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Brandon Mebane’s Injury Is A Huge Blow For Seattle Seahawks

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Brandon Mebane Seattle Seahawks

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Less than a week after I wrote this article on how Seattle Seahawks‘ Brandon Mebane was having his best season, the underappreciated defensive tackle is done for the year with a hamstring strain. While strong safety Kam Chancellor and linebacker Bobby Wagner are both expected back soon, this injury serves as a huge blow for Seattle’s defense. You just can’t replace 6-foot-1 and 311 pounds.

Mebane was the biggest reason why the Seahawks are ranked fourth against the run thus far this year. His big body allows him to control the line of scrimmage and take on more than one blocker. Before straining his hamstring on Sunday, Mebane was having his way with the New York Giants‘ offensive line. Losing this unique feature is going to be extremely difficult for the Seahawks to overcome. Seattle has never been without the eighth-year veteran for more than four games out of a season, so this is new territory for the team.

While Pete Carroll and his coaching staff are usually hesitant to change schemes, it’s hard to think they won’t with this big of a loss. It will be up to Kevin Williams, Jordan Hill and Tony McDaniel to replicate Mebane’s production, but none of their body types are close to his. Newly-acquired Demarcus Dobbs could also factor into the equation. It’s also likely that the Seahawks will try to sign someone else to enter the rotation on the defensive line. Free agent Michael Brooks worked out for the team today.

Another option that Seattle has is to move defensive end Michael Bennett inside as a hybrid tackle/end, which he’s done in the past at times. This would likely be in pass situations, though, as Bennett lacks the ideal size to match up with guards and centers.

Expect all of the above to happen as the Seahawks scramble to find a way to replace their most reliable force on defense. There’s no doubt that opponents will try to exploit this hole in Seattle’s defensive line by running up the middle. It’s how the Seahawks combat it that will determine how they fare the rest of the season. It’s going to take some creativity to replace one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league. One thing is for sure: All fans miss the belly-roll.

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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