With Tampa Bay already having some promising young safeties Warren Sapp Jersey , is there any room for a big free agent addition?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmNFL Free AgencyDoes Buccaneers’ existing safety group limit free agency possibilities? New,5commentsWith Tampa Bay already having some promising young safeties, is there any room for a big free agent addition?ESTShareTweetShareShareDoes Buccaneers’ existing safety group limit free agency possibilities? Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsThe need for defensive help has led to a lot of speculation about what the Buccaneers might do when free agency opens up on March 13. There isn’t a ton of cap space to work with, especially if the Bucs are bringing back some of their own guys. Questions have been surrounding all three levels of the defense for the last couple of months, but one of the position groups that might not be set up for a big free agent signing is the safeties.Ever since Bruce Arians was hired, Tyrann Mathieu has been a specific name mentioned in connection with Tampa Bay. It’s not hard to see why. There’s a mutual love between Arians and Mathieu, plus the “Honey Badger” has plenty left in the tank. The Bucs also seem like a good landing spot because of the need for a veteran presence in the secondary. But would a guy like Mathieu — or another big name veteran safety — stunt the growth of the team’s existing safety group?Justin Evans, who is only entering his third NFL season, is the most established safety on the roster. He should continue to be a full-time starter in 2019. In addition to him, the Bucs have Jordan Whitehead starting his second season as a pro. The 2018 fourth-rounder had a very promising rookie year, and he could certainly prove to be a big steal if he’s given the opportunity. Then there’s M.J. Stewart, who is also entering his second year. The second-rounder from a year ago played cornerback in his rookie season, but general manager Jason Licht said at the NFL Scouting Combine that the North Carolina product will be moving to safety.With all of that being said, would the addition of Mathieu or another big-time veteran make sense for such a young group of safeties? If the Bucs do bring in Mathieu Womens Gerald McCoy Jersey , they’d have him, Evans, Whitehead and Stewart all battling for snaps. With the kind of money that it would take to bring Mathieu in, he’d surely start. That presumably leaves two young players on the sideline for the majority of the time. To really develop and get better, these young guys need to be on the field.One argument could be that a veteran safety is a clear upgrade over the second-year guys, so it shouldn’t matter that they’re on the sideline. Such a veteran very well may be an upgrade, but stunting growth of the guys that are supposed to be your future might be problematic in the long run. With the promise that Whitehead showed and the potential that Stewart has at his new position, it would seem unlike Jason Licht to give up them being key pieces so soon.Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been a big fan of Tyrann Mathieu since his LSU days, and I’d love to see him become a Buccaneer. But is the current setup of the roster conducive to such a signing? It’s definitely something to think about. Stifled by the salary cap, the Atlanta Falcons won't be offering Julio Jones a more lucrative contract.Not this year, at least.Now the question is: Will the star receiver show up for training camp?The Falcons informed Jones several weeks ago that they would not renegotiate his current $71.5 million package, which still has three years remaining and included $47 million in guaranteed money, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the talks have not been made public.The team's decision, which was first reported by The Athletic Womens Lavonte David Jersey , does not preclude talks after the season on a deal more in line with Jones' status as one of the NFL's top receivers. But the Falcons do not believe they have enough financial leeway under the cap to renegotiate the contract in 2018.The team hasn't been told if Jones will be at training camp. Players are required to report next Thursday, with the first practice the following day.Atlanta already agreed to a five-year, $150 million extension with quarterback Matt Ryan, the most lucrative deal in NFL history. The team is also focused on working out new contracts for defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, offensive guard Jake Matthews and safety Ricardo Allen.A flurry of new contracts during the offseason dropped Jones, who makes an average salary of $14.25 million, out