SFLSaint09":1amxg0c7 said:
We know the secondary, even with injuries & suspensions, is pretty good for Seattle, what about the front 7? I know Clemens, Avril are decent/good, haven't seen much of Avril play play though. Always felt he was overrated in Detroit with Suh & Fairley taking the blocks, leaving him to make plays, but again never paid much attention to him in SEA or DET. Just know the Saints are one of, if not the best, screen teams in the league. Especially when Drew isn't getting the looks down field or pressure is getting to him, CSP will mix in a few well timed screens. How does your front 7 hold up to screens & dump off plays? Cuz I can almost guarantee there will be a few.......
The Seahawks Front 7 is very, very good. Pete Carroll's philosophy of defense is -- speed and quickness. That's the mantra. The ability to recognize, diagnose, react, and flow to the ball very quickly (swarm) it very much a Pete Carroll philosophy. Speed, speed, speed is what he emphasizes a lot and he has constructed his defense accordingly. In general, they tend to rotate guys in and out along the Defensive Line, so you're going to see different guys throughout the game.
As far as Pete Carroll's Defense itself is concerned, as I mentioned it's unlike anything you've seen traditionally in the NFL and unless you've watched a lot of USC football throughout the years, you may not be familiar with it. I would highly recommend going back to the link that I posted (I think it was page 9) on the Field Gulls article on the Introduction to the Seahawks Defense. It's a good read.
Starting with the LB's, a genuine case could be made that MLB Bobby Wagner deserved to be Defensive Rookie of the Year. He diagnoses very quickly, flows to the ball well, and is a sure tackler. KJ Wright is a very underrated LB -- big, strong, powerful yet quick. Good in coverage and strong in run support as well. Bruce Irvin is a guy who was a LEO last year and they moved to WILL with the hopes of using his quickness and speed in coverage, flowing to the ball in run support, and rushing the passer as well. Many people laughed when the Hawks took him #14 overall in the draft last year. Well, they stopped laughing after he tallied 8 sacks last year to lead all NFL rookies.
On Seattle’s Front 4, the Seahawks have a good mix of guys who can both rush the passer and stop the run. DE Red Bryant was a guy who, before Pete Carroll took over, was on the verge of being cut. He was too big and too slow for a traditional DE, but Pete thought he’d be the perfect Elephant -- a run stuffing DE from the 5 Technique. He’s become a lynchpin of the Hawks run defense. DT Brandon Mebane is a run stuffer who’s capable of taking over a game and dominating against the run (though I’ve not seen him do that too many times this year myself.) DT’s Clinton McDonald and Tony McDaniel are really almost mirror images of one another (to me at least). Those 2 have been very pleasant surprises in my book, as both have been very good against both the run and have shown pass rush ability. As mentioned above, both were key players in the Hawks win over the Vikings.
As I’ve mentioned a few times before, the Seahawks have an almost embarrassment of wealth when it comes to Pass Rushers. Seattle can really get after the QB. Since 2010 under Carroll, Seattle fans have gotten used to seeing the LEO -- a quick pass rusher lined up outside on the wide 9 technique. This year though, they’ve gotten pressure all up and down that D-Line. Interestingly enough though as you look at the stats, you’re not going to find a guy that really stands out who’s among the NFL leaders in sacks. That’s because Seattle almost has TOO MANY guys who can rush the QB. It’s almost like a guy like Chris Clemons will beat his guy for a sure sack … only to find someone else has already beaten him to the QB. Poor O’Brien Schofield is a guy who was very impressive earlier this season, rushing the passer from the LEO position and showing a lot of quickness getting to the ball. Now that Clemons and Irvin are back, he can’t get on the field, as there’s just no room for playing time for him. He’s been on the Inactive List for the past several games. After his knee surgery, I would say Chris Clemons (based upon my eyeball test) is probably 90-95% of his old self. Still, 90-95% of Chris Clemons is a dangerous pass rusher.
Since you asked about him specifically, Cliff Avril has been a bad, bad man on that defense -- very good rushing the QB, very disruptive, and has caused his share of strip sacks and turnovers. He’s been a beast. This is a Seattle group that causes a lot of turnovers and he's certainly been a big part of it. Great signing by the Seahawks.
The most dangerous guy on that defensive front this year has definitely been Michael Bennett (who was originally discovered as an UDFA by former coach Jim Mora in 2009, left after the cutdown to 53 that year for Tampa Bay, and quietly dominated over there. I couldn’t believe they let that guy get away then, but am sure glad he’s back now) I was one who was VERY excited that the Seahawks actually decided to pursue him in FA and around here at Seahawks.net, but one of the ones driving that bandwagon to go get this guy back. What makes him so dangerous is that you can play him both inside and outside (DT, DE, anywhere on the line) and he is so disruptive. He can get to the QB, penetrate in to the backfield and drop the RB for a loss -- you’ve simply gotta account for this guy. He’s only on a 1 year deal, but there’s not a chance in Hell that he’s not back next year.
Regarding your question about screens and how the Seahawks deal with those. I can pretty much tell you from watching this team all year -- I wouldn’t run them all that much. This group recognizes very quickly and is so fast getting to the ball (and you’re going to see this on Monday) … that they generally blow those up with great regularity. Because of that team speed and recognition, if you were going to attack them, go right at them instead of trying to get too cute. As I said though, they’ve been pretty good in the frontal assault of late. Should be an interesting matchup for sure.
