The Seattle Seahawks were fortunate to add two big time players to the active roster ahead of their Monday night matchup with the San Francisco 49ers – receiver Josh Gordon, who had two crucial late-game catches – and safety Quandre Diggs.
Diggs took over as Seattle’s starting free safety and was all over the field, recording a pair of tackles and a big time interception, which he returned 44 yards to set up an eventual touchdown.
Coach Pete Carroll was thrilled with Diggs’ debut, and he had high praise for the pairing of Diggs and fellow veteran Bradley McDougald, who started alongside him at strong safety.
“I thought that was the best game that our safeties have played,” Carroll said on Tuesday. “I’m hoping that we can continue to grow and get better and feed off it.”
That’s not great news for rookie Marquise Blair and third-year Lano Hill, who are both now on the outside looking in for a regular role on this Seattle defense.
Blair will work in when the Seahawks run dime packages, according to Carroll, but he did not see a single defensive snap on Monday night.
While Blair looked solid in his first few games in the secondary, it’s not surprising to see coach Carroll turn to his veteran guys to finish out the year. After the debacle that was Tedric Thompson, and the inconsistency from Hill, it’s nice to have two guys who have a track record of success manning the defensive backfield.
Diggs has the ranginess and hard-hitting required to excel as a cover-3 free safety in Carroll’s scheme, and his experience limits him from making mistakes – something they couldn’t afford to deal with from Blair.
Carroll cautioned that it’s still early to evaluate exactly how Diggs will mesh after just one game, but they are working on finding his perfect fit on this defense.
“It’s an early assessment because Q’s just played one game,” Carroll continued. “He can do a lot of things, so we’ll be anxious to figure out how he can complement what we’re doing and utilize him now that he’s crossed the threshold of playing time for us.”
The Seahawks will watch Sunday’s slate of games from their own homes before getting ready for their Week 12 matchup against the Eagles in Philadelphia, scheduled for Nov. 24.
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