Shaquill Griffin Envisions Revamped Seahawks' Secondary Becoming NFL's Best
RENTON, WA - Though they have only been teammates for a couple of weeks and have played a grand total of three practices together, it hasn't taken long for Shaquill Griffin to figure out why the Seahawks traded a boatload of draft picks for Jamal Adams.
"It's a different type of energy when it comes to Jamal," Griffin smiled when asked about the impact Adams would have on Seattle's defense. "Me and Quandre [Diggs] were talking about the other day, you have to be ready to come play with Jamal, because he's a different type of vibe, different type of energy, he's always wanting to be ready. So as a defense, as a secondary, we all want to be able to match that."
As has been evident since Adams himself met with local media for the first time, the fourth-year safety oozes of enthusiasm and passion for the game of football. It's just one of the several reasons why Seattle didn't bat an eye at sending two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and veteran Bradley McDougald to New York to acquire the First-Team All-Pro late last month.
While the Seahawks have yet to bust out pads yet in training camp, Griffin already has been impressed by many of Adams' tools on display at practice this week. His aggressive nature has shown up even in OTA-style practices with just helmets, jerseys, and shorts, particularly when it comes to playing near the line of scrimmage. But the third-year cornerback knows he offers far more than simply being a box safety.
"We got a person who loves to blitz, he knows how to hit home," Griffin assessed. "But he knows how to cover a lot of ground. We can put him in the box, he's going to tackle - we know he's going to do that. But understand, he's got so much range to the point where we're gonna be able to play for each other."
If there was an underlying theme to Griffin's press conference on Friday, it revolved around trust.
He spoke from the heart about his struggles at UCF while playing under hard-nosed coach George Leary, who required him to cut his dreadlocks, before eventually finding the coach he always wanted in Pete Carroll in Seattle. He also touched on his contract several times, saying he expects the process to play out as it's supposed to and his focus remains solely on helping the Seahawks win games.
Most notably, Griffin seemed to emphasize players having each others backs on the field and trusting teammates to handle their respective assignments, which is interesting given his prior comments during Super Bowl week. Back in February, he told Joe Fann of NBC Sports Northwest he had interest in "traveling" away from his left cornerback position, something Seattle has rarely done with Carroll on the sidelines.
But with the arrival of Adams and cornerback Quinton Dunbar along with Diggs returning for his first full season with the organization, Griffin's tune has changed. With an improved supporting cast around him, he's far more comfortable staying put and no longer thinks it's necessary for him to move with top receivers.
"The coaches believe in all the players we have," Griffin explained. "When it comes to me, Tre Flowers, or Quinton Dunbar and Jamal Adams, the main thing is they trust us as a defense. When I'm saying that, I feel like there's no need for me to travel unless it's some situation where we have to make an adjustment... We got all the guys we need and we can make it work no matter who's out there."
Now the elder statesman of the post-Legion of Boom secondary at 25 years of age, Griffin hasn't had an elite talent the caliber of Adams playing alongside him since he played a handful of games with Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas as a rookie. The star safety's playmaking presence teaming up with Diggs will instantly make life easier for Griffin, Dunbar, and Flowers on the outside and have a positive effect on Seattle's defense as a whole.
With less than a month remaining until the season opener, Griffin knows it will take time for the revamped secondary to mesh, particularly after having no on-field work this offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But looking at the overall talent and depth the Seahawks now boast at cornerback and safety, he believes something special could be brewing in the Pacific Northwest.
"We got some cool pieces added on to it - Quinton Dunbar, Jamal Adams, some pieces that are going to change our defense in the long run. And we still got some great guys here, me, Quandre Diggs, Marquise Blair, Tre Flowers, you got Neiko Thorpe, we got so many great guys to kind of just wrap this around. We've been looking for the best secondary, and I feel that we finally have that, and that's the cool thing to say. We're still working with each other, learning each other and it's a cool process to be a part of."
