The Seattle Seahawks (3-3) defense will have their hands full Sunday morning when will try to play the role rude guests when they take on Mathew Stafford and the Detroit Lions (3-3) at Ford Field.
The Lions are coming off an impressive 32 to 21 win over the Miami Dolphins on which running back Kerryon Johnson carried the ball 19 times for 158 rushing yards while Stafford had an efficient passing game in which he was 22 of 18 for 218 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions have the 12th best offense in the NFL and it will take discipline and execution for the Seahawks to stop the Lions potent offense according to Linebacker Bobby Wagner who is pleased to have longtime teammate K.J. Wright back in the fold to help with the task.
Wagner was asked what has made the Pete Caroll coached defense so successful.
(On where he feels the Seahawks are at this point in the season)
“I feel pretty good. I feel like we kind of had a little bit of adversity, I feel like we responded, and I feel like we’re growing. I think that’s all you can ask for at this point in the season is to be growing. There are teams that have been 8-0 and 6-0 and all that other stuff, and they kind of fall off later towards the season. You got to be hot at the right time. I feel like it’s taken these games to understand the people that you’re playing with, because everybody, this is their first time playing. We had rookies, we had countless guys playing WIL.,
I was out for a game, so we were trying to learn each other. I think as these games go and as you watch us play from the defensive side, you see us getting stronger in our communication and stronger in knowing that this is where the other guys going to be. I feel pretty good, I like our growth. I think we have a lot more to get out there, we got guys coming back like K.J. (Wright), which I think is definitely going to help us. I really feel like it’s only up from here.”
(On what gave him the confidence in the new group of defensive players)
“You see the hunger in guys. There was a hungry vibe in here, especially coming off of the way we ended the season last year. The guys that were there last year had a sour taste in their mouth as well as we had a group of young guys who were eager to prove why they belong in this league. I think that combination gave me the confidence. It was a lot of talk about how young our team was, but we have guys that’s been around like myself, K.J. (Wright), Frank (Clark).
I feel like we had the guys, the leadership to maintain a defensive excellence. That’s kind of why I felt very confident in where we would be. I think I would like to say we are top 10 defense or something like that. I feel like there’s so much more to improve, so to see where we’re at and where we could be, is pretty cool.”
