The Seattle Seahawks already showed one way Mike Macdonald’s defense can keep evolving, and Brian Baldinger thinks there’s more coming.
On Wednesday’s appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Baldinger pointed to what the Seahawks put on tape in their Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots as a sign of what could be next for the league’s top-ranked scoring defense.
“I think you saw some of it in the Super Bowl,” Baldinger said. “They disguised some coverages, and (then) on second down they’re coming with a blitz zero at Drake Maye and they get home.”
That pressure package was no small tweak. Macdonald ramped Seattle’s blitz rate to 33.3% in the first half of the Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl victory, a sharp jump from the 19.3% blitz rate they used during the regular season.
One of the biggest reasons it worked was Devon Witherspoon. The three-time Pro Bowl cornerback blitzed six times in the Super Bowl after recording just 21 blitzes over his other 14 combined regular-season and postseason games last year.
And when Seattle sent him, he made it count. Witherspoon turned those six blitzes into a career-high four pressures, three quarterback hits and a sack, and he also helped create a defensive score.
For Baldinger, that’s the template: keep the disguise, keep the base intact, but keep forcing quarterbacks to feel heat.
“I think the base (defense) is still going to be there - some of the some of the disguises that they showed last year and what they got to,” Baldinger said. “But I think you’ve still gotta heat these quarterbacks up.
“So I could see them getting after it (more with) Witherspoon … and sending some of these blitzes off the slot and trying to get some color in those quarterbacks’ faces as quick as they can.”
In Other News...
Seahawks Fans May Not Love What Their New Owner Just Admitted
The Seahawks are entering a new era with the NFL approving the sale of the franchise to Vinod Khosla, who is buying the team from Paul Allen in a league-record $9.6 billion deal. Khosla, a billionaire entrepreneur, is taking over one of the leagues most recognizable teams with a long-term mindset, and his stated goal is simple enough for Seattle fans to embrace: win another Super Bowl.
Still, the transition comes with a reminder that ownership changes can reshape more than the balance sheet. Khosla also plans to give up his stake in the San Francisco 49ers as part of the purchase, underscoring how quickly his attention will shift fully to Seattle. For Seahawks fans, the bigger question now is how that patient approach will show up in the decisions ahead, especially with expectations already tied to the franchises championship standard. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Defender Just Fueled The Sam Darnold Debate Again
Sam Darnold goes into the new season carrying the kind of expectations that only come after a quarterback has reportedly led a team all the way to a Super Bowl title, and around the Seahawks there is plenty of confidence that he can handle the spotlight again. With offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak now gone, the conversation in Seattle has shifted from what Darnold did last year to what he can do next, and teammate Jarran Reed has made it clear he believes the quarterback is built for this stage.
The bigger test comes immediately, with Seattle set to open its title defense in a rematch against the New England Patriots. For a team trying to prove last season was no fluke, that first game will say plenty about how smoothly the Seahawks can move forward without Kubiak and how much faith they really have in Darnold to steady everything again when the pressure starts piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Are Taking A Risk With Week 1 Now In Sight
With Week 1 now almost here, Mike Macdonald has made it clear he is not going to use the preseason as a proving ground for Seattles top players. Virtually all of the Seahawks starters have stayed on the sideline through the exhibition schedule, including the finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, as the coaching staff leans on joint practices with the Tennessee Titans and the rest of camp work to sharpen the roster before games start to count.
The approach leaves Seattle betting that rest and controlled work will be enough to have the lineup ready when the regular season opens, even as health and depth concerns continue to shape those decisions. Some players, including rookie Jalen Milroe, are expected to get a full game, but the larger question hanging over the Seahawks is whether this cautious path will pay off once the real pressure begins. [Read more 🡒]