The 2019 Seattle Seahawks will be a playoff team. I just know it. You know how I know it? Easy. In the former Super Bowl winning Dallas Cowboy head coach Jimmy Johnson’s model for a winning formula, a championship level team must have an answer at these for spots; quarterback, cornerback, pass rusher, and left tackle. Those are the four cornerstone pieces according to Jimmy, and Seattle definitely has a good one of them with this guy.

Left tackle Duane Brown.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Why is Brown going to make a big impact for the 2019 Seahawks?

Did you not read that opening paragraph? He’s a Jimmy Johnson cornerstone player, and a pro bowl one at that. Seattle has not been this strong at this position since Walter Jones well over a decade ago, and at 33 years of age, he is still very much in his prime, and if truth be told, he is probably the alpha dog of this offense, if not the entire team. That is going to help this team big time, and allow me to explain.

When wide receiver Doug Baldwin suddenly retired last Spring, it was fairly panic inducing for many Twelves, understandably, including yours truly. Even though he had a down statistical year due to injuries, when healthy he was still impactful, but I think his impact went well beyond his play.

Baldwin was Angry Doug. He would ride players when he felt he needed to at critical times, including the beloved franchise quarterback. I think some panic with the Twelves probably lands pretty squarely in this one aspect: without Angry Doug, who is going to be that critical voice when the offense isn’t playing well?

I think it’s pretty obviously going to be Brown. He was the alpha of the Houston Texans offense before he was traded to Seattle, and in the season and a half of play that I’ve seen from him in this town, I have, on more than one occasion, noticed him chirping a bit to Russell Wilson when maybe the quarterback took a sack he shouldn’t have, or let the play go on longer than it should have before getting the ball out. I’ve also noticed him being a calming force on the line for younger players, such as Germiane Ifedi, when maybe they get a little too caught up in the moment.

These are things a true alpha does, and some alphas are so alpha that they don’t really need to do or say that much, but when you do, you can not deny their awesome alpha-ness, and you listen. You just do it. You have to.

Duane Brown is that type of awesome alpha. When you look at him, as his big, solid doorframe of a body steps into the room, with his oozing confidence and cool intelligence, he kind of makes you feel all warm and mushy. Like you just want to bask in his awesomeness. You just subconsciously think to yourself “yeah, that guy’s pretty cool. I could hang with him. If my significant other thinks he’s hot, I’m cool with it.”

Leadership is a word that constantly gets said about him, and players naturally respect him. He is very much a part of the new nucleus of this team, and as left tackles can play longer in this league than other positions, he could easily be here another three or four years. So get used to every awesome fiber of this alpha dog.

And get used to an offensive line that is now a strength of the team as opposed to a painful blemish. This line has a chance to be one of the best in the league this year, and it all starts with this one awesome player paid handsomely to protect the beloved franchise quarterback.

Sleep easy knowing Duane Brown is on your team, and everything will be okay. He’s that kind of awesome.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks are a playoff team. They are actually probably a bit more than that, I think. The Los Angeles Rams should be nervous. They won’t be because they’re too business soaking up La La Land, but they should be. Oh, yes. They should be.  The Seattle Seahawks are going to be back with a vengeance, and no player on this team is looking forward to redeeming himself more that this guy.

Cornerback Shaquill Griffin

Why is Griffin poised to be an impact player this season?

Because last year he suffered a bit of a sophomore slump, and this guy is too talented and dedicated to not bounce back from it. Athletically, he is probably the most naturally gifted corner Pete Carroll and John Schneider have drafted during their tenure in Seattle together. Griffin has blazing 4.3 speed and is an incredibly athletic tester. He has all the physical traits in this league to be a top level cornerback. People have talked a lot about how his game slipped in 2018 from his promising 2017 season. I have a few thoughts on this.

One thought is that he not only switched positions on the field from right corner to left corner, but he was also tasked the job of replacing a living legend in Richard Sherman. This is almost like Sammie Hagar having to replace David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen. Hagar was a great rock and roll singer on his own, but he was not Roth, and the band never felt the same, and fans knew it. So, it stands to reason that some fans are destined to forever compare Griffin with Sherman, and I think that is a bit of a shame because Griffin is a good player. In my opinion, it’s a bit of a stretch to say he was awful last year. I think it’s more accurate to say that his play slipped noticably down the stretch.

