Bumpus: Where Seahawks have become a more disciplined defense
Oct 6, 2023, 3:30 PM
Jordyn Brooks of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with teammates on Oct. 2, 2023. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Improving on defense was a big focus of the Seattle Seahawks after some major struggles last year, especially against the run.
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So far, so good for the Seahawks, who enter their Week 5 bye at 3-1 after a 23-3 thumping of the New York Giants.
Last year, the Seahawks were 30th against the run. Right now, Seattle is sixth.
So what’s gotten better so far? Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus broke it down during Friday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.
“I’m looking at gap integrity. What that means is every gap is accounted for and when you do that, you keep your linebackers clean,” Bumpus said. ” … What that does is you’ve got the A, the B and the C (gaps) all covered. That means that the runs aren’t gonna break like they used to last year. That means that these linebackers are able to diagnose what’s going on without guards getting on them fairly quickly.”
“These D-linemen and linebackers are shooting the gaps and fitting perfectly. And then you work your way outside to where you have to force everything inside,” Bumpus later added.
The play of the front-seven and the defensive backs have meshed very well in terms of stopping the run, Bumpus said.
“It’s easy for a safety to get downhill or a corner to get downhill and slip inside. If you do that, runs bounce outside and big plays happen. I’m watching Julian Love, I’m watching Devon Witherspoon take on tight ends and offensive tackles with their inside shoulder, take the L, and force everything inside because they know that alley is gonna be filled,” he said. “You’ve got all the gaps covered, you’ve got the alley filled, you’re forcing everything inside. I’m looking at what they’re doing and I go this is a discipline defense. Let’s see if they can do it again in a couple of weeks.”
Listen to the full second hour of Friday’s Bump and Stacy at this link or in the player near the top of this story.
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• Seahawks Observations: K.J. Wright on Witherspoon and defense
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