Tag: clint hurtt

Seahawks need to be more aggressive defensively in Week 2

Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt will need to be more aggressive with his play-calling in Week 2.

Simply put, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt will need to be more aggressive with his play-calling in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. Hurtt’s cover 2 zone scheme was absolutely horrid against the Los Angeles Rams, as the Seahawks allowed quarterback Matthew Stafford to complete 63% of his pass attempts this past Sunday, totaling 334 yards.

While Hurtt has been vocal and enthusiastic about this Seahawks defense redeeming itself from last season, Week 1 was simply a replica of last year’s Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers where Seattle allowed a whopping 505 total yards.

 
 
 
 
 
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Rams offensive coordinator Mike Lafleur and head coach Sean McVay gave the Seahawks a steady dose of 11 personnel in Week 1. Rams running backs totaled 42 carries, running behind a hefty offensive line to wear down the Seahawks with attrition.

Ultimately, Matthew Stafford was sacked zero times on 38 pass attempts. Hurtt needs to deploy more man blitz concepts on defense and force his defensive backs to play man to man. His conservative decision to sit in zone against a veteran quarterback got his defense shredded last weekend.

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Matt Stafford shredded Seahawks zone defense Week 1

Stafford’s 24 completions were to five different Rams not named Cooper Kupp.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was flawless in Week 1, shredding the Seahawks for 300+ passing yards. Having bult a rapport through countless reps with head coach Sean McVay, Stafford knew exactly how to read through the Seahawks zone defense this weekend.

Stafford’s 24 completions were to five different Rams not named Cooper Kupp, as the Rams outscored the Seahawks 23-0 in the second half.

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Steven Bisig – USA TODAY Sports

The most daunting statistic from Sunday’s game for the Seahawks was time of possession. The Los Angeles Rams possessed the football for 39:23 and the Seahawks managed just 20:37 total time on offense.

Infuriated fans may scrutinize the defense for its lackluster performance, but it was asked to stop the Rams offense that ran a total of 78 plays. Mathematically, the Rams’ 426 total yards on 78 plays, a 5.4 yard per play average.

Within the next 24 hours, NFL+ will release the all-22 coaches film from week 1. We’ll use it to illustrate play dynamics and schemes that led to the dismantling of the Seahawks defense this past Sunday.

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Clint Hurtt shares a funny story about Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs

One of the most colorful characters is their trash-talking Pro Bowl free safety Quandre Diggs.

The Seattle Seahawks have some distinct personalities in the locker room this year – perhaps more than any time since their peak Legion of Boom days. One of the most colorful characters is their trash-talking Pro Bowl free safety Quandre Diggs.

Yesterday defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt told the media that he’s reached a closeness with Diggs – close enough to get texts from Diggs threatening to slash Hurtt’s tires if he doesn’t call the plays he likes.

Diggs later copped to it, sharing a Steve Urkel gif.

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Pete Carroll comments on rookie Devon Witherspoon’s progress

The Seahawks are very invested in Witherspoon and are handling his recovery the right way.

Updates regarding Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon and his hamstring injury continue to be a topic of discussion for local media.

The injury, which kept Witherspoon out of preseason play, is being tended to day-to-day by team trainers. Head coach Pete Carroll has decided to play it safe and allow Witherspoon to heal by sitting him for all three exhibition matches. Even still, he is expected to practice again this week according to Carroll, who shared the following on Witherspoon’s progress with the media, per Mike Dugar at the Athletic.

“He’s flying. He’s going. But, there’s a lot more to it than that. It’s the conditioning level he can maintain and hold up with the workload of practices. We’ve got to figure that out.”

Whether fans will see Witherspoon Week 1 when the Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams is still uncertain. Obviously, caution is the right approach for Witherspoon, who’s so young in his career.

(Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Seattle’s depth on defense should allow Witherspoon as much time as he needs to recover as defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt may deploy some dynamic blitzing to accommodate for the absence in the secondary.

Witherspoon signed a four-year $31.86 million contract in July that included a $20.17 million signing bonus. The Seahawks are very invested in Witherspoon and are handling his recovery the right way.