of the top half-dozen on the list of the league's highest-paid receivers. Tampa Bay's Mike Evans, Cleveland's Jarvis Landry and Kansas City's Sammy Watkins are among those now making more per year than Jones, a two-time All-Pro who caught 88 passes for 1,444 yards last season.In 2015, Jones turned in one of the greatest seasons by a receiver with 136 receptions for 1,871 yards and eight touchdowns. He is a five-time Pro Bowler.In an apparent sign of his unhappiness, Jones skipped organized team workouts at the team's training facility this summer, as well as a mandatory minicamp. But he apparently took part in Ryan's private passing camp in California along with about a dozen of his teammates this month.Jones has gone silent on social media and hasn't talked with the Atlanta media in months. In one of his rare media appearances Womens Carlton Davis Jersey , he told TMZ that he has a good relationship with the franchise that pulled off a huge trade with Cleveland to make him a first-round pick in 2011."Everyone wants a story right now. There's no story to be told," Jones insisted. "I'm just working on getting myself better. I'm just working on myself right now. That's all that is. There's no bad blood between me and the team or anything like that."Jones remains in the good graces of coach Dan Quinn, who didn't seem at all upset when Jones skipped the minicamp ."Sometimes football and business intersect," Quinn said. "That's OK and that happens a lot."Quinn has talked constantly of "brotherhood" and making sure players do everything as a team. For instance, the players stood together as a team on the sideline during the national anthem for all games after two players kneeled in protest early in the 2017 season.Quinn doesn't think Jones' absence has affected the Falcons' unity."Do we want everybody here all the time? Hell yeah, like all the time," the coach said. "What I'd say is if you ask to a man, the guy is a hell of a teammate, and the time he spends here, the way he mentors people, how hard he plays, there is plenty of brotherhood in Julio."

Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery."Subscribe to the Field Gulls Podcast via:Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify |Overcast | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Castbox | Subscribe on Android | PlayerFM | RSS With the Seattle Seahawks only having four picks entering the draft on April 25th Bobby Wagner Jersey , the most likely course will be to see Seattle trade down from the 21st pick overall. However, John Schneider said recently he “could see a very good player being there for us at 21.” With that in mind, Michael STUFR Edwards joins Brandan Schulze on the podcast to reveal who the Seahawks should pick with the 21st overall selection in the draft.Leading up to the Seahawks pick, we go over the first 20 picks of the SB Nation NFL Writers’ Mock Draft. Michael talks about the potential players who would be a great fit in Seattle that the team would want to stay put for if they fall in the draft, and profile Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery as a player he thinks John Schneider would like to go ahead and take in that spot.Rob Staton, from Seahawks Draft Blog, joins the show in the second segment to offer his thoughts on Tillery and some different directions the team could go in after a scenario where they likely trade down from their current spot. Based on some of the players they’ve brought in to the VMAC for a visit and players they’ve spoken to at the combine, wide receiver and defensive back appear to be a couple of the other likely areas they could choose. That sucked.Not just the officiating — I guess I spoiled part of the article, did I? — but the execution on offense, defense, and special teams was way too inconsistent. Even with the penalties, the Seattle Seahawks did not substantially outplay the San Francisco 49ers. This was one of the worst losses in the Russell Wilson/Pete Carroll era. Luckily for them they’re still in good playoff positioning even if they did the unthinkable and fell to 8-8.Let’s go to Winners and Losers and then move onto next week. WinnersChris CarsonCarson isn’t Marshawn Lynch, but he’s carving out a legacy in his own way. 22 carries for 119 yards and a herculean effort to somehow score from a yard out on 4th and goal when he was stuffed multiple times. “Rushing doesn’t matter” blah blah... what I firmly believe is that running back talent matters. No one else on Seattle’s running back depth chart scores there. He is a gem.Doug BaldwinA classic Dougie stat-line. Four catches for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns. We can only hope