Seahawks Searching for Consistency on Defense

With several newcomers trying to get acclimatized to a new scheme and young players still finding their footing, Seattle’s performance slowing down opposing offenses has been hit-and-miss through seven games.

Approaching the midway point of the 2019 season, the Seahawks have managed to win five of their first seven games thanks in large part to the heroics of quarterback Russell Wilson and a bit of luck.

However, the Seahawks haven’t been near as dominant as previous seasons on defense, ranking 21st in scoring defense.

The unit has had its moments, such as creating four turnovers and holding Cleveland to only eight points during the second half of a Week 6 victory. Even during last Sunday’s loss to Baltimore, Seattle only yielded 16 points on defense and didn’t spot the opposition 14 points off of turnovers.

But in contrast, the Seahawks surrendered 20 quick points during that same game against the Browns. The Rams scored two touchdowns on quick drives before and after halftime at CenturyLink Field one week earlier, turning a 14-6 lead into a 20-14 deficit in a matter of minutes.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner has been encouraged by some of what he’s seen so far this year, but finding a semblance of consistency remains an issue for the Seahawks defense.

“We have had some good games, we’ve had some not so great games.” Wagner said on Wednesday. “I think the consistency is where I would love to see us improve. Where week in, week out, you know what you’re getting, everybody’s on the same page, and that’s what I feel the great defenses are.”

As one of only three players remaining from the franchise’s last Super Bowl team, Wagner would know what defensive consistency looks like. During his first four NFL seasons, the Seahawks led the league in scoring defense, including giving up just 14.3 points per game in 2013.

But many of the stars that surrounded Wagner back then no longer reside in Seattle and he’s been charged with the task of quarterbacking the defense with new players seemingly checking into the lineup on a weekly basis over the past couple of years.

Wagner admitted this year has been a bit easier because, unlike 2018, he hasn’t had a rotating group of linebackers surrounding him. Back healthy after missing 11 regular season games last year with a knee injury, K.J. Wright’s return to the lineup has simplified things quite a bit in that regard.

“My communication doesn’t change, it’s just who I’m communicating with does. So, I think as guys come in, you just have to up your communication to make sure that you don’t get used to or rely on, like me playing with K.J. so long that there’s a lot of nonverbal communication that we have. You have to kind of retrain your brain to voice some of those things you’re thinking, and do your best to help them and try to slow the game down for them.”

While Wright and Mychal Kendricks have brought stability at linebacker, Wagner has still had plenty of newcomers to help get up to speed. Citing a few examples, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney had limited practice time to try and learn a new scheme, while rookie safety Marquise Blair needed guidance lining up properly in his first NFL start last weekend.

When asked what has held Seattle back from a consistency standpoint, Wagner indicated the relative newness of the group and lack of experience playing together still may be factoring in.

“I think maybe having a bunch of guys that are new to playing with each other. You’ve got to build that trust. There’s a lot of different things, you have to have a group of guys buy in on the style of defense you play, and the standard that you set.”

These changes have been especially evident with Seattle’s pass rush, which has produced just 11.0 sacks through seven games despite adding Clowney and Ziggy Ansah during the offseason. Both of those players were expected to go through growing pains and losing Jarran Reed to a six-game suspension didn’t help, but the inability to pressure quarterbacks has been discouraging.

The Seahawks have also had plenty of upheaval in the secondary after losing Earl Thomas in free agency. With Tedric Thompson struggling as a replacement and Bradley McDougald nursing a back injury, the team acquired versatile defender Quandre Diggs from the Lions on Tuesday with hopes he can help fill the void.

Now immune to all the personnel changes, Wagner knows the drill integrating a new player to a defense on the fly all too well. Even for an experienced starter like Diggs, he says the trick is not trying to do too much and leaning on the seasoned veterans who understand the scheme inside and out.

“My thing is just letting him know that you don’t have to sit there and cram every single defense in his head because it’s impossible to do that and play well that week. I try to tell anybody that comes in to just try to lean on the communication that we’re going to have out there on the field because we communicate a lot and it makes the game easier.”

The only constant for the Seahawks defense over the past few years has been change, whether its been through trades, signing free agents, or suspensions. But as the undisputed leader of the defense, Wagner has embraced it.

Looking at the talent around him, especially after acquiring Diggs and bringing back Reed, there’s no question in his mind that as long as they discover consistency, the unit will come together and become a formidable force in the second half of the season.