One guy who would know is former Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright.
The Seahawks once again have a below-average defense, despite having plenty of talent at all three levels. If we go by scoring defense, they’re currently giving up 24.2 points per game, which ranks 25th in the league. Going by defensive DVOA they rank 24th.
Their pass rush is inconsistent, they can’t cover any wide receivers who are worth a spit and they’re also one of the worst tackling teams in the league, with only three teams missing more tackle attempts this season going into Week 14. So, what’s going on?
One guy who would know is former Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright. In his show on ESPN earlier this week Wright went in-depth on the team’s communication issues on defense. Among the problems, he says pre-snap communication is almost non-existent. Watch.
Apparently we can add standout rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon’s voice to that chorus.
The Seahawks are a zone team. Under Pete Carroll, they have always been a zone team. It doesn’t matter how much defensive talent they have, or who the defensive coordinator is – the scheme is and has always been primarily about playing zone, keeping the ball in front of them and rallying to make stops. Unfortunately, over the last six years that just hasn’t worked out very well – in large part because the Seahawks simply aren’t getting enough pressure with a four-man rush to make a zone-heavy defense work.
Calls for Seattle to embrace playing 1-on-1 are getting louder as the season progresses. Apparently we can add standout rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon’s voice to that chorus.
Watch Witherspoon rage on the sidelines as the Seahawks’ zone continually got beat last week by the 49ers.
Spoon: “why can’t we just do what we normally do and man they ass up”
Of course it’s easy for Spoon to say as he’s better-suited to play man defense than anyone else on the roster. Guys like Tre Brown and Jordyn Brooks might not do as well.
That said, the way things are going the Seahawks have to try something different to try to shake things up and change their fortunes. Manning up against Dallas might be a good place to start.
If the eyeball test hasn’t told you that Devon Witherspoon is already the best cornerback in football, then maybe you’ll believe Pro Football Focus.
There is a shockwave currently spreading across the NFL. The source is the impact of Seahawks rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon. After sitting out Week 1, Witherspoon made his debut against the Lions the following week. In the five games he’s played since, Witherspoon has already established himself as one of the game’s most-disruptive defenders.
There will be plenty of time to compare Witherspoon to other great athletes around the NFL, perhaps even the likes of Patrick Mahomes. For now, let’s keep the comparisons confined to cornerbacks. In that race, Witherspoon is winning by a comfortable margin. If the eyeball test hasn’t told you already that Witherspoon is the best cornerback in football, then you could believe Pro Football Focus.
First of all, it’s nuts for a rookie cornerback to be grading out this well after just a handful of games. Even the most promising defensive backs tend to struggle when they first come into the league. Ask Seahawks strong safety Jamal Adams and he’d literally tell you he was ass in his first year.
Aside from his incredibly rare early success, what makes Witherspoon unique is his ability to affect every phase of the game. Witherspoon’s run defense grade (90.2) ranks fourth at his position. His pass rush grade (92.2) ranks first and he’s currently No. 10 in coverage (80.8). And those are only the plays that count. This past week alone Witherspoon had a sack, an interception and a short but electrifying return taken away due to questionable penalties.
Witherspoon’s brilliance has clearly inspired the rest of the defense to raise their game, as well. While it’s hard to quantify that kind of thing, we see some evidence of this in the advanced stats. Since No. 21 made his debut only the Browns defense has a better EPA/play.
The Seahawks defense ranks 2nd in the NFL in EPA/play since Devon Witherspoon stepped on the field
Five games is still a small sample size, but it’s already impossible to ignore Witherspoon’s potential. For a defensive back to thrive in so many ways this early in his career is unprecedented, at least in this era.
Right now, it’s easy to see Witherspoon is the best cornerback in the league. If he continues playing like this much longer, soon we’ll have to discuss whether he’s already the best defender in the NFL at any position.
Perhaps this week he can match-up with St. Brown slow him down.
The high-powered Detroit Lions offense will be looking to scorch the Seattle Seahawks in the passing game this week, so stopping star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown needs to be defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt’s primary agenda this weekend.
St. Brown had a field day in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, totaling 71 yards and one touchdown. However, the Seahawks have something KC doesn’t in Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen. Perhaps this week he can matchup with St. Brown and slow him down.
Schematically, Seattle needs to abandon that soft cover 2 zone we saw against the Los Angeles Rams and revert to more man coverage with blitzing.
Woolen and other key defenders will also have to step up, as Seattle’s defense was absolutely null and void in Week 1 and heading into Week 2 linebacker Bobby Wagner has been vocal about increased expectations.
Despite Detroit’s upset victory over the reigning champs, the Lions weren’t particularly great on third-down (5/15) last week. Maybe this week the Seahawks will make a statement and pull off an upset of their own.
The Seahawks laid an egg in their first game of the 2023 NFL season, losing at home to the Rams by 17 points. Numbers never tell the full story of how a team is doing, but sometimes they are pretty on the nose. In this team’s case, their poor rankings in a number of important metrics are pretty revealing about just how bad Sunday’s loss really was. Let’s dive in.
Here’s where Seattle ranks statistically in 10 key traditional numbers going into Week 2.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