I think it’s also important to remind fans that for the first month of the season his play was actually pretty darn good. Both of his two interceptions for the season were picked up in one really good game against the Chicago Bears when he also had three pass defenses. That was when Seattle’s defense still had Earl Thomas. During that game, it felt like perhaps Seattle truly had made the right decision moving on from Sherman to Griffin. Two games later Seattle lost Earl Thomas for the rest of the season, and let’s be honest, the whole defensive backfield was a bit hit and miss the rest of the way, and that is saying it nicely.

In his one Spring mini camp press conference, Griffin explained that his play fell off in part because he got caught up on thinking he had to make a big play instead of simply doing his job. I think that this is actually a pretty honest self scouting report. He was likely  pressured with not only having to replace an icon, but he was also pressured by not being supported by an all world free safety anymore, as well. When interceptions weren’t coming for the defense, it was perfectly natural to feel the pressure of having to make a play.

Carroll always preaches to do your job and don’t get caught up in another player’s job. That can be easier said than done, but this defense truly demands that. It will let you have the shallow plays, but it can not allow explosive plays down the field. When Sherman was still in his last couple years Seattle, his INTs went way down and he wasn’t really making Sports Center highlights any longer. Quarterbacks also weren’t throwing his way a ton. He did his job.

But let’s pause for a moment, and realize who Richard Sherman was in Seattle. He was a tall, lanky, not incredibly athletic, mid round pick of a corner who was also a former college receiver from a pro style offense at Stanford. He understood route trees, and offensive play-books, and because of that, he had incredible anticipation to make plays on the ball. He also came into Seattle with a massive chip on his shoulder, and had to fight tooth and nail for a roster spot as a rookie. That literally built his brand.

Griffin, on the other had, was drafted much higher, and was immediately handed a starting spot as a rookie. So in short, it’s pretty unfair to compare Griffin to Sherman. They are two really different dudes, truly, and as anyone who raises a child can attest, folks take leaps differently at different times. This will be his third year. Last year was Jarran Reed’s third year, and we saw how things clicked for him.

So, let me tell you what I am going to do. I am going to go out on a limb for Shaquill Griffin. I’m going to say that I take solace in his self scouting, and I believe he’s going to correct his game in 2019. In fact, I think he is going to have a big bounce back year. So much so that I am projecting him to be the sixth best player on the team out of fifty three guys. I think he’s that talented.

Seattle had eleven picks in the draft last spring and they didn’t take a single cornerback. They took a couple safeties, and a couple linebackers, and a couple defensive linemen, but no corners. I think Seattle likes their cornerback situation A LOT more than many fans do. So, I’m going to trust Pete Carroll on this one. I think Griffin will be chomping at the bit to redeem what even he acknowledged was a down sophomore year for him. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he’s way too talented to not improve.

And I think Seattle’s defense is going to be a lot better than a lot of people think.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks are a playoff team. They might even be a team of destiny. You know how I know? Because this is a team comprised of tough mega-talented men. Men that matched with other men make those men seem considerably less manly. A few of these guys, I would almost consider supermen. Oh, yes. Super-humans in football pads, and this guy is one of them.

Running back Chris Carson.

Why is Carson a superhuman?

Have you seen this guy leap over tackling defenders? Have you seen him pull three defenders with him to power his way into the end zone? If not, you didn’t watch very many Seahawk games in 2018 because that was the kind of show this dude put on, and I highly advise you to simply watch this one highlight of his game against Carolina. He did a feat in that match that would make Captain America blush. Check it out.

Chris Carson is a star in the making. That is not hyperbole. He has every tool you need to be the very best back in the league. He has power, explosion, speed, agility, determination, and he catches and pass blocks well on top of being a dynamic runner. He is an every down back. This is just me, but I think he can be better than Marshawn Lynch, and you can tell Pete Carroll just loves the guy. Nobody on this team is in better shape the Carson. Those aren’t my words. Those are the words of the coach himself.

His only problem is the nagging injuries that he tends to pick up every season going all the way back to his college days. That bit of kryptonite is likely the main reason Seattle felt the need to draft Rashaad Penny when they did in 2018. Can Carson hold up for a full 16 game schedule? That is a very fair question to ask. He didn’t last year when he had his breakout season rushing for 1,151 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Fortunately in Seattle he won’t be asked to be the bell cow that Lynch was. Penny is going to get his increased reps, he’s too good not to, and don’t get underestimate just how good Penny can be in this league. However, expect Carson to continue being the guy that starts and likely still sees more touches. He’s too good to not continue going with him, and Penny would have to have an absolutely INSANE preseason to unseat him.