that he can stay healthy, because he’s still such a key part of the Seahawks offense with his route-running, sure hands, and longtime outstanding chemistry with Russell Wilson.Poona FordThat was the Poona Party. Three tackles for a loss! THREE! He had six tackles overall as the UDFA rookie showed off his dominance in the run game. We’ve moaned about him being a healthy scratch in some games, but when he has played he’s mostly shined.Jarran ReedWhat a freak he’s become as a pass-rusher. Much like Ford, he was crashing the 49ers interior but his best work was when he got after Nick Mullens. Two more sacks brings him up to 8.5 on the year, and he should be getting more national recognition.Tre FlowersFlowers was scarcely thrown at, and he had a key pass break-up to deny the 49ers a potential touchdown to end the 1st half, as well as a fumble recovery in the opening quarter. He’s really been one of the better stories of the year for Seattle.Michael DicksonIf you pin the opposition at the 1 and 2-yard line with your first two kicks, you’re really damn good at your job. Dickson might be the only reason the Seahawks aren’t in the bottom-half in special teams DVOA. Again.LosersEthan PocicIf Jordan Simmons was one last gift from Tom Cable, then Pocic was Cable’s last middle finger to the Seahawks offensive line. The 2017 second-round pick replaced Simmons due to injury and gave up a pressure and committed two crucial holding penalties (both more than justified), including the one on the deep ball to JD McKissic in overtime. I had high hopes for Pocic as a rookie Justin Britt Jersey , but we’ve found out why he’s been a healthy scratch beyond just “not fitting into Mike Solari’s system.” You won’t fit into any system playing like that.JR SweezySweezy wasn’t that much better than Pocic. Not only did he have multiple holds, but a screen pass to Mike Davis could’ve gained many more yards if not for him blowing his block in the open field. Tough afternoon at the guard position for the Seahawks, as Simmons also gave up sack prior to his injury.Austin Calitro and Barkevious MingoThese two are not very good for separate reasons. Calitro is “preseason fast” but not “regular season fast,” if that makes sense. He’s slow to react on passing plays and had multiple blown coverages, including Nick Mullens misfiring on a likely TD in the 2nd quarter. Mingo is just an abysmal open field tackler and it showed again when he failed to wrap up a checkdown pass to Matt Breida.Regardless of what happens to KJ Wright’s future with the team, linebacker must be a big priority for the Seahawks in 2019. The depth not only isn’t very good, it’s not been good since Malcolm Smith left. If Wright or Wagner go down, it’s a wave of Kevin Pierre-Louis, Brock Coyle, Terence Garvin, Michael Wilhoite, and now these two. Tedric ThompsonIt’s unfair to expect Tedric to be Earl Thomas, or even a very good safety given where he was picked. He does not look like an NFL starter. I should forgive him for slipping on that shit heap of a field on the Garrett Celek touchdown, but he also got stiff-armed into the ground by Dante Pettis on a 15-yard catch, and is just late to make a play far too often. He’s better than Steven Terrell, and that’s about all I’ve got for him.Special Teams guys not named Michael DicksonMissed extra point by Sebastian Janikowski, bad kick coverage leading to a 97-yard touchdown, multiple penalties on Seahawks runbacks, Tyler Lockett’s ridiculous decision to bring that kick out in overtime almost leading to a fumble and actually resulting in awful field position. Neiko Thorpe with a silly roughness penalty gifting the 49ers 15 yards. It was sloppy as hell. Brian Schneider’s group was arguably the worst unit of the three.The two-minute offenseSeattle’s two-minute offense is either a checkdown to Mike Davis, a sack, a draw play with Mike Davis, or a penalty. It is abysmal. They are so terrified of making a mistake that they’re actually more conservative in these situations than at any other point in the game. I’m tired of seeing it. The Levi’s Stadium groundscrewOther teams have natural grass fields with rainy weather. Levi’s Stadium was basically a cow patch. It made FedEx Field look pristine. Both teams were slipping and sliding as chunks of turf were getting chewed up.Pete “Abe Vigoda” Morelli and the other officialsI’ve had to put the refs in the Losers column far too often this season. The Seahawks racked up 14 penalties for 148 yards, a franchise record for yardage, and many of them took away potential scoring opportunities or gave the 49ers opportunities of their own. Shaquill Griffin and Delano Hill should be livid with these