You're evolving or you're dying

How has our defense and philosophy evolved over the years? The NFL has had years now to scout, plan and execute on ways to beat what we do. I'm not sure if the Brady superbowl was the first time or what but that game stuck out to me.

We all know how you beat our D.

How do we change what we do in the big game of chess that is pro football.

gowazzu02":sqnoscf6 said:

How has our defense and philosophy evolved over the years? The NFL has had years now to scout, plan and execute on ways to beat what we do. I'm not sure if the Brady superbowl was the first time or what but that game stuck out to me.

We all know how you beat our D.

How do we change what we do in the big game of chess that is pro football.

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Bingo!!!!!!!1

this is the big failing of Pete. The belief that everybody still has to adapt to what we do, well they did. Now we have to play catch up but they still want to act as if they are the big bully in the school yard. Belichek is the master at this, he finds a way to take away your best weapons and finds a way to poke at your weaknesses. He has the best qb of all time but he doesn't say we're going to do what we do best, he's going to use that qb to attack you at what you do worst. Petes approach worked when we were historically good on defense but those days are done. This next year is the telling year, can he right the ship or is it sinking.

You find the spots in the zone and throw the ball there, it isn't rocket science. The defense limits the big play (when all the right pieces are healthy) but teams like Atlanta can dink and dunk down the field with quick release passes and our D-Line is helpless to help out the DB's.

Really simple and easy and has NOTHING to do with how many years we have run it.

I agree on both sides of the ball.

But I fear if we want a coach that'll switch it up scheme wise year to year and even game to game, then Pete is not that guy. He believes in his systems, and will never change.

And it worked at USC and here in the beginning because Pete's systems do work..............when you have far superior athletes, speed and physicality than your opponent. But we don't have that anymore.

Part of me agrees but part of me says we just need to get better at the scheme. Richard Sherman obviously took a step back this year, is he capable of regaining his old form and shutting down half the field? Can we find someone at the other corner who might give up a play or two but will have the ball skills to create turnovers? Will Earl be able to stay healthy enough to make it a whole year without getting injured? If the answer to these questions is no then yes we probably do need to evolve but when your giving up the 3rd least amount of points in the NFL it's hard to change to much. I think the biggest problem with the defense this year was the inability to create TO's and having to be on the field more due to a lack of a run game.

Teams that hold on to the glory years too long die...simple as that!

At USC you would have almost complete player change over in 4 years and with offset league schedule an opposing player might see Pete's scheme 3 times at the most. In 4 years your division opponents have seen your stuff 8 times.

SMH.....You would swear by the posts here that we just came off a losing season. You know how many crap teams would trade to be us? Jeebus. I am aware of the weaknesses but also see a lot of strengths. This team will be strong again next season. Book it! Time for draft talk!!!!

-- Everyone defense in the league has been "figured out". Gimmick offenses in college take longer to figure out than NFL defenses, or offenses for that matter. The key to their success is execution, and having your play makers make plays. Are we so quick to forget we were the number 1 ranked scoring defense prior to losing ET? He was the ultimate eraser.

-- What this team needs to get those couple of notches back to the top, is an interior pass rusher (a Kawaan Short type), and either improved play, or better players on the corners. Lane is just too much of a wildcard for me, especially at his cap number. Maybe he does some things I don't see, but he just seems to be not he wrong end of a lot of big plays. Not sure how disciplined he is, and kind of reminds me of Cary Williams. Shead may be good enough with a better nickel and more inside pass rush.

-- Bottom line, we are close, we haven't been any more figured out than anyone else. We had figured out the Falcons offense, we just couldn't get the time to exploit it, with our inexperienced line. We don't need an overhaul, just a tune up.

Mase

Seahwkgal":u00ygflo said:

SMH.....You would swear by the posts here that we just came off a losing season. You know how many crap teams would trade to be us? Jeebus. I am aware of the weaknesses but also see a lot of strengths. This team will be strong again next season. Book it! Time for draft talk!!!!

