The defense problem you choose.

[evergreen]

Pete’s lives his guys. Hurts is his guy. It’s a double edged sword. Loyal to a fault.

 

[Spin Doctor]

The Jamal Adams injury was crushing to Petes defense. He was the absolute catalyst to making it work. Without him there his D just does not work. The problem I have with Pete is it seem like there was no Plan B. He rolled the dice on one player and lost.

Was he really though? Pete openly admitted to not knowing how to use him a year and a half into having him on the team. Jamal Adams was not an equalizer here on this team when he was healthy. There were a few games he took over but most of the time he faded into the background. People around here tend to overrate Jamal Adams contributions.

 

[LTH]

I'm not going to look back and see the past few years and compare the success to what's happening now because it's a different D, and that doesn't make sense to me.

I think the issues facing this defense are continuity, experience, and executing the scheme. That's what's going on this year IMO.

For as long as I can remember the Hawks have never been lights out good the first few games.

I don't know if I am right the way I see things others than it feels right to me.

I just think there are a lot of new players on D, mixed with some vets and 2nd year players. I think some of the zone schemes they run are complicated, if they were not complicated you wouldn't see busted coverages.

I think it takes some time for everybody to learn these schemes. It takes time to play together with in these schemes to get to trust each other to where it is second nature. I think it takes time for guys like Coby Bryant and some of the younger guys to learn to play at a NFL level.

If we have learned anything at all about Pete he is a master at X's and O's and a master at Defense. I think he see's character traights in young coaches and he gives them a chance much like Bill Walsh did, like Carroll was given a chance. Sometimes these coaches make mistakes like everybody else we are all human.

It's interesting because there are a lot of judgements made about scheme. The truth is nobody really knows why the Seahawks make the choices they make with scheme. Carroll isn't being forth right with that information. The ex players don't know, the sports writers don't know, and for sure the fans don't know. It's all about perspective.
And that's just the truth.

All in all I think patience is what needs to happen to let everything fall into place.

I think this group is very well coached and is going to be a very good defensive unit. There are issues with in the D that needs to be fixed and it's just going to take the right personnel adjustments, it going to take some scheme tweaks but most of all it's going to take this team playing together as one unit and it just takes time.

Maybe it will turn out that this D is not the best D the Seahawks have ever put together. Or maybe it will be the best D the Seahawks have EVER had! what's important for everybody is the journey it takes to find out.

You guys are the most awesome fans in the NFL! You proved that tonight. I love this board and I love Seahawk football let's find out together how good this team is and let's enjoy every second of it!

LTH

 

[Dvl Dug]

Woods was a cap casualty, plus he wanted to play in a different style defense where he could be more of an attacking player and not just have to take on double teams as the nose.

MSN

Regarding Al Woods:
Cap casualty, or the Hawk's cafeteria budget running red ink?
He was a really good NT in short yardage.
Hawk's could really use that right now.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Regarding Al Woods:
Cap casualty, or the Hawk's cafeteria budget running red ink?
He was a really good NT in short yardage.
Hawk's could really use that right now.

They're stopping the run, how would Al Woods being here help with the pass rush and being better in the passing game? Dude was off the field on 3rd and longs, which is this version of the defense's problem right now. Getting off the damn field.

I see a defense that is playing an underneath zone that is giving veteran QB's like Stafford and the Galloping Ginger too much time and space to complete easy shallow crosses to pick up 1st downs.

You fix that by going press man and dropping Love down in the box, which they've also tried without success. Thus giving up a TD cause Jackson sucks and doesn't know when it's man and when it's zone.

 

[Dvl Dug]

They're stopping the run, how would Al Woods being here help with the pass rush and being better in the passing game? Dude was off the field on 3rd and longs, which is this version of the defense's problem right now. Getting off the damn field.

I see a defense that is playing an underneath zone that is giving veteran QB's like Stafford and the Galloping Ginger too much time and space to complete easy shallow crosses to pick up 1st downs.

You fix that by going press man and dropping Love down in the box, which they've also tried without success. Thus giving up a TD cause Jackson sucks and doesn't know when it's man and when it's zone.

Hawk's 3-4 has given up 5 rushing TD's in 3 games.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Hawk's 3-4 has given up 5 rushing TD's in 3 games.

Rush D is 7th in yards per game (79) and 3rd in yards per rush (2.9).

The Jets with Al Woods only playing in 30-40% of the snaps cause he's old as hell? 26th. But yeah, lets keep beating this dead horse. Reeds been arguably the best defender on the entire field so far this year. Let it go people.

 

[Dvl Dug]

Rush D is 7th in yards per game (79) and 3rd in yards per rush (2.9).

The Jets with Al Woods only playing in 30-40% of the snaps cause he's old as hell? 26th. But yeah, lets keep beating this dead horse. Reeds been arguably the best defender on the entire field so far this year. Let it go people.

I liked Al Woods as my NT.
Would prefer to see Jarran Reed back at 4-3 defense end too.
You didn't have to call me out, so maybe you should let it go, Sgt. Largent?

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I liked Al Woods as my NT.
Would prefer to see Jarran Reed back at 4-3 defense end too.
You didn't have to call me out, so maybe you should let it go, Sgt. Largent?

