Schlereth ‘blown away’ by Seahawks’ ability to ‘mess with your head’

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s cutting-edge defense is known for featuring a unique level of positional versatility and interchangeability.

Daniel Jeremiah: What makes Seahawks’ defense different

Three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon plays significant snaps in the slot and is occasionally used as a blitzer. Free safety Julian Love also plays in both the slot and the box. Off-ball linebacker Drake Thomas lines up in a variety of spots, both in the middle of the defense and along the line of scrimmage.

Nick Emmanwori, the ultimate Swiss Army knife defender, roams all over the field – including as an edge rusher, where he lined up for six of his nine snaps on Sunday in his return from ankle surgery.

Even up front, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed and Rylie Mills each play multiple spots along the defensive line.

It all left quite an impression on Mark Schlereth, who was the NFL on FOX analyst for the Seahawks’ 31-7 rout of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense authored another smothering performance, limiting the Cardinals to just 151 total yards.

“I was just so incredibly impressed with how tied together they were as a defense and how many guys play multiple positions,” Schlereth said during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Monday. “They just have so many dudes that can do so many different things. I was just blown away by it.”

Schlereth, a former three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman, described how that degree of defensive versatility can wreak havoc on offenses.

“All of a sudden, you’re looking at the defense and you’re going, wait a minute, that guy shouldn’t be over there. He’s over here. That guy shouldn’t be over there. Wait a minute. We’ve got to reestablish what we’re going to do, how we’re going to call this thing,” Schlereth said.

“And the next thing you know, the clock’s running down, they snap the ball and you guys haven’t decided how you’re going to go about blocking the dang thing. Those things mess with your head (and make it) really hard on an offense to figure out what you guys are playing.

“And they do that all the time.”

After leading the NFL in scoring defense during their 2025 Super Bowl-winning campaign, the Seahawks are off to another dominant start with their “Dark Side” defense. Through two weeks, Seattle ranks second in points allowed per game (8.5), first in yards allowed per play (3.8) and first in yards allowed per pass attempt (4.5).

“I talked to one of the Arizona coaches who said to me, listen man, (that’s) the most unselfish group I’ve watched on tape,” Schlereth said. “You need somebody to set an edge? They’ll set the edge. You need somebody to buzz underneath in the flat? They’ll buzz underneath in the flat. You need a guy to blitz that is a normal cover guy. He’ll blitz. And they’ll do it with passion.

“I said on the broadcast at one point: It’s amazing what you’re going to accomplish when nobody cares who gets the credit. And that’s what I walked away with from watching Seattle.”

Listen to the full Wyman and Bob conversation with Mark Schlereth at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune into Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More Seattle Seahawks coverage

• Seattle Seahawks’ Julian Love making case he’s an ‘elite’ safety
• Seahawks LB Drake Thomas fixed coach’s mistake on key play
• ‘This guy is a wizard’: Seattle Seahawks star JSN continues to wow

Related

NFC West: 49ers reportedly add veteran to depleted WR roomA QB for another upcoming Seahawks opponent is injuredDaniel Jeremiah: What makes Seahawks’ defense differentStatus Report: Where the 2-0 Seattle Seahawks standSeahawks’ Julian Love making case he’s an ‘elite’ safetyRams beat Giants 28-6 in Aaron Donald’s NFL return