The Seattle Seahawks have made a name for themselves this season with their defense, which has been christened the “Dark Side.”
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The Seahawks led the NFL this season in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 17.2 points per game. They were also sixth with 285.6 yards of offense allowed per game, and they were especially tough against the run, ranking third with just 91.9 rushing yards allowed per game.
At each level on defense, the Seahawks make life difficult for their opponents, which is something that stands out to NFL Network reporter Steve Wyche.
“Universally, the people I’ve talked to – and this is from different teams across the league – is they line up and they beat the (heck) out of you,” Wyche said this week on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “From the defensive front to the linebackers to the secondary, they are so stacked, but they don’t have to pull out a bunch of magic to make it happen because their players play so violently, they play so well, and they play so well together.”
That’s especially true in the secondary, where the Seahawks have something that no other defense in the NFL can lay claim to, according to Wyche. They have not just one but two defensive backs that can play all over the field and hit above their weight class: cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who has been a Pro Bowler in each of his three seasons, and rookie Swiss Army knife Nick Emmanwori.
“They can do so many variable things with (Emmanwori) and Devon Witherspoon,” Wyche said. “They’ve got two aces in their hand that no (other) team has. One team might have one ace – you know, the Chargers have Derwin James. But to have two of those guys who you can match up because they can cover (receivers), they can play linebacker responsibilities, that opens up a world of potential when teams try to come up with some of these gimmick packages and things like that.”
Wyche had high praise for Emmanwori in particular, making quite between the second-round pick out of South Carolina and a Seahawks legend.
“That dude, I mean, he’s Kam Chancellor with more speed and more pass coverage ability,” he said. “I think he’s somebody in future years that’s going to be challenging for the Defensive Player of the Year (award).”
Hear the full Wyman and Bob conversation with NFL Network’s Steve Wyche in the podcast at this link or the player below. Catch Wyman and Bob from 2-7 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.
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