DPIs.Griffin’s penalty was 2nd and 15 in OT. That basically ended the game. Hill’s penalty led to a field goal that made it 23-20... that occurred on 1st and 20. This is ticky-tack nonsense. Seattle certainly committed a lot of perfectly valid penalties that should have Pete Carroll seething K. J. Wright Jersey , but these DPIs weren’t penalties whatsoever. I do not think the refs were the #1 reason the Seahawks lost the game, but the biggest calls of the game pretty much all went against Seattle. Oh well, that’s the NFL for you. I’m sure a ton of bad calls will go the Seahawks’ way next week, in primetime, taking up debate on sports talk shows for entire episodes.Final NotesPete Carroll’s decision to punt on 4th and 3 from the 49ers 39 does not sit well with me at all. The Seahawks were lucky they got a turnover on the next play because the Niners were on their way to a 99-yard touchdown drive. There’s trusting your defense and then there’s being overly conservative. His failure to call a timeout to preserve more time to possibly score at the end of the 1st half was also terrible, but that two-minute offense is garbage so it might have panned out poorly anyway.Ken Norton Jr’s blitzes produced way too many open receivers. He dialed it down in the 2nd half and the 49ers offense was held in check for the most part, so that’s a credit to him after being overly aggressive in the opening quarter.Delano Hill... wasn’t bad? Actually he was at least okay from what I saw, which is a relief given Bradley McDougald’s knee injury.Russell Wilson wasn’t as good as that stat-line (23/31 for 237 yards, 2 TDs) showed, but he wasn’t terrible. I guess by Wilson standards, he was okay? Sadly his best throw was to JD McKissic, and Ethan Pocic wiped it all out. That fumble he had on 3rd and 1 to start the 3rd quarter was inexcusable considering how open Chris Carson (or was it Tre Madden?) was.Thom Brennaman and Chris Spielman might be the worst set of announcers on the FOX roster, and we’ve had Dick Stockton and Mark Schlereth multiple times this year. It’s like they’re not even watching the game, and the production team at times seemingly wasn’t watching either.Brian Schottenheimer plays for third down. Seattle ran only 11 more offensive plays and wound up with 9 more third-down attempts. Sometimes it’s okay to throw it on 1st down. I’ll have more on Schottenheimer’s ridiculously lopsided — and likely Pete Carroll-mandated — opening drive scripts later this week.I’ve theorized that the Seahawks often give up on 3rd and long because they fear longer developing plays will increase the likelihood of a sack, and the offense under both Bevell and Schotty do a poor job of scheming up YAC opportunities for pass-catchers. Only two of Russell WIlson’s 31 TDs this year have required receivers to get more than 10+ yards YAC, so forget about the other plays. It’s the way the offense is designed, and we’ll have to live with it.This loss sucks. It’d take a horrendous collapse for them to miss the playoffs, but I do expect them to play better next week against the Chiefs. The problem is, “better” might not be enough against that juggernaut. Seattle always has one “signature” win against an elite team, so perhaps Kansas City will be that team, and that could shake up the entire AFC playoff picture.

Welp. For the third straight game Vita Vea Jersey , the Buccaneers fell on the short side of the scoreboard - this time to division rival Atlanta. In a game that was as frustrating as any we’ve seen this season, the Bucs came a wild play away from stealing a win. Instead, they fall 34-29 and have their hopes of a postseason berth bludgeoned over the head.There was a lot to go into this, and no one player is to blame. It was a collective effort of ineptitude and too little, too late for the Bucs.Let’s pick six.Six Topics Suitable For Conversation1.) They Are Who We Thought They Were. Mike Smith’s defense continues to be a mind-boggling collection of stupidity. Yes, the defense came up with stops in the second half but it was too little too late for a defense that allowed a 24-13 first half hole. They did themselves little favors by leaving Julio Jones uncovered for the majority of the game - especially in the final four minutes that allowed the Falcons to march down and kick a field goal to go up five. Smith’s defensive scheme is just plain outdated, ineffective, and pathetic. The players aren’t executing it and Smith is unwilling to adapt to the strengths of his players. Much like Lovie Smith did, it’s the round hole/square peg syndrome. In the end, it’s not only going to cost Smith his job, but will likely take Koetter and Licht down with him,2.) Cant-kick-enzaro