Tag: Coby Bryant

Seahawks rookie Tariq Woolen ranks No. 2 in the NFL in this coverage stat

According to one metric from our friends at Cowboys Wire, Seahawks rookie Tariq Woolen is already among the league’s elites.

Some stats can be misleading – it’s particularly difficult to find good ones to measure the performance of defensive backs. According to one metric from our friends at Cowboys Wire, Seahawks rookie Tariq Woolen is already among the league’s elites.

Going by adjusted net yards allowed per coverage snap, Woolen ranks No. 2 in the NFL, allowing just .12 per snap. Only James Bradberry of the Eagles has allowed fewer (.11). Rookie slot corner Coby Bryant also made the list, coming in at No. 50 (1.99).

More traditional numbers also indicate a special talent in Woolen. He’s second behind Eagles corner C.J. Gardner-Johnson for the league-lead with five interceptions, he ranks No. 11 in pass breakups (nine), and also ranks highly in passer rating allowed (59.7) and completion rate (54.8%).

What’s freaky is that it’s extremely rare for any rookie corner to find success right away at this level – even the game’s best cornerback Jalen Ramsey struggled in his first year. Most cornerbacks don’t really start to peak until Year 3 – so there’s a good chance we haven’t even seen Woolen at his best yet.

Finding an elite talent at a critical position – arguably the game’s most difficult – in the fifth round is rare stuff. Woolen might go down as one of Seattle’s best all-time picks.

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How the Seahawks engineered a shocking defensive turnaround

The Seattle Seahawks have taken their defense from near-worst to near-first in the last month. How did everything turn around so quickly?

The Seattle Seahawks are the kings of unexpected excellence so far in the 2022 NFL season. If you expected Geno Smith to play exactly like an NFL MVP candidate, raise your hand.

Okay, put it back down, because you’re lying.

Now, let’s move to Seattle’s defense, which started the season out very young, and with linebacker Bobby Wagner, the last player left from the legendary Legion of Boom defense that terrorized the league in the early aughts, cast away to the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks were going with a new defensive coordinator in Clint Hurtt (elevated from defensive line coach and assistant head coach), all the new attendant concepts with a new coaching staff, and a group of new players and young veterans. Again, nobody expected anything special from a team seemingly rebuilding from the studs.

It started out pretty roughly on the defensive side of the ball. Through the first five weeks of the 2022 season, Seattle ranked 31st in Football Outsiders’ Defensive DVOA metric (opponent-adjusted efficiency) — 29th against the pass, and 26th against the run. Overall, only the Detroit Lions were worse.

Then, starting with Seattle’s 19-9 Week 6 win over the Arizona Cardinals, that same defense became an entirely different animal. Over the last four weeks, the Seahawks rank second in Defensive DVOA behind only the New England Patriots — fifth against the pass, and third against the run. Early Sunday, Seattle will take on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Germany, and while that offense doesn’t present the same challenges it did over the last two seasons, Brady is still capable of creating explosive plays out of very little.

The Buccaneers’ offense has several problems, but Tom Brady isn’t one of them

No matter who the Seahawks have faced over the last four weeks and four straight wins, they’ve created serious problems for each opponent offense.

Seahawks GM John Schneider should be Executive of the Year

For the past decade the Seattle Seahawks have been an absolute force in the NFL.

For the past decade the Seattle Seahawks have been an absolute force in the NFL. Since 2012 the Seahawks are third in the entire league in total wins. Despite a lofty win total, they do not have much hardware to show for it. I am not talking about Lombardi or George Halas Trophies. No, I am talking yearly awards.

Russell Wilson (in)famously never received an MVP vote, let alone win the award outright, and no elite Legion of Boom-er ever won Defensive Player of the Year. However, perhaps the most egregious of all is the fact general manager John Schneider has still yet to win Executive of the Year.

With the benefit of hindsight, Schneider has had one of the best calendar years of any general manager in recent memory. I am judging this on three categories:

No. 1: Draft Skills

Schneider and Pete Carroll made their name in the NFL by finding stars throughout the NFL draft. It defined their early career success. In the last few seasons, the drafts haven’t been as memorable… until 2022 when he drafted perhaps the best rookie class in the NFL.

Corner Tariq Woolen is tied for first in the NFL with four interceptions. Tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas appear to be franchise bookends for the better part of the next decade. Corner Coby Bryant is seemingly in on every forced fumble. Running back Kenneth Walker III is making a case he should be in the conversation for among the best in the league. Linebacker Boye Mafe is coming on strong as a pass rusher.

No. 2: Player Acquisition

The Seahawks were not splashy in free agency, but they made their moves count. They signed linebacker Uchenna Nwosu from the Los Angeles Chargers, who has lead a resurgent Seattle pass rush. In the last three weeks the Seahawks have recorded 14 sacks, when they had eight total as a team prior.

