By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
KIRKLAND – When Chad Eaton first met with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren about the possibility of continuing his career in the Pacific Northwest, he knew he could help improve Seattle’s defense. Of course, there was one small string attached.
“From Day 1,” Eaton said, “we had to be dynamite. We had to take the last-ranked defense and be in the top 10 right away.”
A realistic proposition? It didn’t seem so. After all, the Seahawks defense was statistically one of the worst in history last season.
Five games into the 2001 season, the rebuilt defense has held up its end of the bargain. Where past Seattle defenses certainly have had talent, they haven’t had the same energy of this year’s unit.
“That’s been so long needed here,” said defensive end Michael Sinclair, who has started alongside 48 other defensive players during his 10 years with the Seahawks. “We need attitude. Defense really is an attitude.
“Credit the (Baltimore) Ravens. Yes, they do have a good defense, but it’s not like they’ve got 11 Pro Bowlers on the defense. It’s an attitude that you go into the game with.”
The source of Seattle’s new defensive attitude comes from new veterans Eaton, John Randle, Levon Kirkland and Marcus Robertson. Each was brought in to improve production at his given position, but the four newcomers also were chosen because of an ability to influence those players around them.
Eaton, a defensive tackle, was known in these parts as the fiery, outspoken leader of the Washington State University defense in 1994. Randle (Minnesota Vikings), Kirkland (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Robertson (Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans) have led in their own ways during long NFL careers.
They’ve complemented Seattle’s returning defensive players well thus far, making for a mix that has had early success.
“Johnny (Randle) is wired. I’m wired, but not that wired,” Sinclair said. “I’m not going to be like Chad Eaton, sitting there beating on my chest. That’s not me. What’s good about what I see is that everybody’s staying within their role. They’re not trying to be like someone else.”
Whereas defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell spent most of last season trying to put band-aids on a swiss cheese-like run defense, he’s been able to run this year’s unit the way he is comfortable.
The results have been overwhelming so far. Seattle’s defense ranked 31st in the league in 2000, giving up an average of 399.4 yards per game. This year’s Seahawks have allowed 292.8, which ranks ninth in the NFL.
In 16 games last season, Seattle held just one opponent under 300 yards. It’s already happened three times this year.
The defense established another, less concrete, turnaround last week, when the Seahawks manhandled Denver’s offense en route to a 34-21 victory. Two unsportsmanlike penalties against the Seattle defense in the first quarter sent a signal to the Broncos that these aren’t the same old Seahawks.
“Our whole thing was to push them around, get them out of their game, and it worked,” Eaton said. “I think it was the frustration of all (the media) picking Denver, no one giving us a chance. We wanted to prove that we could carry the team and win games that way.”
Denver averaged 425.5 yards in two victories over the Seahawks last season, but managed only 281 yards 10 days ago. A Jacksonville offense that put up 437 yards against Seattle last year was held to 256 in a Seahawks’ win this season.
“We’re playing with seven new guys,” linebacker Chad Brown said, including cornerbacks Ken Lucas and Paul Miranda and safety Reggie Tongue in the equation. “To compare it to last year is not even applicable. … Is every week going to be like that? Are we going to be that loud and aggressive? I don’t know if we can say that. I don’t know if our true attitude has been established.”
What the Seahawks defense has done so far this season has not only affected opposing offenses, but also the Seattle offense.
“We know our defense is good enough to stop anybody,” running back Shaun Alexander said. “It gives us more confidence to go out there and shoot for the big play, knowing that if we get up, we’ve got a great chance to win.”
During one offensive huddle in the Denver game, wide receiver Koren Robinson used Seattle’s defensive effort to motivate the offense.
“I was like, ‘They’re stealing the show from us. We’ve got to step up. Let’s do something nobody thought we could do,’” Robinson said. “They outshined us. They took our fame. I say that jokingly, but I’m also being serious. I was telling everybody (on offense) to pick it up.”
While the Seahawks’ young offense is still finding itself, the veteran defense did not have the luxury of coming together over time. The blueprint was for Seattle’s defense to carry the offense early on, at least until Robinson, Alexander and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck got comfortable together.
The scary part is that this defense could get even better. Cornerback Shawn Springs has slowly been worked back into the starting lineup after suffering a hamstring injury at training camp, and defensive end Lamar King has been hobbled by a sore toe. Following last week’s bye, both Springs and King could enter the Miami game Sunday as healthy as they’ve been all season.
And Eaton doesn’t expect the attitude to change when the Dolphins get to town.
“We can be a vocal team against them,” Eaton said. “That’s what defense is all about.”
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