Strikes Again. Going back to the opening drive, where the Buccaneers scored with ease, then Catanzaro missed the extra point. That extra point managed to loom large over the game. Because of it, the Bucs had to attempt a two-point conversion - which failed. Had Catanzaro just done his job to begin with, the Bucs are marching down the field for a potential game tying field goal rather than diving into their book of tricks for a miracle touchdown. All that guaranteed money and he can’t kick. Hate to say I told you so, but...3.) The Final Play Call Was Brilliant. Say what you will about the outcome, that final play was a genius idea that ALMOST worked. From the 21-yard line Jameis Winston Jersey , the Bucs had little chance of pulling off a jump ball in the end zone with Julio Jones back there playing safety. The element of surprise worked and the lanes opened up for the Bucs. Unfortunately, Adam Humphries bobbled the ball leading to a delayed pitch to DeSean Jackson - that he couldn’t handle - and the game ended. If DJax scoops up that lateral, even with the delay, we’re talking about a Bucs win this morning.4.) Jameis Winston Looked Fine - Don’t Panic. Winston finished the day with his second most passing yards and second most passing touchdowns in a game in his career. The interception in the end zone was a misfire, yes. If that ball is 8-12 inches higher, it’s a touchdown. As for the second, that one may be on DJax. We’ll have to wait for the all-22 to come out, but in real time it appeared as if DJax slowed up towards the end of that route and allowed the safety to get into position to intercept the ball. There are still some timing issues with Evans and DeSean, but overall Winston looked fine. It also would’ve helped had Evans not had three passes go right through his hands...5.) Congratulations Mike Evans. With his first reception Sunday, Mike Evans became the Buccaneers’ all time leading receiver. He passed Mark Carrier and is still only 25 years old. By time all is said and done, Evans may put every Bucs’ receiving record out of reach that we don’t see his records broken in our lifetime.6.) 2-3 Is Not A Death Sentence. Coming up, the Bucs face the Browns, Bengals, and Panthers. All are winnable games and can get the Bucs back on track. Even going 2-1 keeps them at .500 and in the postseason hunt. If this defense doesn’t get it together though, these next three games could see every team score over 30 points.Six Numbers To Consider74 - Winston’s career passing touchdowns. Third most in franchise history. 5,063 - Mike Evans’ career receiving yards5 - Jason Pierre-Paul’s season sack total - halfway to that ever elusive double-digit mark-6 - Bucs’ turnover differential this season.94 - Bucs’ opponent’s red zone touchdown percentage0 - Games the Bucs’ defense has allowed fewer than 400 yards this seasonSix Best TweetsSix Things To Be Excited About1.) Jason Pierre-Paul - He’s been a total game wrecker since joining the team. This was definitely a move that Jason Licht can pin to the top of the resume.2.) Chris Godwin - This kid continues to make plays. He’s an emerging star in this league and the perfect compliment to Mike Evans moving forward into the future of this franchise.3.) Lavonte David - This is kind of like cheating since most people already love Lavonte, but his play this season has been extraordinary. On that final Falcons drive he single handedly almost caused a 3-and-out. He’s putting the defense on his back and trying to keep them respectable.4.) Todd Monken - The offense is still performing at a high level. This will only continue as Winston gets more comfortable with Monken’s style of play calling. And they have the weapons to be a top tier unit for years to come.5.) O.J. Howard - This guy. What can you say? Two weeks ahead of his recovery schedule and he was a major factor all game long. There’s a reason he was a first round pick and he’s showing it consistently week in and week out.6.) Mike Evans - Again, this guy is only 25 years old he’s the leading receiver in franchise history. Not only that Carlton Davis Jersey , but he’s locked up for the foreseeable future. Only good things ahead for that young man.Six Super Bowl Bets1.) Los Angeles Rams - Hands down the best and most complete team in football2.) New England Patriots - Can’t say with any confidence there’s a team in the AFC that can knock them off3.) Kansas City Chiefs - We’ve seen this movie starring Andy Reid before. Enjoy it while it lasts4.) New Orleans Saints - Somehow, their only loss is to the Bucs5.) Pittsburgh Steelers - Starting to click, and with James Connor, who needs Lev Bell?19.