Seahawks failing on defense

Seahawks failing on defense
FRANK HUGHES; frank.hughes@thenewstribune.com
Published: September 19th, 2008 12:35 AM | Updated: September 19th, 2008 01:12 AM

RENTON – It would be one thing for the Seattle Seahawks to sustain the unusual number of injuries they have endured this season, particularly at wide receiver.

But couple that misfortune with the unforeseen debacle that their defense and special teams has been on separate occasions, and it is little wonder they are winless through their first two games.

It is the defensive lapses that have been the most unpredictable and troubling, particularly because this unit returned 11 starters from a team that nearly set a franchise record for fewest points allowed in a season.

Even as the offense struggled to answer its many questions in the early stages of the season, the defense was supposed to be the ballast, its familiarity with one another a strength.

Instead, the Seahawks are relinquishing 33.5 points a game, tied for 28th in the league, a far cry from what they anticipated.

Sure, some of those points can be pinned on the special teams in the loss to Buffalo in the opener.

But there is no explaining the defensive malfunctions witnessed against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, when Isaac Bruce was made to look like the Isaac Bruce from 1995, and J.T. O’Sullivan resembled Joe Montana.

The primary focus of Seattle’s secondary last season was to prevent the big play, something seen all too often when Michael Boulware was playing safety. They were successful, giving up only three plays last season that could be considered big, finishing among the top five in the NFL in that category.

But last week, Bruce was seen zipping past Marcus Trufant. He blasted past Josh Wilson. Bryant Johnson was all over the field. Touchdowns were plentiful. Yards were easily obtained. And the secondary’s reputation was in tatters.

“I don’t really want to make excuses,” free safety Brian Russell said. “We just didn’t exactly get it done. That sounds very vague. But we don’t have anybody who has completely blown it, we just weren’t sharp and detailed enough last week.”

Defensive coordinator John Marshall said the defense did not have blown assignments as much as players didn’t trust teammates and overcompensated in their own areas to make up for what they perceived as a shortcoming somewhere else.

On Bruce’s 63-yard reception in the first half, safety Deon Grant rolled up to help Trufant, leaving the back exposed.

“We didn’t make plays at the ball,” Marshall said. “Really, there is no secret. Guys didn’t blow assignments or anything like that. They were right there in some cases, close enough to make the play.

“But there is no secret about last week. The players know that. It is just a matter of making plays. I wish I could give you some sort of guru type of thing.”

Russell said that with the defensive front getting eight sacks and applying continual pressure on O’Sullivan, the defensive backs played too loosely on the receivers.

Conversely, middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu said that if the pass rush is going to record that many sacks, it needs to create more turnovers.

So far this season, the defense has zero interceptions and just one fumble recovery, which Craig Terrill returned for a touchdown against the Niners. Their minus-4 turnover differential ranks last in the NFL.

“We need at least three turnovers to get a win in this league,” Tatupu said. “With eight sacks, you would really like to get the ball out even more. We just have to keep focusing on it and they will start coming.”

Tatupu also said the defense needs to do a better job of getting stops on third down. Tatupu was upset in particular about San Francisco’s final drive of regulation and its first drive in overtime, when the defense was unable to get the ball back for the offense, in part because the 49ers kept converting on third down.

On one of those, third-and-7 from their own 23, O’Sullivan completed a 33-yard pass to Bruce, who had beat Wilson.

“We really put Josh in a tough situation on that long pass,” Tatupu said. “That was a veteran receiver not showing his hand until late and Josh was in his pocket running right down the field with him. If the pressure gets there, Josh has a chance to make a play. The front seven kind of hung him out to dry.

“Other times, guys just have to make plays. When we needed to, we just didn’t make a play.”




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