Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner met with the media Wednesday afternoon for his weekly press conference. Wagner was asked how he spent his Christmass and if he could have imagined the team’s young defense would turn out to be this good.
Wagner was asked why he felt this current version of the Seattle Seahawks would be as good as it is. For the record going into Sunday’s regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals (3-12) the Seahawks defense is number one in the league in turnover differential ( +14), number five in Red Zone defense, number six in points allowed per game at 26.7.
That league behind efficiency is what makes them such a hard defense to score. The Seahawks are willing to let teams move the ball between from twenty-yard line to twenty-yard line but unrelenting in allowing teams to penetrate their red zone on a consistent basis.
The Seahawks have given up just nine rushing TD which is fifth best in the league behind the Chicago Bears (5), the New England Patriots( 7), and the Houston Texans and Tennesse Titans who both have allowed eight.
The growth of the team’s defense has been quite remarkable given that this is a defense that lost five Prow Bowler players in cornerback Richard Sherman, Safety Earl Thomas, Safety Kam Chancellor, Defensive lineman Michael Bennet, and Cliff Avril.
While he had no idea rookie Cornerback Tree Flowers, second-year players, cornerback Shaquill Griffin, Strong Safety Bradley McDougald and Free Safety Tedric Thompson Wagner would rise to their current heights Wagner believed the team had talent that was ready to step in .
The Seahawks philosophy of creating turnovers has been instrumental in the young defense maturing into one of the hardest defense to score against.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is not surprised at the success of his defense given how much time they spend practice defending the red zone.
With one game left in the regular season and then a playoff game against an opponent to be named, Wagner is happy to have K.J Wright back in the lineup. Wright started last weeks game against the49ers after missing five games.