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Slowly slipping out of reachSix Final WordsBaker Mania Is Coming To TownWill Dirk Koetter call plays? If you think Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter should give up play calling, you aren’t alone. Koetter was often criticized for his play calling last season. That may be why Koetter allowed offensive coordinator Todd Monken to called plays this preseason, and the offense has looked more explosive and efficient. But it’s just the preseason, right? Even if you focus on the process and not the results, it seems as though Monken does a better job leveraging down and distance and the skill sets of Tampa Bay’s very talented receiving corp. But with it only being preseason it’s hard to really judge if Monken is any better.But recently Koetter made statements that show he still hasn’t decided:And that he’s really struggling with the decision:Koetter has been noticeably cantankerous towards the media this preseason and has answered sarcastically or refused to answer at all, like he did on an innocuous question about the team captains. It’s hard to say if he’s already made up his mind, or if he’s really struggling with the decision. I’m sure Koetter has complicated feelings about this. If you let your coordinator call plays, and he’s worse than you, no big deal. But if he does it better than you, how can you go back? That’s where he finds himself right now. If he does take back play calling, at this point it might look like he’s putting his ego before the team. But he got to where he is as an NFL head coach by calling plays, and he truly enjoys doing it, so one could see how he would feel conflicted.

Others have tried Ethan Pocic Jersey , but no one may be in better position to blaze a new trail for NFL players than Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. And the time has come for someone to sign a contract that ties his future pay not to specific dollars but to a percentage of the ever-growing cap.It’s arguably overdue for a high-end player to achieve protection against the inevitable contract-hopping that happens as the salary cap climbs and, in turn, the market increases. With, as of 2013, the cap embarking on a $10 million-or-more annual jump, long-term deals quickly became obsolete.That’s precisely why Wilson currently is so underpaid. When signing his latest contract, with a new-money average of $21.9 million per year, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had the top spot at $22 million. Eventually, along came Andrew Luck ($24.5 million) and Derek Carr ($25 million) and Matthew Stafford ($27 million) and Jimmy Garoppolo ($27.5 million) and Kirk Cousins ($28 million) and Matt Ryan ($30 million) before Rodgers pushed the bar to $33.5 million.Wilson, entering the final year of a four-year extension, must now worry about the same dynamic playing out, in the event he puts his hand one spot higher on an upside-down baseball bat that never quite allows anyone to curl his thumb over the knob. Complicating matters for Wilson is the uncertainty over the multiple sources of potential cap spikes, from a new labor deal to new TV deals to new states embracing gambling — and the NFL turning those expanded gambling pools into new revenue streams.If the Seahawks want to avoid embarking on a year-to-year franchise-tag dance with Wilson, which would culminate in a one-year tender of $52.43 million in 2022, they likely will need to be willing to give Wilson insurance against spikes in the cap and, in turn, growth in the market that could result in players like Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, and Baker Mayfield leapfrogging Wilson while he works through the years of his third NFL deal.With the deadline for doing a long-term deal one day away, that’s the wrinkle to watch. Unless the Seahawks are willing to dramatically exceed the current market maximum in hard dollars, it’s going to take a percentage of the cap to get this done. The Seattle Seahawks got funky last Monday. Ken Norton Jr. stunted hard, unleashing wild, looping blitzes. His defense looked like Kris Richard’s Seahawks with 3-down linemen looks. On the back end, the coverage was also a complete change up. Seattle predominantly ran two-high safety pass defenses that turned into either match quarters, cover-2 man or bracket man. Single-high, cover-3 and cover-1? This was only witnessed against heavier personnel and formations.Here’s what Kirk Cousins (probably) said at half time:Yes, in addition to the Seahawks’ distractingly lurid ACTION green uniforms, their defensive scheme was also deceiving. The result was a rattled, confused $84M quarterback who double-clutched and