Why the Seahawks Matchup So Well Against the Broncos' Offense

By Marshall Cherrington

Seahawks fans are lucky: they get the privilege of facing off against the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. While the high-powered offense might be scary, the Seahawks could not have asked for a better matchup. For every offensive weapon that the Broncos boast, the Seahawks have a piece to counter it. Whether it is in the trenches or the secondary, there is no Broncos player that does not have an equal on the Seahawks defense. However, there is an exception. One weapon that the Seahawks can’t match, that weapon being the best quarterback of the past decade, is Peyton Manning. No quarterback in this day and age is smarter or more analytical in his decision making than Manning. There’s only so much one player can do for a team though. Despite the superiority of Manning, there are 10 other players on the offensive side of the ball who all combine to make more of an impact than Manning himself, although it’s close. Here are some key matchups to watch when the Seahawks’ defense takes the field against the Broncos’ offense on Sunday, February 5^th.

Wes Welker vs. Walter Thurmond/Jeremy Lane

There is no doubt here that this matchup is an advantage for the Broncos. Welker is a seasoned wide receiver and has consistently proven his worth throughout his long career. The small receiver has made his money by lining up in the slot, a position which is covered by Jeremy Lane and Walter Thurmond in the nickel package. Welker has above average hands and can escape you in an instant with his elite quickness. He runs very pure routes and is excellent at gaining separation, especially in small spaces. Welker has had a little history with drops though, especially in the Super Bowl when he was with the Patriots, and this will be something to watch. When Welker comes over the middle as he does often times, Kam Chancellor or Earl Thomas will be there more times than not. We all saw Michael Crabtree drop a pass this past weekend when Crabtree saw Kam Chancellor lining him up in his sights. The same fate could come down on Welker, but Welker has more experience in these situations than Michael Crabtree. Thurmond and Lane should be able to stay with Welker pretty well, but they likely will need some safety help when Welker decides to go over the top. Earl Thomas should help with this tremendously.

Wes Welker could have a big Super Bowl Sunday, but not if Walter Thurmond and Jeremy Lane have anything to say about it.

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Demaryius Thomas vs. Richard Sherman

If you’re looking for a fun matchup to watch, this will be the one you’re looking for. Sherman is the best corner in the NFL, and Thomas is arguably a top five receiver in the league. It’s the matchup of the best of the best. Both players stand at 6’3”, with Thomas having the edge when it comes to speed. Sherman is obviously a physical corner and this should make up for his detriment in the speed category. Thomas has great hands, but we all know Sherman has great hands as well. Just ask Michael Crabtree. I would say Sherman has the edge in this matchup because of his length and jumping ability, but Thomas can also go up and get it. It’ll be interesting to see how many times Peyton Manning targets Thomas when Sherman is covering him. Kaepernick only targeted Sherman twice, but Manning is clearly the better of the two quarterbacks. After I saw the Peyton Manning pass to Thomas for a touchdown over Alfonzo Dennard in the AFC Championship game, I immediately thought of how Sherman would have played that ball. In my opinion, Sherman would have picked that off, or at least would have tipped the ball with his long arms. Sherman times his jumps perfectly when going up for the ball, and this is why I think he’ll be so affective against Demaryius Thomas.

The matchup between Richard Sherman and Demaryius Thomas will be a fun one to watch.

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Eric Decker vs. Byron Maxwell

This is a matchup where I think the Seahawks actually have an advantage. Decker is a receiver who won’t always burn you with his speed, but will run great routes on you. He’s had problems with drops in the past and even though it may look like he hauls in a pass at first, he doesn’t always hold on to the ball. I think this weakness of his will be exposed with Maxwell on him. Maxwell does a great job on not giving up on plays and has long arms just like Sherman to knock balls away from opposing receivers. Maxwell, with a little more development, could be the second coming of Richard Sherman. But he’s definitely not there quite yet. He’s not as lengthy or as tall as Sherman, but definitely has the speed to keep up with opposing receivers. The attribute of Maxwell’s that looks most like Sherman’s is his physicality. It’s what makes the Seattle corners so good. So if Maxwell is physical with Decker and can knock the former Minnesota star off of his routes, I think this matchup will work out to be an advantage for the Seahawks. Peyton Manning won’t be able to pick on any of these corners.

Byron Maxwell has really stepped his play up towards the end of the season.

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Julius Thomas vs. KJ Wright/Kam Chancellor

Julius Thomas fits the mold of what seems like all current tight ends that have become stars: he’s an ex-college basketball player. What does this mean? It means two things. It means that Thomas is fast for his position and has great hands, because if you play basketball in college, you need great hands. Thomas has a great amount of quickness and agility for such a big guy (6’5” 250 lbs.). He’s caught 12 touchdowns on the year and he’s the main guy the Seahawks will need to watch when the Broncos are in the red zone. That being said, the Seahawks have the best red zone defense in the league and have dealt with similar targets already this season in Jimmy Graham (twice), Coby Fleenor, Tony Gonzalez and Vernon Davis. Kam Chancellor has done an excellent job on all of these targets as he shows as much strength on the field as all of these tight ends do. Earl Thomas has done a great job of coming down from his free safety position and breaking up passes intended for tight ends as well (remember the Saints game). KJ Wright is less of an assurance guarding Thomas since he has missed a significant amount of time over the past month. He looked very rusty against the 49ers, but with a bye week leading up to the Super Bowl, he should be able to gain back some of his old form. If the Saints game is any indication, the Seahawks should do just fine against Julius Thomas and the tight end position in the Super Bowl.

Make sure to stay tuned for more Broncos-Seahawks analysis in the coming days.

