Heaps: Seahawks’ tempo on offense should be an advantage vs Patriots
Sep 16, 2020, 10:05 AM | Updated: 11:27 am
(Getty)
The Seahawks had a banner day on offense in their 38-25 Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday, and while several reasons were factors, only one of them was called “the best part” by head coach Pete Carroll.
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“The best part that really came off this offseason that was I think better than years past was our tempo,” Carroll said Monday on The Pete Carroll Show with 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant. “The tempo that we were able to maintain offensively and to limit the defense in terms of their timing to make adjustments, we did it a number of different ways and we worked really, really hard.”
There were a few stretches in the win over the Falcons where it was noticeable how fast the Seahawks were getting back to the line of scrimmage and snapping the ball, especially as they scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and added a field goal early in the fourth to push their lead to a commanding 31-12 advantage.
Former Seahawks quarterback Jake Heaps explained the importance of tempo during the Four Down Territory segment of Tom, Jake and Stacy on Tuesday.
“Now why does this matter? As Pete Carroll told you, if you’re able to play with great tempo, it really puts defenses on their heels,” Heaps said. “It really puts them in a position where they’re not able to make as many adjustments, it makes them not be able to disguise their coverages as much as they want or substitute in a manner in which they would want. And with all of the multiple personnel groupings that the Seahawks can present, they really present a major disruption to defenses when they play with great tempo.”
Here’s where it gets interesting. The Seahawks have a huge Sunday Night Football matchup coming up in Week 2 against the New England Patriots, and longtime Pats coach Bill Belichick’s defenses are always tough to figure out. Seattle may have the answer, however, according to Heaps.
“You know what the Patriots’ favorite thing to do is? It’s disguise coverage, it’s to substitute personnel. Maybe people might be looking for the run game to be a big factor (for the Seahawks more than in Week 1) – although I do agree it will be involved more, expect them to continue to play with great tempo.”
To hear Heaps’ full comments on that plus more from Tom Wassell and Stacy Rost, listen in to this podcast.
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