If you don't like our defense then
you can geeett out!
Dave Boling of the TNT suggested the Seahawks might need a rebuild.
…there’s a lot of healing and rebuilding to be done before the Seahawks have any hope of seeing Pittsburgh – or anybody else – in another Super Bowl for a while.
While I agree with the “healing”, I would argue the personnel is largely there to make a run in 2009.
To Continue...
DEFENSE
There’s no question that the Seahawks defense was awful last year. Flashes of brilliance, such as a Josh Wilson interception, were often negated by deep balls on third and long for the next defensive stand.
Statistics can’t justly sum up a season, but one comes pretty damn close for the Seahawks’ ill-fated defense.
Time of possession. In 2008, the opposing team controlled the ball for seven minutes longer than the Seahawks. To give it a little perspective, the worst team in Seahawks history averaged only two less minutes of possession than their opponents per game . In 2007, a team with the exact same defensive starters, the Seahawks possessed the ball for an average of only 23 seconds less than their opponents.
For god’s sake, the Detroit Lions held the ball a minute longer than the Seahawks in 2008
Seven minutes is crazy. Opposing teams also managed 56 more first downs than the Seahawks. In 2007, the Hawks had 58 MORE first downs than their opponents with Hasselbeck and friends manning the helm.
The fact is, the Seahawks’ defense was hampered by a terrible offense, filled with back-ups and practice-squad-caliber replacements. That isn’t to say the defense should be let off the hook entirely, but I would be more inclined to call 2008 an aberration.
The defense was great in 2007 and returned all 11 starters for 2008. However, the one major difference proved to be the crippling offensive injuries, and also to a few key players on defense such as Patrick Kerney, Lofa Tatupu (who wore a cast for much of the season, and Marcus Trufant (who also wore a cast).
Other reasons for the 2008 decline included a secondary collapse, which I wrote about here, questionable play-calling by ex-defensive coordinator John Marshall and the inability to apply pressure with the front four. Expect the pressure issue to be addressed in the offseason, much like what we did to the secondary in 2007.
So is this a rebuild year on defense? I don't think so.
OUTLOOK:
The Seahawks’ defense was built around small, speedy players swarming the football. It’s been said many times that a small defense tires quicker into the game. For the Seahawks, this proved costly for most of the season.
As long as our west coast offense can move the ball, we should see much better results from the defense next season.
Most of the 11 starters will return, but I would like to see a few key upgrades.
Defensive Tackle: The Seahawks will need to find a new DT to start next to Mebane because Rocky Bernard will likely leave in free agency in the offseason. Bringing in an experienced 3-tech DT with solid pass rush skills would complement Mebane’s dominance in the interior. I wouldn’t be surprised if simply upgrading the position drastically improves the defense in 2008, with a cover-2 defense thriving on pressure.
Here is a list of free agent DTs I looked at who would be viable options for the Seahawks.
Defensive back: The Seahawks could use an upgrade at FS with Brian Russell struggling in 2008. However, Mora believes in Russell and it appears the Seahawks will retain him for 2009. At 30, he still has a few good years left in him, but who knows how good he can be. At least he can stay healthy.
The Seahawks could also use an upgrade at cornerback, with Jennings and Wilson fighting for the starting job in 2008. Wilson proved to be the better of the two, but might not be the long-term solution. He did show signs of drastic improvement in 2008 but there were also times where his size limited him. At 5-9, Wilson will have a tough time covering a lot of the tall receivers in the league. However, I’d be fine with Wilson starting next season, especially if the Hawks move to a tampa-2 style defense, where shutdown corners are a luxury.
Conclusion. Assuming the team stays healthy next season, expect a night and day difference between the 08 and 09 defenses.
Part II