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Clint Hurtt and the tenacious 2023 Seahawks defense

Hurtt is being trusted by Carroll to improve a Seahawks defense that ranked No. 20 in points allowed last season.

After allowing 41 points in a Wild Card loss last season, critics pointed fingers at the Seattle Seahawks defense as the source of team’s shortcomings. Well, second-year defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt has been working to change that narrative. Thus far,  Hurtt’s scheme is yielding a 30% third-down conversion rate from opposing offensives this preseason and Seattle’s defense is playing with tenacity at all three levels.

Defensive highlights have been plentiful for Seattle, including a forced fumble against the Minnesota Vikings Aug. 10 and a pivotal fourth quarter interception against the Dallas Cowboys this past Saturday night. Hurtt appears to have a building rapport with his personnel and is often captured by the Seahawks social team engaging his leaders on defense such as Pro Bowl free safety Quandre Diggs.

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Seattle seems to have built a collective staff that thrives under the leadership of head coach Pete Carroll. In spite of critics, Hurtt is being trusted by Carroll to improve a Seahawks defense that ranked No. 20 in points allowed last season.

With the assistance of defensive pass coordinator Karl Scott, Hurtt is deploying a mix of zone 2, zone 3, blitz and man coverages to confuse opposing offenses. As the season progresses, we’ll dive into the all-22 coaches film to illustrate these dynamic concepts for deeper understanding.

Check out this zone 2 coverage sack by rookie outside linebacker Derick Hall from Week 2 of the preseason (below).

As Seattle prepares for Green Bay Saturday, we’ll wait to see if Hurtt deploys his defensive starters for quality reps. Undoubtedly, second-string quarterbacks have had little success against his strategies.

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Quandre Diggs discusses preparing for season 4 with Seahawks

Check out Diggs sharing some optimism on former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright’s podcast.

Since joining the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, free safety Quandre Diggs has not missed a single game. Going into 2023, Seattle’s depth in the defensive backfield cannot be overstated and Diggs will continue to play a huge role in pass defense moving forward.

Last season, the team ranked No. 10 in the NFL in opponent pass completion percentage (62.7%) and also No. 10 in completions allowed (343). Diggs played a large role in that success and has recorded 17 interceptions in 55 games for Seattle. He will be attempting to make his his fourth-straight Pro Bowl team in 2023.

(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt and defensive passing game coordinator Karl Scott understand that Diggs and the rest of the secondary are the strength of this Seahawks defense. Under their leadership, this unit will be focusing on exceeding expectations and living up to to the hype this upcoming season.

Below, check out Diggs sharing some optimism on former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright’s podcast.

@kjwright34

Quandre Diggs On This Upcoming NFL Season | Part 1 – The Quandre Diggs Interview

♬ original sound – KJ Wright

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Devon Witherspoon is being optimized through practice reps

It’s fair to assume that Witherspoon is being tested at practice.

As Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon settles in from the notoriety of the 2023 NFL draft, he has now turned his focus to training camp.

During his Aug. 3rd press conference, reporters asked a plethora of slanted questions regarding his mental state as he prepares for Week 1 of the preseason.

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt has been deploying Witherspoon for reps at nickel-back (NB) throughout training camp. For clarity, this means Witherspoon is being lined up vs. the offensive slot wide receiver in 11-on-11 drills. Such personnel strategy is designed to simulate third-down passing situations.

With the addition of rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the proven prowess of DK Metcalf, and team touchdown leader Tyler Lockett, it’s fair to assume that Witherspoon is being tested at practice.

“We’re all interchangeable, everybody knows that back end, it’s not like anyone has a specific spot.” (Devon Witherspoon – Aug. 3rd – Seahawks.com)

Seattle’s defense ranked 27th in opponent 3rd down conversion rate last season and ranked 31st in opponent time of possession. In other words, their defense spent too much time on the field.

The Seahawks are optimistic about Witherspoon’s upside, signing him to a four-year, fully-guaranteed $31.86 million rookie contract at the end of July.

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Clint Hurtt defends what he sees as an underrated Seahawks pass rush

Of course, there’s more to pass rushing than sack totals, as Hurtt knows.