Could it happen? Sure it could, but again, I don’t think it matters which back starts. Either way, they will be the one-two punch, and that is probably what Carroll most wants. Carroll has always favored having a running back committee, and it goes all the way back to his USC days. He’s tried to establish it in Seattle by having Lynch and drafting Robert Turbin and Christine Michael, but it never really materialized. I think it can and should this year.

I’m excited for that. I think Seattle could easily have the best running situation in the league this year. I can’t wait to watch it. My only hope is that Seattle doesn’t get cocky and decides to trade one of these guys for a player at a different position. For a team that loves to run, you can’t have enough good backs, and you got both of these highly talented runners on cheap rookie deals. Keep both of them. Period.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks will be a playoff team, and they might even be a Super Bowl team. Don’t feel like you need to adjust your eyes after reading that. I’m serious. Super serious. I think they can make a super serious run. Why this confidence you ask? Simple. I think their defense is going to be a whole lot better than people think, and this guy is going to be a big part of it.

Defense end Ezekiel Ansah

Why is Ansah going to help elevate the defense?

Because this veteran addition to the defensive line is an answer to the pass rush woes, even with the loss of Frank Clark. In fact, in 2018, Pro Football Focus rated Ansah as the most productive pass rusher in the league when combining sacks, hits, hurries and pressures, and he didn’t even play a full season. Let this plurality “pressures” sink in for a moment because that is going be a thing later in this piece.

I think this was the plan that Seattle had in place when they ended up trading Clark to Kansas City pre-daft. They weren’t necessarily looking to replace Clark with a rookie. Ansah was most likely going to be their guy. I believe this to be true because I feel Pete Carroll tipped his hand in a few offseason press conferences.

When asked about the pass rush and how Seattle will look to improve, he talked about the importance of quarterback pressures. Even more than sacks, Carroll wants his rushers to make quarterbacks uncomfortable. The reason for this is that Carroll wants his defense to create turn overs, and the best way for that to happen is to get a quarterback throwing when he doesn’t want to. That leads to inaccuracy or balls getting tipped and that can lead more easily to interceptions. Carroll wants turnovers more than sacks. He will gladly take sacks because that can lead to fumbles, but he absolutely wants defensive created turnovers more than anything else.

When talking about pressures, Carroll was quick to praise rookie Jacob Martin for his ability to create pressures as the season went on, and he stressed the importance for Rasheem Green to step forward in 2019. He also said that when they were looking to this draft, they were looking for guys that were keenly adept at creating pressure, and to no surprise, defensive lineman LJ Collier was one of best last year in college at quarterback pressures. That why he was drafted where he was in the first round, and that is why they also sought to bring in Ansah after trading Clark.

Some folks will worry about his injury history and age, and it’s valid. I’m not going to be one of them, and the main reason why is that Pete Carroll’s ideal is to have a rotation with his defensive line, and probably prefers not to be reliant on one superstar player (hence the reason he was willing to trade Clark when his price tag got too big). He is also probably wanting to give younger players like Green, Martin and Collier a chance to blossom. He also loves to have a steady mixture of veterans in the mix and Ansah, Jarran Reed, and Cassius Marsh are all that. I’m pretty comfortable saying that this particular cocktail might be more than enough.

So much so that Seattle may not have to rush Ansah into the start of the season, if his offseason shoulder surgery is not a hundred percent healed. If you remember back in 2013, they rested newly signed free agent pass rusher Cliff Avril during the preseason and the early portion of the regular season, and it proved substantially beneficial. Seattle got by without it’s best pass rusher early to have the whole pass rush, as a collective, clicking on all cylinders as the season went on. Not having Cliff early allowed others to emerge, and a chemistry to form. The same could be the case with Ansah this year.

Rotation, rotation, rotation.

That should be the mantra for Seattle’s 2019 pass rush. Last year Seattle had Frank Clark and Jarran Reed collecting all the sacks. This year, I expect Ansah to probably be the main threat, but I also expect Reed to continue to be quite effective, and I expect leaps out of Martin and Green with Marsh and Collier also in the equation.

