Seattle defenders are more aggressive than the scheme - NFL

Surely, this can't be Seattle.

The home defense is making game-changing plays in the fourth quarter, and the sun is shining brilliantly on a vibrant, sold-out stadium. Next thing you know, you won't be able to get a decent piece of salmon or a proper cup of coffee around here.

Look at safety Reggie Tongue stretching and intercepting an overthrown pass over the middle by Rams quarterback Marc Bulger. Check out the pop linebacker D.D. Lewis puts on Rams receiver Dane Looker, forcing the ball up in the air and into the arms of linebacker Anthony Simmons.

This is not what we've come to expect from the Seahawks. Then again, neither is a 3-0 record.

After watching every one of the Seahawks' defensive snaps this year, I can tell you coordinator Ray Rhodes' defense isn't about pulling rabbits out of his hat as much as it is about running over rabbits with his oversized SUV. There's nothing fancy here, no razzle-dazzle, lust simple, old-fashioned, hard-hitting defense. The players, in Fact, are a lot more aggressive than the scheme. But they have totally bought in to Rhodes' program in his first year in Seattle.

Before this season, the Seahawks' defensive game plans were much more ambitious. "Sometimes (in past years) we tried to defend everything, which makes you defend nothing," linebacker Chad Brown says. "Now, you do what you do. We'll run our cover 2, cover 4. We're not going to try to defeat a play you ran two weeks ago, and I think that's something we kind of got caught up in."

With five new defensive starters, including two rookies, exoticism wasn't a viable option for Rhodes. But Rhodes, who does not speak to the media, has confided to players that the package will expand as the season goes on. It will have to, because eventually offenses will start picking apart the Seahawks if they remain this vanilla. "If we continue like this, offenses will become a little bit more conservative and play a little closer to the vest;' Brown says. "As crazy as the Rams' offense is, winging it downfield and all that, we were getting turnovers on pretty standard plays."

The Seahawks have been better at making big plays than they are routine ones. This is hard to believe: They have forced the opponent off the field more times with takeaways (13) than with punts (11). It's usually not advisable to depend on takeaways, but the Seahawks have gotten away with it.

"When you fly to the ball, fumbles are going to go our way, pop-ups are going to go into our hands," Tongue says. "That's all Ray. He's got everybody running to the ball. We just try to do it as aggressively as possible, and a lot of times the ball is coming out."

Receivers are hearing the footsteps of rookie free safety Ken Hamlin from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast. In the Seahawks' game against the Cardinals, Hamlin absolutely crumpled rookie Anquan Boldin, a tough, physical receiver. Boldin subsequently couldn't hang on to a pass, and the result was an interception by Brown.

While the Seahawks' defenders are coming up with the ball, they aren't putting much pressure on quarterbacks. They don't have an edge guy who can consistently beat his blocker. Rhodes' gap-control scheme serves the Seahawks well against the run, and they need all the help they can get after finishing last in the NFL a year ago in rushing yards allowed. But playing gap control doesn't get the quarterback on Iris Fanny. Defensive tackle John Randle is a poor fit for the system, and the Seahawks aren't using his pass-rush ability.

Rhodes hasn't supplemented the pass rush with wholesale blitzing either, although he has blitzed in spots. One of Rhodes' favorites traditionally has been the "Casino blitz," in which both safeties hit the B gaps (between the guards and tackles). He ran it against the Saints, and the result was Tongue chasing Aaron Brooks out of the pocket and bringing him down for a sack.

The Rams were waiting for the Casino blitz Sunday, and they took full advantage of it, convening a third-and-3 on a quick 6-yard pass to Looker in the second quarter and, later in the drive, scoring on a 7-yard reception by Isaac Bruce.

In recent years, the only in-game adjustments made by the Seattle defense had to do with the positioning of their cups. But that has changed with Rhodes. At halftime of the game against the Saints Rhodes drew up a blitz on the greaseboar, that the defense had not seen previously.

On a third-and-9 on the Saints' first possession of the third quarter, Rhodes' ingenuity paid off. Rhodes had seen that the Saints were sliding their protection to one side, while running back Deuce McAllister had been staying in to protect on the opposite side. Rhodes called for both Simmons, playing middle linebacker in the nickel, and Lewis, playing what the Seahawks call the "lurk" position, to blitz to McAllister's side. McAllister had to choose one of the two. He blocked Lewis, which freed Simmons to pressure Brooks into throwing a pass that was intercepted by defensive end Chike Okeafor.