The Seattle Seahawks are either a fringe-playoff team that still has a long way to go before becoming a contender, or they’re on the cusp of having something special, depending on who you ask. Which way they go will largely depend on how well their remodeled defensive front-seven performs. Improving the run defense will be a significant part of that, but even more importantly they’ll have to produce pressure as a group more often and more consistently than they did last season.

Here’s what defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt had to say about how Seattle’s pass rushers performed last year, per Mike Dugar at the Athletic.

“Imagine if you get more opportunities to rush by defending the run game better… That’s the part nobody ever talks about. They act like we finished with three sacks in the season, but we finished tied for seventh. But, it’s always that nobody thinks Seattle can play.”

Hurtt is right about the sack numbers. The Seahawks posted 45 last season, tied with the Buccaneers and Jets for the seventh-most in the NFL.

Of course, there’s more to pass rushing than sack totals, as Hurtt knows. And unfortunately Seattle did poorly in just about every other way that there is to measure pressure on a quarterback.

To name a few, ESPN’s pass rush win rate had them at just 34%, which ranked No. 28 in the league. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus gave Seattle a 65.1 grade for team pass rushing, also ranking No. 28. Their hurry percentage was just 5.4%, also ranking… No. 28. You get the idea.

Turning those 3-28s around will require a total team effort. For one thing, Hurtt has to find more ways to manufacture pressure. The interior will have to produce much more in general, inexperienced edge rushers like Boye Mafe and Derick Hall will have to step up and it would help alot if Jamal Adams can stay healthy.

To be continued…

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Clint Hurtt praises Seahawks rookie Cameron Young for ‘good football awareness’

That would be the team’s fourth-round draft pick, former Mississippi State defensive tackle Cameron Young.

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With Al Woods having left in free agent for the New York Jets, the Seattle Seahawks have to find a new starter at nose tackle this year. They have a couple of experienced options, including Myles Adams and the injured vet (ACL) Bryan Mone. However, we’re expecting one of the rookies to take over Woods’ former role. That would be the team’s fourth-round draft pick, former Mississippi State defensive tackle Cameron Young.

Young may not have any experience at the pro level, but his profile might give him an advantage over the other candidates. Defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt likes Young’s measurables as well as his football awareness. Here’s what he said about Young last week, per Mike Dugar at the Athletic.

“The measurable stuff is obviously impressive, he’s a large man with long arms, big hands, is strong, and is physical at the point of contact, but he’s a guy that has good football awareness, ideas and feel of things going on… He has done a nice job so far. He’s a guy that is unselfish, physical, rugged and plays a position that doesn’t get a lot of fanfare.”

Other rookies that will be battling for a spot in the nose rotation include recently-signed LaTrell Bumphus from Tennessee and San Diego State’s Jonah Tavai, possibly the most-intriguing undrafted player in the entire league.

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Seattle Seahawks DL Jarran Reed eager to reunite with DC Clint Hurtt

Now signed back to the Seahawks, defensive lineman Jarran Reed is excited to reunite with defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt in Seattle.

Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed is now back in the Emerald City after spending the last two seasons with the Chiefs and Packers, respectively. Reed, who was originally drafted by Seattle in 2016, was signed back to the Seahawks this offseason as a free agent.

Reed spoke with the media via Zoom and explained that even though he was gone for two years, he’s well suited for the Seahawks’ new-and-hopefully-improved defense.

“In Green Bay, we played a 3-4 defense, and I was a 3-technique, a big defensive end when needed,” Reed said. “I’m well equipped with playing in any type of scheme that it would be if we decide to change it up, play a 4-3 or go to a 3-4. I feel like, now, I fit in in any one of those.

“We played that system at Alabama as well, so I am very comfortable in it.”

Even more importantly, Reed will get the chance to reunite with defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt, who coached him for four years in Seattle.

“Clint is a great coach and an even greater person,” Reed said. “When you build that relationship with somebody, somebody who helps you grow as a person and a man, it’s hard to break that. Just being back with him is just another plus, being back with the guys who helped shape me into the football player that I am in the league, it’s just a great feeling.”

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