The Seahawks also signed center Austin Blythe. It does not take an expert to analyze the fact this offensive line has been a weak spot over the last few years. With Blythe, Seattle’s interior line has been solidified. In addition to the two rookie tackles, Cross and Lucas, quarterback Geno Smith has plenty of time to cook in the pocket.

Additionally, who you don’t sign/keep can be just as important as who you do. Many called for the Seahawks to make a move for quarterbacks Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo, since they did not select a rookie in the 2022 NFL draft. Instead the Seahawks opted for in-house candidate Geno Smith, who has handsomely rewarded the organization’s faith.

No. 3 Player Retention

Speaking of quarterbacks… let’s address the Mile High elephant in the room. The Seahawks made waves this offseason when they willingly traded away franchise icon Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Many called Schneider a mad man, including yours truly.

However, given Wilson’s atrocious play to start the season – and the astronomical extension gifted to him by the Broncos – it appears the Seahawks have avoided a franchise-crippling bullet by moving on from their former quarterback.

Realistically speaking, Schneider should have received this award in either 2012 or 2013 when he crafted the greatest defense in NFL history. But if there were ever a time to make up for such egregious oversight, now would be it.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Week 8 Q&A with Seahawks Wire

With a Week 8 matchup between the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks on tap, we go behind enemy lines for a chat with Seahawks Wire.

The New York Giants (6-1) and Seattle Seahawks (4-3) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 8 matchup at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.

The Giants opened the week as 2.5-point road underdogs and they’ve seen that spread dip to +3.5 as of this writing.

With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Seahawks Wire managing editor Tim Weaver.

Seahawks have 2 players at the top of GMFB’s best rookies for Week 7

The Seahawks’ 2022 draft class is on pace to be the best group of rookies to come along in modern NFL history.

The Seahawks’ 2022 draft class is on pace to be the best group of rookies to come along in modern NFL history.

Tariq Woolen has been getting most of the attention, but this week both Ken Walker and Coby Bryant made Peter Schraeger’s list of the top five rookies on GMFB.

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Chargers vs. Seahawks: 5 storylines to follow in Week 7

Here are five important things to watch during the Chargers’ matchup with the Seahawks.

The Chargers are looking to take care of business against the Seahawks and pick up their four-straight win.

Here are five storylines to watch for Sunday’s matchup.

Can J.C. bounce back?

After being benched in the second half of the victory over the Broncos in favor of Michael Davis, J.C. Jackson will resume his starting duties. Through six games, Jackson has allowed 17 catches on 23 targets for 331 yards (19.5 yards per reception) and a passer rating of 155.3 when targeted.

Jackson has struggled to adapt to the nuances of Brandon Staley’s scheme, where he’s played more zone coverage than ever after solely playing and thriving as a press-man corner while he was with the Patriots.

“We’re going to make sure that we stay patient with him because he has all of the tools that we’re looking for,” Staley said on Jackson. “I have to do a better job of coaching him, getting him in a comfort zone.”

Jackson won’t have an easy task as he will draw the dynamic duo of Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Lockett has 34 catches for 423 yards, while Metcalf has 30 catches for 406 yards. Both players are in the top seven in receiving yards in the NFC.

Revenge game

Uchenna Nwosu returns to Los Angeles, where he played his college ball at USC and the first four seasons of his professional career with the Chargers. The Seahawks picked up Nwosu after his best season, with a career-high 40 tackles, 30 pressures, eight tackles for loss, and five sacks.

The 27-year-old Nwosu has carried his dominant play to Seattle, where he holds team-highs in sacks (three) and quarterback hits (eight) to go along with 19 pressures, 24 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and three passes defended.

Isaiah Spiller’s first regular-season action

The Chargers placed Joshua Kelley, who suffered a sprained MCL, on the injured reserve. The loss of Kelley is big, as he had come on as the No. 2 running back by averaging 4.5 yards per carry this season.

In place of Kelley will be Spiller, the team’s fourth-round pick, who joins Austin Ekeler and Sony Michel as the active backs. This is Spiller’s first game as he works his way back from an ankle injury.

Before getting hurt, Spiller showed flashes in training camp, not just as a runner but as a pass-catcher. With Michel averaging just 2.8 YPC, this will be a good opportunity for the former Texas A&M product to slowly take touches from him.

Wide receiver situation

The Chargers will be without Joshua Palmer, who is out with a concussion. So now we wait and see if Keenan Allen will be active. Allen has slowly worked his way back after sustaining a hamstring injury that kept him out of the past five games. He is a game-time decision.

Currently, there are four active wide receivers: Mike Williams, DeAndre Carter, Jason Moore and Michael Bandy. Bandy was signed to the active roster on Saturday. He has been money in limited action, catching three passes on four targets for 53 yards (17.7 yards per reception).