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SEA vs. SF: Halftime Thoughts

By Marshall Cherrington

Well I haven't seen a first half of football like that in a long time. A safety, terrible refereeing and an hour delay later, the Seahawks are clinging to a 5-0 lead. Here are my halftime thoughts.

- The offensive line needs to figure it out in the second half. With Russell Okung's return questionable, the Seahawks running backs will need to be able to chip Aldon Smith and the 49ers pass rushers effectively. Paul McQuistan will also need to put his big boy hat on and try and move a couple of inches to block Aldon Smith.

- If the Seahawks are going to win this game, it's going to be by means of the ground game. Marshawn Lynch has had a solid game so far and Robert Turbin would have 25 yards or so extra added on to his rushing total if Breno Giacomini didn't commit another boneheaded penalty. Haven't seen that one before. To Giacomini's credit. it looked like a terrible call by the refs.

- Russell Wilson needs to focus up. Multiple throws have been off target, even when he hasn't been under pressure. His accuracy wasn't on point in the preseason and I might start to get worried if I don't see an improvement here soon. However, he has been under pressure multiple times and I think Russell will work some magic in the second half and escape a couple of these collapsing pockets. He also needs to keep the dang ball on the read option. Did you see how open he was a couple of those times? man, he could have 50 yards rushing by now.

- I'm loving this defensive line. Avril is getting a great pass rush and absolutely destroyed the right tackle on a nasty bull rush in the second quarter. Michael Bennett has also been impressive and had a great shoestring sack of Colin Kaepernick. I'm expecting at least two more sacks in the second half. Oh, and when Irvin and Clemons get back, this is going to be a scary defensive line. Maybe the best in the NFL.

- The secondary is playing great tonight and will have to keep doing what they're doing to win this game. Walter Thurmond's number, 28, might need to be added to that Legion of Boom doormat that the four defensive backs have. What a play on that Earl Thomas interception. My pick to click in the second half: Big Rich. Maybe an interception or two? We'll see.

Here's to a killer second half.

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PED Suspensions Loom for Browner and Sherman

Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, cornerbacks for the Seattle Seahawks, both tested positive for Adderall on the same day, and their punishment has resulted in a four game suspension. Both players are appealing the process, but these are unlikely to overturn the suspensions, and could actually drag out the process, mystifying everyone to when they will serve the suspension. One of the more troubling things about this, besides the fact that they tested positive on the same day, is that Adderall is simply a concentration drug, used most commonly to treat ADHD by helping focus. Why would these two players take this drug, when they know it is on the NFL’s list of banned substances? Only they know the answer to that question.

Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman both face four game suspensions.

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The more important issue however, is how this loss for the vaunted Seahawks defense cannot be overstated. The rise of the ‘Hawks defense into one of the top five in the NFL is almost entirely centered on the physical style of these two corners.

The Seahawks defense is third in points allowed and passing yards against, mainly because of the two terrific young cornerbacks. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, along with the pro-bowl safety Earl Thomas, have developed and made the pass defense very tough to beat. Sherman and Browner are so big, strong, and talented, that they can play successful one-on-one coverage on the outside, allowing the other members of the defense to drop back in zone coverage or rush the passer. This is very important, because although pass rushers such as Chris Clemons, Red Bryant, and Brandon Mebane have been successful, none of them are Pro-Bowlers, and frankly, none of them would be without the play of Sherman and Browner. The two shutdown corners don’t allow any openings for receivers, forcing quarterbacks to hold on to the ball longer, which allows the pass rush to be more successful. Taking these two cornerbacks away will force the defense to send back more players in coverage, which will drastically take away from the pass rush and rush defense.

These suspensions could not have come at a worse time, as the Seahawks are fighting with several other teams for one of the last playoff spots. The short term outlook for Sherman and Browner looks grim. Even if the suspensions get overturned upon appeal, which is highly unlikely, the Seahawks will be missing their two starting cornerbacks. This leads to the question of who is going to replace them, and will they be able to replicate the physical style of play that Sherman and Browner bring. The two leading candidates are Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond. Trufant is a ten-year veteran, who was once a top-tier corner, making him a viable replacement, even if he won’t be able to completely replicate the bruising style of play brought by Sherman and Browner. Thurmond is a third year player from Oregon, but has battled injury throughout his college and pro career. He was a strong player at Oregon, so if he can stay healthy, he can hopefully be a successful corner and show his skills in his increased upcoming role.

Marcus Trufant will have to step up big time in the absence of the two starting cornerbacks.

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Trufant and Thurmond seem as if they will be able play at least above average defense, and will allow the defense to at least get by in the absence of the two standout corners, but the biggest difference will be the height difference. With Sherman at 6’-3’’, and Browner at 6’-4’’, they make up the tallest cornerback duo in the league, and this, combined with their physical style, makes them an imposing presence helping earn the Seahawks secondary the nickname “Legion of Boom.” Assuming Trufant and Thurmond take over as the starters, we will be losing a combined nine inches of height in the secondary. This is a big change, and will definitely result in a decrease of production. We will just have to see how much production actually is lost. Hopefully Sherman and Browner can get their suspensions overturned or reduced, and get back on the field as soon as possible, because their absence will turn our defense’s biggest strength, to possibly its biggest weakness.

It is clear that the loss of these two players will seriously hurt the team, but it all comes back to the question of why. Why did they allow this to happen? Why would they take Adderall? In today’s world of increased scrutiny of professional athletes, especially regarding banned drugs, why would Sherman and Browner risk their reputations by taking this drug? The only explanation I can think of is the two players wanting that slight edge, and taking the drug before a game. Whatever the case may be, these two corners screwed up, and now they are going to have to serve their sentence, and hope it doesn’t cost the Seahawks a playoff berth.

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