NFL Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks’ Brandon Mebane Quietly Having His Best Season

Fresh Videos

By

brandon mebane seattle seahawks

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive tackles rarely get very much attention. They don’t have flashy statistics. They don’t receive many accolades, but good defensive tackles are often on teams with good defenses, and it’s not a coincidence. Consider the Seattle Seahawks, a team that is often labeled as an elite defense with big names in the secondary. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor may receive most of the praise, but the most consistent player on Seattle’s defense is defensive tackle Brandon Mebane.

Mebane and center Max Unger are the only two current Seahawks who were on the team before head coach Pete Carroll took over in 2010. The eighth-year player out of the University of California has been one of the most underrated players in the entire NFL. He’s never made a Pro Bowl, but he’s been one of the better defensive tackles in the league since his rookie year in 2007.

This year is no different, and I would say that this has been the best season of his career.

If you go back and watch Seattle’s games from this year, Mebane is constantly controlling the line of scrimmage and often finds himself in the backfield. He only has one sack and four tackles for loss, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. His position is all about disrupting the defense and freeing up other players to make the tackle. Nobody does this better than Mebane.

It’s dirty work, and it honestly should get a lot more praise than it does. He’s the main reason why Seattle’s defense is ranked fourth in the league against the run.

Not only has he played great, but Mebane has one of the very best but rarely seen celebrations in all of football. His signature “belly roll” that’s inspired by the rapper MC Hammer only comes out whenever the big 311-pound lineman makes a big play in the backfield. It may be a rare sight, especially for non-Seahawks fans, because he doesn’t make many tackles, but it’s special every time. Mebane’s dance can be described with the same word as his play: underappreciated.

Connor Frederickson is a Seattle Seahawks Writer for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @cfredrun or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on