missed throws. Norton Jr.’s gameplan was completely different to what the Minnesota Vikings would have prepared for in the days leading up to their 21-7 defeat. The now fired John DeFilippo struggled to figure out ways to move the football. Seattle popped off the screen in more ways than one on Monday Night Football. What this article will cover is the bracket/bandit coverages. In Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, the Vikings have the deadliest receiving duo in the league. The Seahawks limited them to 76 and 70 receiving yards respectively. Zero touchdowns. That’s not bad at all, especially when you factor in garbage time production.In the first quarter Shaquill Griffin Jersey , Seattle befuddled Minnesota’s opening script and didn’t allow a single Thielen or Diggs reception. Let’s get to their second drive of the game.Bracket/Bandit #1The Vikings came out in an 11 personnel (1 running back, 1 tight end and 3 wide receivers), empty shotgun set featuring two wingbacks. They were lied to pre-snap by the Seahawks’ 3-1-7 big seven defensive back (bandit personnel) defense on this 3rd and 12.It looked like a cover-2 man press defense. Instead, Seattle rushed just two of their players. Jacob Martin, lined up at left end, dropped as his green dog assignment required him to stop his rush and cover the releasing man one-on-one.Meanwhile, in the deep secondary, Delano Hill bracketed Thielen over the top. The coverage saw Griffin and Hill double cover Thielen. The other safety, Tedric Thompson, was assigned Diggs deep. Diggs had to contend with the man coverage of Justin Coleman, walling from the initially sugared Akeem King and Thompson: triple coverage. Cousins first looked at Diggs, expecting the middle of the field to be open. He quickly progressed, given the safety movement and immediate two-man plastering. His second read was Thielen’s in-breaking deep route outside. The underneath and over the top layers smothered Thielen, making this even less preferable of a throw.Checking that Martin had dropped with the flat route checkdown, Cousins panned to the other side of the field and the checkdown of Dalvin Cook in the flat. Bobby Wagner, in man coverage over the running back, dropped him for a loss. (The refs made a very strange call on Wagner here, but the coverage still worked beautifully.)Bracket/Bandit #2The bizarre flag on Wagner kept Minnesota’s drive alive, only for them to stall in similar fashion on the next third down—a 3rd and 12. The Vikings plumped for an 11 personnel shotgun trips formation; the Seahawks once more responded with a 3-1-7 big bandit (7 DBs).The assignments were similar, as was the result. King walled Diggs’ skinny post route, along with the man-to-man press coverage of Griffin and the bracketing of Hill. On the opposite side of the field, the isolated Thielen had Thompson work his way over the top to double cover him above Tre Flowers. It was this safety movement that Cousins first observed. Correctly choosing to move to his next read, Cousins again saw a triple-covered Diggs. He went for the one-on-one the defense produced. Coleman worked well on Aldrick Robinson’s wickedly angled vertical route, staying easily in phase with the receiver.Up front, Jarran Reed managed to command a double-team (benefited by pre-snap sugaring) that saw Martin get a one-on-one with right tackle Brian O’Neill. Beating him for speed to the corner, Martin dipped through and registered a hit on Cousins. Hurried, Cousins’ pass fell nowhere near the intended receiver and Coleman’s sound coverage. Change-Up Seattle’s ability to adapt to their opponent is a massively underrated aspect to Pete Carroll’s genius as a defensive coach. Undoubtedly, Norton Jr. had influence on the scheme too. The Seahawks’ near-perfect execution had Cousins reeling: they went to match-quarters stuff for the rest of the game and it was similarly effective.Said Cousins:The proactive measures neutered the Vikings’ offense of any tangible threat. It was deadly, like Nolan Ryan’s circle change-up after a ton of scorching fastballs. Minnesota was left looking silly.Bobby Wagner reflected on the Bandit coverage post-game:Here’s what Carroll thought of the schematic tweak: With a playoff run now nearly certain, it’s comforting to know that Seattle has ways of taking lethal receivers out of games. Cousins was persistently forced to his tertiary read and he looked shell-shocked in the big moments. A stifling defense that imposes that level of psychological stress on a quarterback is something that screams SEAHAWKS IN DECEMBER. The astonishing part is we can think that about this rebuilding iteration of Carroll’s Seattle. I’m in!