This could be a lot of fun to watch. I can’t wait.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks will be a playoff team. Oh, yes. They will be. You know how I know? Attitude, and and a relentless drive to be dominant. Great teams have guys that comprise of those special traits. When the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, it was Marshawn Lynch that had that defined that kind of special, and on this 2019 roster, I see someone else who’s got some of that, and he is my ninth reason why these Seahawks are playoff bound.

Offensive guard DJ Fluker.

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Why do I compare Fluker to Marshawn?

Because he wants to own people. He wants to physically own them, and these aren’t little wee defensive backs that he wants to own. Oh, no. This 6-5 330 pound monster wants to own and wreck other 300 plus pound men in front of him just like he owned Ndamukong Suh twice last year in the run game when Seattle played Los Angeles. This is what Fluker lives for. Total domination.

The dude also loves football and plays with a level of love and badassedness for the game that is infectious for teammates. Much like Marshawn, this guy goes about things in a style that makes you want to play harder. He’s tough, determined, and just this far enough on the right side of whacky. In my humble opinion, bringing DJ Fluker back to the team this last offseason might have been the best move for the team, and that is taking nothing away from drafting LJ Collier and DK Metcalf. Getting 330 pounds of DJ back is big time. Trust me.

Look, y’all. The Seahawks don’t just want to return to the playoffs again. That’s become the standard here in Seattle under Carroll. This team wants to get the division back from the Rams, and they want to get back to that Super Bowl thing. The best way to get there is to build a team around Russell Wilson that has that same attitude as they had in 2013. DJ Fluker has been in the league for a while, and after a while, those knees and joints on that MASSIVE body of his aren’t likely destined to hold up long term. So, this is just me, but I am guessing that big bad DJ wants a ring badly before it’s all done for him. That’s just my best educated hunch. So, I’m going to say the DJ is going to do what DJ has to do to get one of those things, and that is to hammer away and wear defenders down to the best of his MASSIVE abilities.  He’s going to continue owning other grown men.

For a team that loves to run the ball, having DJ Fluker on your offensive line is a huge advantage. Will he hold up for 16 games? Quite possibly not, as recent history has shown, but last year Seattle was able to get by without him for a few, and if you have him run blocking for twelve out of sixteen games, I would absolutely take that. I’m pretty sure Pete Carroll would too.

Can’t wait for Seattle to continue their trend of pounding the ball with this enforcer blocking. Can not wait. Let other teams chuck it all over. I wanna see Seattle run.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks are a playoff team that can and should retake the NFC West Division. Last year, they were a playoff team because of their offense. This year, I think the defense catches up to the offense, and I think this guy will be a big part of that equation.

Defensive Tackle Poona Ford.

Why will Poona make an impact?

Poona, Poona, Poona, Poona.

Poona, Poona, Poona, Poona.

Poona, Poona, Poona, Poona.

Get ready to chant that mantra a lot every time Poona Ford makes a play in the backfield this year because he lived in the backfield in college at Texas when he won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, and he flashed mightily making plays in the backfield down at stretch for Seattle last year. In fact, he was so impactful that Pro Football Focus gave him a remarkable analytical grade of 90.3 for the year, the tenth best overall grade for a defensive tackle in the league.

Good lordy-ba-gordy. I have been chomping at the bit to write about this guy. Where to start?  How about here.

Every indication from Pete Carroll is that this team is going to give this guy every opportunity to earn the starting role next to Jarran Reed inside, and the vibe that I get listening to players, coaches and those close to the team in the media is that this guy could become a really special player for Seattle for years to come. Like, really special.

One thing that really caught my attention was a couple months ago, shortly after Seattle traded Frank Clark, when I was listening to former Seattle middle linebacker (and 12thLife favorite) Dave Wyman on 710 ESPN comment that not only does he think Poona is special, he thinks Poona is the best player currently on the defensive line and that includes Jarran Reed. Wyman is not known at all for hyperbole, but he even went so far as to compare him to legendary Seattle defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy. That most definitely raised my eyebrows, but in his explanation, he said Poona is a rare inside player that can basically do whatever he wants to, and blockers are going to have a really hard time with him.

