Post
by douche » Mon Jul 07, 2025 10:40 pm
I found the rest of it interesting...
What does Seattle need to run MM's defense?
Most importantly, DISCIPLINE. The scheme works cuz it's hard for QBs to process, but it's also a challenge for his players to execute so many motions, disguises, etc. This is a very complicated scheme with a lot going on in every play. Seattle was 10th in defense penalties this year. On top of that, Seattle needs some serious work on the missed tackle problem- Hawks were 3rd in defense missed tackles this year. Had Bmore missed another 4 tackles, they would've led the NFL. Calling perfect coverage won't mean shit if the defense keeps missing tackles. A complicated scheme like this really requires players to not fuck up, if someone's out of position in a disguise-reliant zone scheme, you'll get WRs wide open and you can't have that. Improving the safety room is also critical, MM's scheme depends on good safeties to prevent TDs and YAC. Seattle has the advantage of already having Spoon & Riq, but with Spoon in the box and blitzing more to fill the Hamilton role, the other DBs will need to step up to make sure WRs aren't open. Remember- Ravens got sacks because their talented secondary consistently covered receivers and bought the DL time to get home.
Spoon will fill the Hamilton role. Kyle Hamilton famously is a very rare unicorn of a player, but Spoon is 1 of only a few DBs that can fill that role. Spoon staying healthy will be incredibly important, his versatility is what allows you to use so many different looks that confuse QBs.
Coby might blitz occasionally. Ravens used corner blitzes with Maulet sometimes, MM will like Coby's corner/safety vibe.
Versatile safeties: Seattle will almost certainly be replacing both Jamal & Quandre in the next 2 years, and safeties are super important to MM's scheme. Macdonald wants players to be as versatile as possible, so focus on safeties that can do a lot in the draft. Size+speed combo would be very appealing.
Patrick Queen is NOT the linebacker you want in FA. Yes he's good, but Seattle needs a middle LB in FA more than a will. Queen was a bust before Roquan, they had him playing mike and he was awful. Couldn't read the play at all, terrible in coverage. He didn't improve cuz MM unlocked him, he improved cuz they moved him to will where he should've been playing all along. Queen was improving a bit in '22, but he improved a lot once they added Roquan. Wills are far easier to draft, you just need a fast athletic LB that can shoot gaps. I'd rather keep Brooks than overpay on Queen. A field general MLB is a harder position, that's the one Seattle needs and should spend on in FA if the MLB class isn't great. LB is less important since the base D is nickel, but MLB is extremely important. Roquan is the one running the Ravens defense. Seattle needs its own Roquan- disciplined, good tackler, good communicator. MM's scheme is difficult to execute, you need MLB to keep everyone organized. Obv they won't be Roquan, he's a top 3 LB, but you get the point.
You need fast DBs to run Macdonald's scheme. It's zone, but they need to be able to flip hips, run backwards etc very quickly. Prioritize 3 cone & splits more than 40 times for drafted DBs, long speed is less important since the corners will have safety help behind them. Agility matters a ton. Ravens have Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens- Stephens has no name recognition but was phenomenal this year. Seriously, he was shutting down Jamarr Chase. Riq's speed will be very valuable here- Spoon will fill the Hamilton role, but Riq's closing speed is also really important. Hamilton fell out of the top 10 (barely, he was 14) for a slow 40 & positional value, but his rangy game speed & length is what makes him so good. Riq's got the size & speed to excel in Macdonald's scheme.