Even after stifling Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in Week 6, the Seahawks are 26th in pass-defense DVOA and 30th in defensive EPA per dropback. Therefore, Justin Herbert and company could still have success, even if Allen is held out of the action.

Making plays in the run game

The Seahawks’ offense will predominantly be predicated around Geno Smith, who leads the NFL with a 73.4% completion rate and ranks fourth in QBR (68.3). However, their rookie running back, Kenneth Walker, must also be accounted for.

Walker has rushed 44 times for 243 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. But what’s stood out most about Walker is the ability to make defenders miss. Walker has forced 22 missed tackles, which is tied for the most among NFC running backs.

Most of Walker’s damage has come on the outside, which is where the Chargers have allowed big carries this season; see Jaguars’ James Robinson, Texans’ Dameon Pierce, and Browns’ Nick Chubb.

Therefore, firm edges need to be set, second and third-level defenders need to rally to the football, and most importantly, Walker must be wrapped up at all times, considering open-field tackling has been an issue for the Bolts this season. They are bottom-10 in the league with 31 missed tackles.

Chargers’ reasons for optimism vs. Seahawks in Week 7

Highlighting four reasons why the Los Angeles Chargers should beat the Seattle Seahawks.

The Chargers moved to 4-2 on Monday night with a 19-16 overtime win against the Broncos.

While it may have been ugly, a win is a win, and Los Angeles now has positive momentum, especially in the division, where their victory brought them into a tie for first place with the Chiefs.

On Sunday, that momentum will be tested when the Seahawks come to SoFi Stadium.

Here are four reasons to be optimistic that L.A. hits the bye as a 5-2 football team.

Porous pass defense

Seattle is giving up 245 passing yards per game, 22nd in the league. That number is also helped tremendously by last week’s performance against what looks to be a fundamentally broken Cardinals offense, who the Seahawks held to 171 yards through the air. Rookies Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant are the starters at cornerback for Seattle, who are running a variant of the Vic Fangio defense. That scheme requires a lot of DB talent and a lot of knowledge. Woolen and Bryant have played well this season in stretches, but an elite quarterback like Justin Herbert should be able to exploit their stumbles. If Seattle employs more nickel and dime packages on Sunday, as they did against Arizona, Herbert will be fast enough through his progressions to find an open man against Seattle’s third or fourth corner.

Third down woes

Seattle is also starting two rookies at offensive tackle: top-ten pick Charles Cross and third-rounder Abraham Lucas. Like their teammates at corner, Cross and Lucas have shown flashes, helping Seattle’s offensive line to a sack rate of just 2.2% on 1st down and 1.4% on second down. Both marks are well below the league averages of 5.0% and 5.1%, respectively. However, on third downs, the Seahawks have collapsed. Their sack rate allowed skyrockets to 20.7%, more than twice the league average of 9.8%. Whether that’s because it’s a line full of rookies learning to communicate about blitzes or not is unclear, but we do know Brandon Staley is no stranger to dialing up exotic pressures on third down. Given how well it worked on Monday, I’d expect more of the same from Drue Tranquill and Derwin James on Sunday, with likely the same results.

Special teams trajectories

Pete Carroll said on Monday that Seattle’s special teams are “bugging the heck out of all of us” after another week of miscues against Arizona. Perhaps the most costly was punter Michael Dickson losing control of the ball in the end zone, leading to a fumble recovered for a touchdown by the Cardinals. Seattle has had one mistake of this nature seemingly every game, a contributing factor in their special teams being ranked 23rd by DVOA. Compare that to the Chargers, whose special teams are the number one reason they won the game on Monday. When’s the last time fans of this team could say that? The Chargers are 15th in special teams DVOA, buoyed by the steady presence of Dustin Hopkins (when he’s played) and rookie gunners Ja’Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard, who combined to finish the muffed punt play that put LA in field goal range in overtime against Denver. Hopkins will miss this week, but backup kicker Taylor Bertolet was perfect on six kicks in Week 5 when he filled in for the veteran. All this to say: Los Angeles is getting their special teams unit in sync, while Seattle is still searching for answers.

Failure to capitalize

Seattle has forced ten turnovers in their six games and turned their opponent over on downs four times. That’s a pretty good clip! The Seahawks are tied for 5th in takeaways per game. But when the defense gives their offense the ball back, Seattle has struggled to turn it into points. Of those fourteen occurrences, Seattle has scored on the following drive just three times, four if you count Tariq Woolen’s pick 6. After receiving the ball due to a big play by their defense, Seattle has turned it right back over four times, punted five times, and gone to halftime once if they’re unable to score. LA only turns the ball over 0.8 times per game, the second-best mark in the league. If Seattle can’t capitalize on their likely only shot at a turnover on Sunday, there’s reason to believe the Chargers will be able to right the ship.

