Good news: the Seahawks had a secret superstar in QB Geno Smith and are among the top offenses in the NFL this year. Bad news: they also have one of the worst defensive units. After four weeks only the Lions are allowing more points and yards per game and Seattle ranks last in defensive DVOA.
On Monday coach Pete Carroll was asked about potential personnel changes on defense. Here’s what he said, per Gregg Bell at the News Tribune.
“We’re still competing. We’ve still got some competition that’s why we’re rolling guys around to see who’s starting. All of our guys are going to keep playing. The guys that have been in there, I think Mafe played 30-something, 34 plays or something like that. That’s getting going. We need more and we’ll keep rolling the guys and making sure that we are trying to keep our guys fresh… I think we just need time to keep working and keep finding our way and making sure we are getting all the right info so we can make the right choices. But now, most everybody that you have seen rotate are going to continue to do so.”
Odds are this defense would look pretty awful no matter what, but injuries have of course played a role in their struggles. The biggest issue has been the absence of Jamal Adams, who suffered a torn quad in Week 1 and is likely done of the season. He’s been replaced by Josh Jones, who thrived during the preseason but has become the weakest link for the secondary.
Another major hole is on the edge, where Darrell Taylor might be the most disappointing player of the season so far. He’s graded out as their worst defender by PFF and had been replaced by Darryl Johnson. However, he’s suffered a significant foot injury so the Seahawks will have to improvise again. Getting Boye Mafe more snaps is the right idea, but it won’t be enough to turn around such an atrocious unit.