Why is this? Well, in a simple word, it is all about leverage. Poona is listed at 5-11 and 310 lbs. That is significantly short for a defensive tackle (clearly the most likely reason that he went un-drafted coming out of Texas despite winning defensive player of the year honors), but it is mitigated by the fact that he possesses unusually long arms, which work in his favor disengaging and getting through blockers. Over the recent five years or so, shorter bodied but long armed defensive tackles have become increasingly more vogue thanks to the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald. It’s really tough to block someone who is strong and quick and low and has long arms. Simply, if you are a taller guy, it’s really hard to get inside them, which is what offensive guards, and centers need to do.

When Seattle’s defense was at it’s very best, they had squatty Brandon Mebane over center, and it made a center’s life miserable. I fully expect Poona Ford to play this role in Seattle, and I think the likes of Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright are going to love that. Mebane used to be able to get under the center, and forklift them backwards into the quarterback. I think this is very much going to be Poona’s game but with even more quickness. A few months ago, Seattle defensive end Quinton Jefferson was boasting on AM 950 KJR that in one late season game against the 49ers, the 49er center was literally crying in frustration because there was nothing he could do to blocker Poona Ford.

Expect Poona Ford to be even more un-blockable in 2019. In fact, don’t be surprised if he increasingly becomes the new fan favorite in this market. I think Seattle definitely has landed its latest undrafted gem in this guy, and I cannot wait to see more out of him this year. I am really excited.

Poona, Poona, Poona, Poona.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks will make the playoffs. Oh, yes, and not only that, I think they are going to retake the division. Why this confidence you ask? I got three words for you that go back to the early portions of the Pete Carroll era in Seattle; Bigger, stronger, faster. That was their motto in 2011 through 2013, and my eleventh reason why these Seahawks exemplifies all those traits.

Running back Rashaad Penny.

Why is Penny poised to make a big impact?

This 220 lb running back is a rare compensation of size and speed that can go the distance every time his touches the ball. Coming out of San Diego State last year, there was some Marshawn Lynch comparisions, but if truth be told, from my point of view, this dude’s style feels more think a combination of Lynch and Seahawk great Shaun Alexander. He’s got the power to run through tackles, but his extra gear is Alexander special. Combine his running style with the power style of Chris Carson, and Seattle could have the best offensive backfield in the league this year. I kid you not.

The vibe from OTAs and mini camp is that Penny has looked really good both from his conditioning, and his much improved command of the offense, and that should excite you as a fan. Last year, he supposedly came into training camp weighing closer 240 and that extra weight likely hurt his initial explosion. Now before you go crying Eddie Lacy 2.0, let’s at least concede the fact that as the regular season went on, Penny at least started to flash some of those traits that made him so dynamic in college. His extra gears in the open field were pretty impressive.

My hunch is the Penny suffered from something that is not uncommon with a lot of rookies that were first round selections; an overconfidence that teeters on full blown entitlement. Of course he thought he was going to be the guy. He led the nation in rushing yards in college, and Seattle just spent a high round pick on him, and are they really going to favor former seventh round pick Chris Carson over him? Well, they did, and Penny had to watch a lot of early football from the sidelines, and when it was time to spell Carson, they coaches initially went with Mike Davis.

I’m pretty sure that didn’t sit well with Penny, but I also think that he didn’t spend too much time sulking about it. As the season went on, I think he dug in, and worked hard to earn his time, and in spots, it really showed. You could see the potential. Coach Carroll even intimated as much in his pressers that was the case. He had to rededicate.

So, I like a dedicated, humbled, focused Rashaad Penny going in 2019. I like that a lot. By all accounts, Chris Carson looks like a great running back, but I think Penny has the potential to be really special in this league. There is a reason why Seattle felt the need to draft him in the fist round in 2018, and for Seattle to snatch this division back from the Rams, they will need both of these guys at the top of their games. If they both are, this could be a really exciting offense to watch that the league may not see coming.

I can’t wait to find out.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks will be on a major mission to retake the NFC West. Ignore any takes that say this team isn’t loaded on offense. They are. Anytime you have Russell Wilson as your quarterback, you’re dangerous (it’s his nickname for cripes sake), but also, this team has weapons. Reason 12 why these Seahawks make the postseason is definitely one of them, and he is poised to take it to the next level.

Wide Receiver David Moore.

Why is Moore poised to make an impact?