Seahawks have 2 players among league leaders in forced fumbles

The Seahawks have several surprise standout rookies this year.

The Seahawks have several surprise standout rookies this year. A lot of the attention has gone to cornerback Tariq Woolen, who already looks like a star and currently leads the NFL in interceptions.

Fellow rookie corner Coby Bryant hasn’t shined quite as bright, but he has found one niche: forcing fumbles. Heading into Week 7 Bryant leads the league in this stat. Here’s everybody who has at least two forced fumbles so far this season.

4 key things to know about Chargers’ Week 7 opponent: Seahawks

To get you prepped for the Chargers’ Week 7 matchup with the Seahawks, here are some important things to know about them.

After defeating the Broncos, the Chargers look to make it four straight wins when they host the Seahawks this Sunday.

To get you prepped for the Week 7 bout, here are four key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.

Geno is a guy

After the marriage between the Seahawks and Russell Wilson ended, they turned to Geno Smith as the man under center. Expectations were fairly low for the 10-year veteran, but surprisingly, Smith has surpassed them. Through six games, Smith leads the NFL with a 73.4% completion rate and ranks fourth in QBR (68.3). Besides being an efficient passer, Smith has done the job with his legs, as he ranks eighth among quarterbacks in total rushing yards (125).

Dynamic wide receiver duo

Smith has benefited from having prolific pass-catchers at his disposal. Tyler Lockett (34 catches, 423 yards) and D.K. Metcalf (30 catches, 406 yards) are in the top seven in receiving yards in the NFC. A threat with the ball in his hands at all levels of the field, Lockett is averaging over 12 yards per catch and has recorded five big plays (20+ yard receptions). Meanwhile, Metcalf has a rare combination of size, speed and physicality.

Young guns

It looks like the Seahawks struck gold with their 2022 rookie class. First-round pick Charles Cross has looked every bit of a franchise left tackle. Second-round selection Boye Mafe has been a solid rotational edge defender. Their other second-rounder, Kenneth Walker, has 243 rushing yards and has scored in consecutive games. Third-round right tackle Abraham Lucas leads all rookie tackles with a pass-blocking grade of 70.5. In the backend of the defense, cornerbacks Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen have been nothing short of outstanding. Bryant leads the NFL in fumbles with four, while Woolen has the most interceptions (4) and is allowing a passer rating of 38.6 when targeted.

Suspect defense

If it weren’t for the Seahawks having a good offense, they likely wouldn’t have three wins because their defense has been shaky this season. Seattle entered Week 6 allowing the most yards per game (430) and the second-most points per game (30.8), as well as showing up poorly in other metrics, including yards per pass (8.3) and yards per rush (5.0). Last weekend in their victory over the Cardinals, the Seahawks held them to just 315 total yards and nine points, a sign of a potential turnaround. Former Chargers edge defender Uchenna Nwosu has been a bright spot, as he has 19 pressures and three sacks.

How the Seahawks finally (and surprisingly) got the draft right again

After a series of bad drafts, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider got back to basics in 2022. The results speak for themselves.

From 2010 through 2012, the Seattle Seahawks’ draft classes were the envy of the NFL. No other team had a similar knack for collecting talent, especially in the later rounds. The team that won Super Bowl XLVIII, and nearly won Super Bowl XLIX, was created to a large degree by picks outside of the first round. Kam Chancellor, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson… it was incredible how well head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider, and Seattle’s scouting staff was able to hit big on undervalued prospects.

But from 2013 through 2021 — a very long stretch for this to happen — Seattle switched its preferences from undervalued prospects to overvalued assets. Perhaps assuming that they had the major positions in the bag, and it was time for luxury picks, the Seahawks traded a lot of their first-round picks away, and they were awful at picking talent with those picks when they had them. Germain Ifedi, Rashaad Penny, L.J. Collier, Jordyn Brooks… these players were not first-round talents, the Seahawks clearly though they were, and the disconnect showed on the field, as it tends to do.

Moreover, Seattle was striking out on the late-round picks that used to work. There was the occasional hit like Tyler Lockett, Jarran Reed, and D.K. Metcalf outside of the first round, but whatever allowed Carroll and Schneider to see beyond into the third day before was officially out the door.

After a 7-10 season in 2021 — Seattle’s first losing campaign since 2011 — Carroll and Schneider met with team ownership and vowed to get things right. No longer would they overpay for boutique players who piqued their interest — now, the prospects had to fit what the Seahawks wanted to do.

The return to form has been unbelievable so far, and it may lead to this group’s most impressive draft class to date. Five of Seattle’s nine drafted players this year — left tackle Charles Cross, right tackle Abe Lucas, running back Kenneth Walker III, and cornerbacks Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen — have all exploded onto the scene.