I gotta confession. I have a deep-seated prejudice against 3-4 defenses. They don’t sound as tough as 4-3 defenses do. Just think about the simple math.

Would you rather play a defense that has four horses up front, or three with a bunch of ponies behind them? The choice is simple for me; give me more horses.

Last year, it sucked watching the Seahawks defense as they transitioned to a 3-4. Simply put, they could stop not the run. Cody Barton looked like the lead singer of Cody And The Keystone Cops playing against the run. They looked like bozos.

I loudly pined for a return of Pete Carroll’s “old scheme.” I needed it. My whole existence as a Seahawks fan was swimming in that dark wet cold pool of neediness.

After the season ended with a blowout loss to the 49ers int he playoffs, Carroll promised that there would be changes, but he didn’t elaborate on what it all would be, whether it was just players or scheme. I think he kinda said maybe both.

A few months later Richard Sherman dropped a mini bomb shell on his podcast that Carroll would be returning to his scheme. I felt elated. I was finally going to get my precious 4-3 under front back again.

Officially, the team continues to list its players with position designations that suggest that they are remaining in a 3-4. Drat. This has done nothing to alleviate the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach that they will suck at stopping the run again.

Then last night happened, as I sat on pins and needles, waiting to see what this supposed adjusted defense would look like. I gotta say it, I really liked what I saw. Like, really, reeeeeaaaally liked it.

To my eyes, I saw multiple fronts. At times, it looked 3-4, and at other times, it looked 4-3. Lots of times, it looked 5-2, and some football smarty pants would probably tell me that I was actually seeing a “bear nickel front.”

What are words, really?

I mean, they are just words. You can call Boye Mafe an outside linebacker, if you want, or a defensive end. You can call Mike Morris a defensive end, or a defensive tackle. In this Seattle scheme, all these designations are a true, and I think collectively, we saw a lot of these young guys play a pretty nice outing against the Viking offense in a variety of ways.

It wasn’t perfect. There was a stretch in the first half where guys weren’t filling gaps the right way, and it was discouraging, but they adjusted, and then that was encouraging. There were also times where the backend left easy completions happen, but then they tightened down, as well.

In my world, you don’t have to be perfect all the time, but you have to be able to adjust when you suck. It is as simple as that in football, in the arts, in work life, and at home. Know how to switch up your shit when it’s not working is fundamental to survival, and is a more sure path to enlightenment than continuing to bang your moron head up against a wall because you don’t know what else to do.

Based on this one relatively meaningless preseason game, it appears that Carroll switched it up. At times, I saw what looked like defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt’s stamp, and at others, I think I saw Carroll’s. It could be that they have sat down together and figured out ways to blend both philosophies into one. That sound pretty cool, if that is true.

Front seven defenders is where I was most paying attention, and here’s a quick list of players I thought stood out pretty well.

I thought LB/DE Boye Mafe looked really strong setting an edge against the run, and rushing the quarterback. I think he could be the bookend to Uchenna Nwosu with the starters when the real season begins. Darrell Taylor is a nice pass rusher, but Mafe looks like a way better run defender who can also rush. Give me the guy to will beast against the run any day over the flashy pas rusher who can’t.

Rookie LB/DE Derick Hall looked really good firing out of a three point stance as an end in pass down situations, and had a nifty inside move on a stunt that showed a lot of promise. He has a chance to be an impact player this year.

I thought rookie DE/DT Mike Morris looked good at times, and could be an interesting rotational player as a rookie. There wasn’t anything he did that wowed, but he seemed stouter than I expected him to be with a new move towards being an inside player than he was in college last year.

Of the unheralded undrafted defender types, I really found myself loving the play of undersized DE Levi Bell, who brought tons of playmaking juice off of the edges, and I also liked watching newly acquired are agent Jordan Ferguson. Both guys made ton setting plays as pass rushers in the second half.

Honorable mentions on this hard charging defense are rookie safety Jerrick Reed, who packs a bit of an Earl Thomas punch, rookie DT Jacob Sykes who was active inside, and journeyman Jon Rattigan who played middle linebacker like he owed someone a lot of back rent.

On to the offense..

It was a bit of a stumble out of the gates with Geno Smith, Tyler Lockett, K9, and DK Metcalf, and other pro bowl types standing on the sidelines as spectators.

Drew Lock, once again, teases with his height, athleticism, and arm talent, but also does things that make you really worry about turnovers when he plays. He had one interception off of a tipped pass that probably wasn’t that much his fault, but he also had a fumble on sack where maybe he should have been more mindful about protecting the ball than trying to make a play out of nothing. He also threw some very pretty dimes and two touchdown passes.

Rookie receivers Jake Bobo and Matt Landers both have real chances to make this squad, I think. They look like NFL wide receivers, and good physical catch and run guys you might like in a quick tempo west coast offense the coordinator Shane Waldron likes to run. Behind the big three of DK, Tyler, and JSN, these two guys made strong cases for themselves.

I knew nothing about Bryant Koback heading into this game, but I came out of it a fan of his. I loved how he ran and caught the ball out of the backfield.

Call me crazy, but I also loved how rookie free agent QB Holton Ahiers played. He didn’t look polished as a passer, and threw a YOLO ball up for a fluky touchdown, but he kinda also just made plays in a very infectious way. I wonder if there is some sort of Colin Kaepernick, or Tayson Hill like way to keep him on the roster, and use him from time to time. Laugh at it, if you will, but he was the team’s second best runner of the night behind Koback.

I really love seeing massive rookie guard Anthony Bradford run blocking. This dude is like two offensive linemen, and he was driving dudes back like they pinched the ass of his sister, or something. Holy shit, what a football player this guy looks like he’s going to be. Stud.

Preseason game one is in the books. Okay, I can breathe a bit little. My butt isn’t going to clinched up as much when I hear or read 3-4 when it comes to the Seahawks. At times, it honestly looked like maybe a 5-2, or 6-1, or something. Just keeping bringing the horses up front, Clint Hurtt.

Go Hawks!