He is an freaky athletic receiver who will be in his third year in the league, and that is usually the time when athletically gifted yet raw pass catchers coming out of college click. Think I’m wrong? Just look at the Seahawk’s recent history with wideouts Golden Tate and Paul Richardson. Year three was when it clicked, especially for Tate, and David Moore totally has Tate like abilities to high point balls and run after the catch instincts.

Often times in college, the athletically freakish types make their coaches’ jobs easy. Essentially, they’re kinda just told to go run around and make plays. Then they get to the NFL and suddenly it’s not easy, and if they can’t pick up the basic route trees, they don’t see the field much. That’s why it’s so hard to project receivers coming into the league if they are not coming out of prostyle offenses.

This was the case for Tate as a rookie, and it was even more that way for Moore up until last year, his second year, when he had a bit of an early breakout before things drastically tapered off for him the second half of the season. Still, 26 catches for 445 yards with 5 touchdowns and an average of 17 yards per catch says something. While he was 9 catches shorter than Tate’s in his second year, he had 63 more yards and 2 more touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see what 2019 has for Moore. Will he evolve beyond the go patterns he ran down the sidelines, or will he get lost in rookie DK Metcalf’s impact? My guess is that David Moore will have a breakout this year.

This isn’t just shameless wishful thinking on my end, I think there’s some proof in the tea leaves. When Doug Baldwin called it a career right before the 2019 NFL draft, I thought it was pretty obvious that Seattle would target wide receiver in the coming draft, and to no surprise, they took three. However, I also anticipated that Seattle would be active in the veteran market, especially considering the former Seattle receiver Jermaine Kearse (one of Russell’s favorite targets) was sitting out there available. Well, the Kearse signing never happened, even though Seattle had the cap space to afford him. I found that fairly curious.

Then as their Spring minicamp came to a close last month, the team had Moore give a press conference to reporters. It’s worth the watch to get a vibe on Moore, but more to the point is that this team is very calculated in whom they roll out the pressers with. They’re almost always reserved for star players, core players, and players that they believe are on the verge of being major factors for the team. It was revealed in Pete Carroll’s presser that day that Moore has been taking on a much more expansive roll, now had a grasp of all the routes and roles that the receivers play, and the team’s expecting big things out of him.

Clearly, the team feels he is due a major breakout. My hunch is that Metcalf will be tasked to run a lot of go patterns to threaten the top of the defenses they are playing, and that Lockett and Moore will work more underneath while both having the ability to go vertical. If Metcalf can pick up just enough of the route tree as a rookie, this is going to pose a major problem for defenses. Seattle will have three receivers on the field with the ability to stretch defenses, and also have the ability to work underneath, and with a guy like Moore, they got a guy who has very special run after the catch ability.

Golden Tate, at his best in Seattle, was a level one playmaker once the ball got into his hands, and I think that is kind of Moore’s overall potential. If the team is right, and this guy has a full grasp of the routes, that is a major step forward for him, and it is a huge shot in the arm for this passing attack post Angry Doug Baldwin.

I’m excited about these 2019 Seattle Seahawks, and David Moore is a big reason why. Can’t wait to see what happens.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks will be gloriously bound for the playoffs. Don’t let the notions of having the supposed seventh toughest schedule fool you. This is a tough as nails team that doesn’t fret over such things. My lucky thirteenth reason why this team is playoff bound is the epitome of that toughness.

Safety Bradley McDougald.

Why is McDougald primed to help Seattle return to the playoffs?

Just as I stated above, this dude is tough, but this dude is also a really good football player. He’s tough because he played through last year on a partially torn patellar tendon in his knee (good Lord in Heaven). He’s good because he is versatile enough to play free or strong safety, is good in coverage, and is a solid tackler against the run. If it wasn’t for the fact that his predecessors were Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, Seattle fans would probably be a lot higher on this guy, frankly, but alas, we’ve been spoiled by our safety play over the past several years. Regardless, he was a pro-bowl alternate last year, and was clearly one of the few bright spots on what was a pretty average Seattle defense in 2018, at best. I also think that his play is a glimpse of what we might expect in the future, and I like it.

