The Seahawks had one of the weirdest defensive units in the NFL last year. While they did a relatively good job of keeping points off the board, Seattle strugged in just about every other way that a defense can.
To name just a few major issues, the front four did a poor job of consistently getting pressure and former defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. didn’t do enough to help manufacture pressures, either. Combined with a soft zone scheme that asked too much of its back-seven, the defense got beat during the regular season by a series of patient game manager quarterbacks who could have been stopped by a more aggressive scheme.
Norton also made some questionable moves using his personnel – among them dropping his defensive linemen back into coverage – including his defensive tackles.
Most frustrating were the issues with strong safety Jamal Adams being put out of positions to make an impact and into ones where his unique skillset leaves him more vulnerable. Rather than finding new ways to counter offenses that had schemed up against Adams as a pass rusher, Norton dropped him back more and more often into the two-deep, middle field open looks that are replacing the traditional cover 3 stuff Carroll’s teams are known for. Trouble is, that’s not Adams’ game and he had predictable issues covering big tight ends and shifty slot receivers. He went from 9.5 sacks in 2020 to zero and allowed four touchdowns.
Norton deserves credit for getting his defense to stop the run and tighten up in the red zone, but these mistakes were all too much to overcome and the unit simply couldn’t get off the field often enough. That contributed to the team’s league-worst time of possession imbalance.
Good news: help has arrived in the form of former defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, who’s officially been promoted to replace Norton as DC. There’s a lot more to the job than just saying the right things, but what he did say should come as music to the ears of Seattle fans who have grown tired of languishing defensively. Hurtt shared a number of encouraging quotes in his first press conference in his new position on Wednesday and he addressed all the major flaws.
In general, Hurtts plans to field a more aggressive defensive unit – echoing what head coach Pete Carroll said about wanting a more attack-minded defense after Norton’s firing. Blitzing more often will be a part of that, as will not playing such a “zoney” strategy in general. Hurtt also mentioned Jamal Adams, who he correctly identified as “still a difference maker” – it’s on him to use Adams in the right way. Hurtt also seems fundamentally opposed to dropping DL back into coverage – saying he doesn’t want to see them “going backward” anymore.
It’s still very early in the process and Hurtt will be judged based on the results he produces in 2022 and beyond. However, diagnosing what’s wrong with this defense is the first step towards fixing it and he nailed it.
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