Sibelius Hindemith wrote: ↑Thu Jul 03, 2025 3:12 pm
Donn Beach wrote: ↑Wed Jul 02, 2025 2:43 am
Sibelius Hindemith wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 7:15 pm
I went back to the PFF thread to check the table for season grades and according to them Hankins was awful against the run (36.2) and below average in pass rush (55.3).
yeah, the question is rectifying the two opinions
MM
“I wouldn’t say it’s a major void, because we have guys that can play in the ‘A’ gap. But, yeah, when you watch tape last year, he played some pretty dang good football for us.”
You mean reconciling? I don't put nearly as much stock in what the head coach says because they're always going to speak well of their players.
They are going to speak well of the guys they just signed because they sign them to help win ballgames. If he doesn't have anything good to say about him then why sign him? When he says there's good football to watch it speaks to that. They didn't sign him just to lie about it, what would be the point of that? That's my point, resolving, those two opinions.
So they don't bother drafting a nose tackle in a draft considered deep at the position only to scramble around signing a guy that can't play anymore just to lie about his abilities, that narrative doesn't make sense to me. It isn't going to make any difference what MM says about Hankins, if he can't help him win football games then he's of no value to him.
And the fact is there is film of Hankins playing good football...
Seeing extensive action both as a 1-tech nose tackle and a 3-tech defensive tackle with over 100 snaps in both alignments in coach Mike Macdonald’s defense, including logging 40-plus snaps in three consecutive games from Week 4 to Week 6, Hankins produced 28 combined tackles with eight quarterback pressures, one sack, and his first career interception in a road win over the 49ers to help jumpstart a four-game winning streak.
Finishing tied for fifth on the team with 15 run stops, his presence at the nose tackle position proved to be a catalyst for the NFL’s most improved run defense, jumping from 30th in 2023 to 16th last season with him holding serve at the line of scrimmage. He also wasn’t simply a space eater, as he generated five tackles for loss in the backfield, his highest total since way back in 2019 when he had seven such tackles with the Raiders.
It didn’t take long for Hankins to help the Seahawks last season. He was particularly brilliant in week three beyond the three tackles he was credited with officially in Seattle’s home win over Miami. In the second half he blew up run after Dolphins run inside. He often smashed through double teams. When Miami had a first and goal, Hankins blew up the first three plays. The third was a quarterback hit up the middle.
But as the season went on, Hankins played less. The big, veteran tackle from Dearborn Heights, Michigan, played a season-high 77% of defensive snaps in week four Sept. 29 in Detroit against his hometown Lions. That was his highest rate of playing time in a game since 2017, when he was playing for Indianapolis.
But by November, Hankins was playing less than 30% of snaps.
A rate in between that and his 2024 season high is likely the best fit for Hankins for 2025, amid Murphy’s expected increase in playing time
Again, MM is the one that's actually coached a number one defense, PFF not so much. What I'm curious about is Hankins just a space eater for MM? For me there's more to it than MM being an idiot when it comes to NFL defenses