I think the key to displacing the Rams from the top of the NFC West Division is to have a secondary backfield featuring safeties that can play successfully in the box, but also be able to play really soundly in coverage. This is just my hunch, but as I’ve mentioned in some previous pieces, I think the New England Patriots showed a great blue print has to how to defend the Rams passing attack during this last Super Bowl. It requires safeties that can come up and contain on the run but also be able to bail on a dime into zone coverage. New England might have scouted Seattle’s use of McDougald because that was essentially his game against the Rams in 2018, and Seattle might have gleamed from the success New England had against the Rams, and are now going to put even more emphasis on their safety play.

When Seattle drafted Utah safety Marquise Blair in the second round last April, my immediate thought was that he was the replacement for Earl Thomas, but now I’m not quite so sure. Blair is a lot like McDougald in that he plays the run really well but is also rangy in coverage. It’s possible that Blair might have been drafted to eventually take over for McDougald if the team feels that McDougald’s knee situation is perhaps something that is degenerative. Pete Carroll has mentioned a few times that they see Blair as a strong safety.

If Blair has a strong training camp, I think it is entirely possible that Blair does take over for McDougald at strong safety, and McDougald shifts to free safety. This would give safety two safeties that can play very similarly and that could pose more of an issue for Jared Goff and the Rams.

In this scenario, Seattle might essentially abandon some of its more traditional single high look for a more two deep look with both safeties playing some strong and free depending on what they are seeing from the offense. This would give Seattle more flexibility, and they showed this look a bit with McDougald and Tedric Thompson, and then Leno Hill towards the end of the season. It’s interesting that Seattle also drafted Oregon’s Ugo Amadi last April, and he’s very much another player that can also play the run and play coverage.

However it works out, expect Bradley McDougald to be the leader of it, and expect him to continue playing really well. He’s a good ball player.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks are going to be a force to be reckoned with. In fact, I think they will snatch the division away from those flashy Los Angeles Rams. I just know it. Do you know why I know it? Because they drafted this guy, and he is my fourteenth reason why this Seahawks will make the playoffs.

LJ Collier; Rookie Defensive Linemen out of TCU.

Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News

Why is Collier poised to help Seattle topple the Rams?

Because this guy is a BAMF, and if you don’t know what a BAMF is, look it up because we are trying to keep things PG on this site. He is also the guy I first mocked to Seattle a few months back when I was doing a series of mocks. This makes me look smart, and looking at his game tape and the way he owned Senior Bowl practices last winter, I was quite convinced he would be well on Seattle’s radar. Why, you ask? Simple. This team missed Michael Bennett last year.. a lot.

You see, in hybrid defenses like New England, and Seattle, these schemes ideally call for versatile players. I would argue that there is more value in a player that can play multiple roles up front well enough than a player that can man one spot really well. Bennett was that guy in Seattle and it is no shocker that Bill Belichick traded for him this last offseason to have him in New England. The more that you can effectively do up front allows you to scheme better against your opponents. When Seattle’s defense was at it’s very best, they moved Bennett up and down the line, playing both end spots, tackle, and nose when rushing the quarterback.

I think Collier definitely can be a Michael Bennett in this league. I think he has the traits to play up and down Seattle’s defensive line much the same way. He can play edge, he can play tackle, and he can and most likely will play the five-technique position that Bennett owned when he was a Seahawk. At 6-2 and 290 lbs, and with long arms, and strong, violent hands, Collier can set an edge against the run, but he is also explosive and can win pass rushing with speed/power moves that can put blockers on skates.

I think more than any other rookie in this class, he is most plug and play, and I think playing next to Jarran Reed will give Seattle a pretty intimidating front four on early downs, and I would expect him to be the leading candidate to slide inside and pass rush next to Reed on third downs.

As you can probably tell, I’m really excited about this player, and if you have not done so yet, I highly suggest checking out his senior year highlight tape. When you do, I think you’ll like what you see a lot. This guy plays with a tone setting intensity that this front four needs, and it’s going to be really interesting to see how Seattle uses him this season. He might not be a huge sack guy, but he should be a tone-setting guy, and I would expect him to be quite productive with quarterback pressures. In short, he might create the pressures that turn into sacks and turnovers for other guys. That was Michael Bennett at his best. Relentless, disruptive, and instinctive.

I don’t care if it was a reach taking Collier where they did in the first. I’m just really glad that they grabbed him. He screams Seahawk defensive lineman.

OMG. Im excited. Aren’t you? I am.

Go Hawks.