called ‘expected points contributed by rushing defense’. The Steelers lead the league with a score of 13.64. This means their run defense is helping them gain the value of a couple of touchdowns per week. Tampa Bay, who are blitzing at a similar rate to the Seahawks and have conceded a similar number of yards in the running game (200 vs 211) are gaining 10.94 points of benefit from their run defense per week.
The Seahawks are only gaining 3.22 points from their run defense.
It perfectly highlights the difference between a ‘good’ run defense and an ‘irrelevant’ run defense.
So what about the passing game? Pro Football Reference also projects ‘expected points contributed by passing defense’. Seattle’s passing defense is contributing -47.16 points per game — third worst in the league behind only Jacksonville (-53.57) and Atlanta (-48.06).
It means that Seattle’s passing defense is so bad that it’s giving opponents a near 50-point advantage week-to-week. Only the brilliance of Russell Wilson is enabling them to survive this so far.
The Seahawks’ run defense isn’t bad. It’s just totally irrelevant because the passing defense is atrocious. You don’t need to run unless you have to (short yardage). If you throw, you will be able to move the ball with ease and you will get explosive plays.
That’s the context of what Seattle’s defense is I’m afraid.
“Seattle’s secondary will make up for a bad pass rush!”
This was a common refrain during the off-season. The reality is very different.
Shaquill Griffin leads the NFL in yards given up (319). Quinton Dunbar is second (212) despite missing the Dallas game. Jamal Adams is seventh (209).
Tre Flowers has only started one game but he’s already been credited with 146 yards conceded. Quandre Diggs has given up 84 yards.
Both Adams and Diggs are among the league leaders in receiving yards per target (14.0 and 13.9 respectively).
Griffin is responsible for giving up three touchdowns — the most in the league by a defensive back. He’s also being picked on with 29 targets — second only to Darqueze Dennard (32).
Teams are completing 78.6% of their passes thrown at Flowers, 75.9% thrown at Griffin, 73.3% at Adams and 61.9% at Dunbar.
Quarterbacks have a 133.9 passer rating throwing at Flowers and a 131.2 rating throwing at Griffin.
Adams also leads the team in missed tackle percentage with 11.5%.
The second coming of the Legion of Boom? A group capable of making up for a terrible looking defensive line?
Not really.
I suspect the numbers would improve if the Seahawks weren’t having to blitz so much. Jamal Adams is a good blitzer and it’s a big part of his game but the total reliance on him as a pass rusher so far doesn’t seem to be doing him any favours.
If the Seahawks could rush with four 10% more of the time and actually win some 1v1 battles up front, then this would probably help the secondary in a big way.
However, this doesn’t excuse some of the numbers above — particularly in the case of Griffin and Flowers. They’re simply not doing a good enough job.
Rather than the secondary prop up the defensive line, the Seahawks need to improve their pass rush to take the pressure off a struggling secondary.
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