NFL Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks Restoring Swagger On Defense

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Defense wins championships. That was certainly the case last season when the Seattle Seahawks took home their first Super Bowl trophy in franchise history after a 43-8 mauling of the Denver Broncos. Seattle’s defense had an incredible season last year and was arguably one of the best defenses in NFL history. With essentially all of the same starters on defense this year, many expected that unit to replicate the success of 2013 in 2014. However, the Seahawks haven’t been able to do so thus far this season.

Why? It’s a combination of things, but the primary factor has to do with the lack of depth at each position. The team may have the same starters, but Pete Carroll and his coaching staff like to rotate players often throughout the game. Defensive linemen Red Bryant, Chris Clemons and Clinton McDonald and cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond III all departed for other teams this offseason. As a result, the players who are now in that second and third string rotation are younger and less experienced. Tack on a few key injuries and the problem becomes exponential. Undrafted rookies like linebacker Brock Coyle and slot cornerback Marcus Burley have had to step up and start games because of a combination of injuries and lack of depth.

But these players are finally getting some good game experience, and the defense has started to turn the corner. One of the things that Carroll preaches is that “it’s all about the ball.” Translation: He wants to cause turnovers on defense and control the ball on offense. After only causing five turnovers in the first six games, Seattle has forced seven turnovers and has a 3-0 record the past three games.

Not only are they starting to create some takeaways, but the Seahawks are also just playing better and cleaner on defense. The tackling of some of the younger players has improved and the pass rush has started to come along, which in turn helps generate better opportunities to produce turnovers. It’s a cycle that once started is difficult to stop, especially since they should be getting healthier in the next few weeks. Linebackers Bobby Wagner and Malcolm Smith as well as safety Kam Chancellor are scheduled to be back in the coming weeks, so that should only improve the defense even more.

In other words, the ball is starting to bounce Seattle’s way (in a few ways) and things are looking up for the defending champions largely because of a defensive resurgence. With that some confidence and swagger has been restored in the Pacific Northwest, which is something that is part of Seahawks football. The defense and their swagger will need to continue to step up in this upcoming stretch, with four of the last seven games on the road, and five of the last six games are division games. How they perform will dictate where the Seahawks finish in the standings this season.

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.

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