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A season like this would be fine if it was better than the previous. Perspective is key here. We seem to be in exact same place we were last year at this time. This is hard to accept especially when it seems like the FO is ok with keeping the status quo. If everyone wants to win the division and win 1 game in the playoffs every year, more power to ya.

getnasty":2meh4z93 said:

Part of me agrees but part of me says we just need to get better at the scheme. Richard Sherman obviously took a step back this year, is he capable of regaining his old form and shutting down half the field? Can we find someone at the other corner who might give up a play or two but will have the ball skills to create turnovers? Will Earl be able to stay healthy enough to make it a whole year without getting injured? If the answer to these questions is no then yes we probably do need to evolve but when your giving up the 3rd least amount of points in the NFL it's hard to change to much. I think the biggest problem with the defense this year was the inability to create TO's and having to be on the field more due to a lack of a run game.

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He had an MCL injury for part of the year. Yet he still had 4 INTs to lead the Seahawks. http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/stats/_/name/sea/seattle-seahawks Playing hurt does cause most players to take a step back. He'll be fine once he's healthy again. Not worried about Sherman. Earl will be back too. Bigger concern is will the OL improve enough to jumpstart the running game again. That was a significant piece missing all season. If they could run better, they could have won a couple more games and possibly still be playing right now.

A good example might be Atlanta. We knew, or should have known, what their game plan was going to be, i.e., get rid of the ball fast. In the first half of the game in Seattle our pass rush was devastating but they figured it out for 21 pts in the 3rd qtr. Then we played tight and mixed coverage's. On the final series we played man and shut them down to where they had to throw that final desperation pass.

A good way to defend quick catch-and-run passes to play man or better yet press-man. It's either that or drop your LB's into zone. When we went zone they found holes in the middle of the zone and when we went man they beat some pretty tight coverage. The problem is that they were mixing it up enough to keep the defense on their heels with just-enough runs and passes to the backs. The linebackers have to quickly identify and the d-end also has to drop in coverage in situations. Unless you have defenders who are really good at press-man you can really get burned and the Seahawks conservative thinking was that they could stay close enough to have a shot.

At some point you have to gamble, the trick is, knowing when.

In the end I don't think it was a matter of them figuring out our defense as much as it was simply out-executing us.

gowazzu02":1pbw2ta5 said:

How has our defense and philosophy evolved over the years? The NFL has had years now to scout, plan and execute on ways to beat what we do. I'm not sure if the Brady superbowl was the first time or what but that game stuck out to me.

We all know how you beat our D.

How do we change what we do in the big game of chess that is pro football.

Click to expand...

The OTHER side of that argument>> Sherman Was Injured prior to that game, Chancellor was injured prior to that game, Earl Thomas was injured in that game, and adding to the Defensive woes, Cliff Avril-Out w/concussion in that game, RC was a MESS in that game, and Sherman was being moved all over the place to make up for the failed play of the RC in that game....Following year? Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman & Earl Thomas were still nursing injuries, and we STILL had no answer at RC....Kam Holdout, :177692: his replacement was a joke. NO COHESION. Shead not lighting anything or anybody up, Lane was Barely better than nothing, causing an overload on Sherman & Thomas to TRY & make up for piss poor play in the Swiss cheese Secondary, and although Steven Terrill is fast, his instincts are sorely lacking, and let's face it.... he's no Earl Thomas.
Pretty easy to game-plan against an all beat to hell Secondary especially when we don't have any viable backups, and no real Pass Rush to brag about.

Think on this....the Seahawks beat the Patriots this year, and that was WITH Gronk, & Martilius Bennett, and in THEIR back yard.....Gronkowski was injured...That's what having a healthy ET can do for ya.
Some people seem to be dismissing the fact that having just one or two of the original LOB are not playing, or that it would make that much of a difference?, but they'd be wrong.... we LOB fans should know better.