Tag: pass rush

Seattle Seahawks’ pass rush is finally coming together

The Seattle Seahawks’ pass rush efforts got off to a slow start this season but things are improving in the second half of the year.

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The Seattle Seahawks got off to a slow start this season as far as the pass rush is concerned despite the offseason additions of Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney.

Things changed dramatically against the 49ers in primetime, when Seattle was finally able to make an impact.

Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. isn’t worried about the Seahawks production going forward.

“You just know, any time you play this game for a while, at some point, it’s going to all come together,” Norton told reporters Wednesday. “The guys have been working really hard at it. Hard work pays off. The main thing you’ve got to do is just keep on hitting it. You don’t know when it’s going to happen, but all of the sudden, it comes in bunches and they really put it together. The guys, they played well.”

Clowney, in particular, had himself an impressive outing, logging five tackles, five hits on the quarterback, a forced fumble and a defensive touchdown – earning him the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week.

“He was disruptive,” Norton said. “You just want to see that on consistency. You don’t want to be one of those hash in the pan nights. You want to consistently effect the quarterback. Consistently make the guys around you better. Let’s bottle that up and do that every week.”

The Seahawks hit the road this weekend to face off against the Eagles and Carson Wentz – who Norton and the defense will be eyeing closely.

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Seahawks to expand Shaquem Griffin’s role on defense

Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Shaquem Griffin will continue to see his role expanded this year, likely at the expense of veteran Ziggy Ansah.

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The Seattle Seahawks finally unleashed Shaquem Griffin on the defensive side of the ball against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, giving him 14 snaps as a pass rusher off the edge.

Although he did not record any statistics, Griffin performed well enough to earn more opportunities, according to coach Pete Carroll.

“The thing that he really brings is a whole level of speed and activity that we like,” Carroll said on Monday. “We’ve been working him in practice. We just want to continue to expand that and see how that goes. We have to use him better. As we see him, we’re learning more about what we can do with him. He was a good addition, I thought.”

Griffin’s expanded role will almost certainly come at the expense of veteran Ziggy Ansah, who has struggled mightily in his first season with the Seahawks.

Ansah and Griffin tied with 14 defensive snaps apiece against San Francisco, and Ansah never returned to the game after committing a neutral zone infraction late in the contest. His poor showing this season is starting to catch up with him, and Carroll made it clear his playing time is no longer guaranteed.

“We’ve got to look at Shaquem and make some time,” Carroll continued. “It’s just about reps and competing.”

Griffin and Ansah will likely both get opportunities to rush the passer on Sunday against the Eagles, and how they perform will dictate their playing time going forward.

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