I liked Al Woods too until week six or seven when he'd wear down and then be obsolete for the rest of the season cause he's a 36 year old journeyman.

No one on last year's defensive line deserves our pining for their return. They were awful, WITH Al Woods..........and again, this D is playing really well against the run, so not sure why you brought him up at all.

 

[Dvl Dug]

I liked Al Woods too until week six or seven when he'd wear down and then be obsolete for the rest of the season cause he's a 36 year old journeyman.

No one on last year's defensive line deserves our pining for their return. They were awful, WITH Al Woods..........and again, this D is playing really well against the run, so not sure why you brought him up at all.

Okay, Sgt. Largent.
You win - I'm out...

 

[Maelstrom787]

Hawk's 3-4 has given up 5 rushing TD's in 3 games.

They're running more 4-3 than 3-4 right now.

 

[Mad Dog]

Defense will always be a work in progress with this much turnover. I think it’s going to take another couple weeks. And also getting Witherspoon and Woolen on the field at the same time.

I’m not a Hurtt or Pete fan when it comes to defensive philosophy but even with the frustrating conservatism, they do win games. I mean even in the LOB years, we were agonizingly bad at 3rd down defense.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

If Andy Dalton throws for 350 plus yards on us can we stop talking about how we have a bunch of stars on defense?

Yea - but TBH -

Dalton was playing Fing LIGHTS OUT against us. Looked like a late season Cardinals/Division game. Super-bowl play from someone who didn't have anything to prove - or to lose for that matter.

Seriously - he looked and played a bit possesed -

Not that we don't have issues - just sayin'

 

[m0ng0]

I chose players not because there is a lack of talent, but because there is a lack of experience and injuries. Experience comes with time and injuries happen to everybody. It's somewhere in the middle. Is it the coaches fault for not making the scheme 100% understandable yes and it's the players fault for digesting the scheme and still not making the right reads or putting the concepts into actual on field execution. It's like watching a you tube video on replacing a transmission, it seems pretty easy and then you dig in and your like oh :-/. It's a process it takes time.

 

[toffee]

I liked Al Woods too until week six or seven when he'd wear down and then be obsolete for the rest of the season cause he's a 36 year old journeyman.

No one on last year's defensive line deserves our pining for their return. They were awful, WITH Al Woods..........and again, this D is playing really well against the run, so not sure why you brought him up at all.

Using PFF as reference:

Pona: 51.1
Al Wood: 54.8
Shelby Harris: 76.1
Quentin Jefferson: 61.4

Jarran Reed: 70.5
Mario Edwards: 77.3
Dre'Mont Jones: 56.9
Cam Young: 64
Mike Morris: 63.4

Too bad Morris is out for the season.

 

[Jville]

I am perplexed with this one. Which is why I didn't offer an easy answer of BOTH. The answer is probably both, so please don't pontificate about both, but if you had to choose between the personnel and the defensive scheme and play calls i.e. to much zone not enough blitzing, or the players they keep using at certain positions what would you learned Hawk fans choose. Make an argument, for what is the biggest problem we all know it is both.

I am leaning to the scheme. Just seems like the team is always in the wrong play call or the opposition QB sees it easy and throws for a huge chunk into a open zone. I think they use to much zone very little blitzing, and are not understanding the plays called by the opposing OC.

Your chance to weigh in.

Come on Pitt and Fade I know you can write an entire book here!

Not exactly representative of an unbiased or open ended survey.

 

[hoxrox]

This defense gets an incomplete grade currently.

I'd like to see what this defense looks like with Woolen, Spoon, Adams and Brown playing. If this defense sucks with those players playing, then it's the scheme & play calling.

But with better coverage on the back end, I expect better pass rush, not only in terms of coverage sacks, but in terms of what Hurtt might be willing to call based on having more confidence in the coverage. Maybe he will be more aggressive with the blitzes?

We might not see that combination of players active until after the bye though.

 

[Jville]

Although excluded from the the survey, continuing turn over in the defensive backfield has been offered up as contributing factor in miscommunication, late reads and blown assignments. A look at 2023 snap, to date, tends to reinforce that perspective.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

This defense gets an incomplete grade currently.

I'd like to see what this defense looks like with Woolen, Spoon, Adams and Brown playing. If this defense sucks with those players playing, then it's the scheme & play calling.

But with better coverage on the back end, I expect better pass rush, not only in terms of coverage sacks, but in terms of what Hurtt might be willing to call based on having more confidence in the coverage. Maybe he will be more aggressive with the blitzes?

We might not see that combination of players active until after the bye though.

yeah this is where I'm at.

Other than their listless soft performance in the Rams game, I've seen a much tougher defense that's playing hard, causing more disruption and playing very sound against the run..........but hasn't had a chance to gel enough due to injuries at key positions for me to fully form an opinion on.

Which may be the case all year long if these injuries keep happening.

But I do like the effort and physicality of the way they're playing, so hopefully we'll see them come together and really start rolling after the bye.

 

[AROS]

Agreed. 100%. I need to see what this D looks like running on ALL 8 cylinders before I decide what I think of our 2023 defense. I do think there's a scheme/coaching issue more than a lack of talent issue, regardless.