It's a nice little story, what's happening in Seattle. For it to continue, though, the defense will have to expand.

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SPEED READS

* NFL coaches should not be expected to be entirely forthcoming about player injuries during a game. When, during a Week 2 game against San Diego, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said QB Jake Plummer had a concussion, even though he really had a shoulder injury, he was merely protecting his player's best interests and his team's competitive interests. If Shanahan had lied about the injury before the game, then he would have been wrong, and a fine would have bean in order.

* George O'Leary has done an outstanding job with the Vikings' defense this season and has made as much of a difference as any NFL assistant. O'Leary deserves a second chance as a college head coach, and somebody will figure that out soon.

* Steve Hutchinson, Seattle's left guard, might be the best player nobody knows about. He is quickly becoming one of the NFL's finest offensive linemen. Hutchinson and left tackle Walter Jones give the Seahawks the best left side in football.

M@ail Bonding.

Dan Pompei answers your questions.

What do you make of Kordell Stewart's start with the Bears, and what do you expect Jot him the rest of the way?

Sugie Gilbert Lassiter, Chicago

Sugie: If you look at Stewart's history with the Steelers, he has been effective--and at times excellent--when he has been used in a manner that takes advantage of his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses. So far in Chicago, the Bears haven't given Stewart anything be needs to be successful, and that includes pass protection and a complementary running game. That said, I expect Stewart to improve as the season goes along, as long as Dick Jauron doesn't deride to go with Chris Chandler.

INSIDE DISH

BY DAN POMPEI

It's 85 percent certain that former Michigan quarterback Drew Henson will negotiate a settlement on the $12 million the Yankees owe him and give foot-ball a shot. The Texans hold Henson's rights--the used a sixth-round draft pick on him last April--and have received some calls from other team about him. But Henson may end up sitting out the year and entering the 2004 draft. Where would he be selected if teams knew he was committed to football? The best guess is late in the first round. One respected personnel man says that if Henson had declared his interest to play before the 2003 draft, he probably would have been the fourth quarterback selected--after Carson Palmer (first overall), Byron Leftwich (seventh) and Kyle Boller (19th), but ahead of Rex Grossman (22nd). There will be some hesitancy about taking Henson for several reasons: He hasn't played football since the 2000 season (Chad Hutchinson hasn't exactly lit the league on fire after a similar layoff); his production at Michigan may have been inflated by an all-star cast, and his physical skills might be slightly over-rated. ... You can bet Saints QB Aaron Brooks pleased the Saints have carved out a time during every Thursday practice for a drill named in honor of RB Deuce McAllister. Since McAllister had some problems with pass protection last season, Saints have made it a point of emphasis. After working on The Deuce McAllister Drill religiously, McAllister's pass protection has improved significantly this season. In fact, he has even sent son: defenders somersaulting in the air with devastating cut blocks. ... In the battle of Cardinals rookie receivers, Anquan Boldin has been ahead of Bryant Johnson from the start. On the surface this is somewhat puzzling, given that Boldin came out after his junior season at Florida State and Johnson stayed at Penn State for all four years. Boldin, who was knocked for his lack of speed, was chosen in the second round, 37 picks after Johnson, who was taken with the 17th overall pick. Cardinals insiders believe Boldin has been quicker to contribute because he was exposed to so much more offensively in college than Johnson, who still is learning the nuances of playing in a pro system.... One of the knocks on WR Tyrone Calico before the draft was that he was raw coming out of Middle Tennessee State. The understanding was he would take time to develop. But Calico already looks more comfortable playing for the Titans than many other rookies who were supposed to be more polished, and the expectation in the Titans' locker room is Calico will have an impact on their offense soon. Why? The second-round pick wants it. Calico has amazed the Titans with his appetite to improve and his work ethic. Now that he's not limited by the NCAA's 20-hour rule, he has poured himself into his job, and the results have been apparent.... Don't be surprised if S Marion McCree, who was claimed on waivers by the Texans last week, finds his way into Houston's starting lineup quickly. McCree, who also was claimed by the Panthers, Saints and Steelers after being let go by the Jaguars, is picking up the Texans' defense rapidly. With S Matt Stevens not playing well, McCree could be an instant upgrade.

DAN POMPEI

Dpompei@sportingnews.com

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