The Seattle Seahawks lay claim to arguably the best defense in the NFL this year.
There are those with gaudy numbers, like Ernest Jones’ 5 INTs as a linebacker, or Nick Emmanwori with…a bunch of everything.
But the strength of this defense is on its cohesion, and it’s largely built on the backs of those who have played some unbelievable football this season without the eye-popping numbers.
Foremost on the team, and perhaps in the league, is now three-time Pro Bowl selection Devon Witherspoon.
Sometimes you have to look hard to find Witherspoon’s impact on the stat sheet. Occasionally, he’s gone unnoticed for portions of a game while not being targeted. But you don’t have to go far at all to find his impact within the organization. Mike Macdonald believes Devon Witherspoon is the engine that makes the entire defense go.
As an example, Witherspoon just hauled in his second career interception in three seasons. Pretty bad for the fifth overall pick, right?
That’s just not how he impacts the game. Witherspoon – even more so as part of Macdonald’s scheme – is an eliminator. He is not boom-or-bust; he is the relentless crashing of waves that refuses to give any ground.
Defensive stops measure if a player prevents offensive success, which is about yardage to gain. Any tackle short of the sticks on 3rd or 4th down is a stop; so is a pass breakup.
Spoon is the only player in the NFL to be top-10 from two different alignments.
He’s also (quietly) allowed the 7th-fewest yards per coverage snap this season. The Passer Rating allowed numbers are poor specifically because he does not take the ball away much. Rating is heavily influenced by interceptions.
It takes a little more work than the ESPN box score, but there are plenty who have noticed that Devon Witherspoon is every bit as valuable as his fifth-overall selection. He’s incredibly valuable to this team and should be one of the highest extension priorities when his time comes.
My favorite play from Witherspoon this season is one that he nearly didn’t make, and one which vaulted a teammate into Player of the Week honors.
You remember the Atlanta Falcons beatdown? Also known as the Nick Emmanwori arrival game? There’s an interesting nugget to the interception from the third quarter.
The Seahawks release their All-Access videos each week. Pure gold. In this one, we got the beautiful self-revelation that Emmanwori was the beneficiary of Witherspoon covering for the rookie’s mistake, resulting in that exact interception. I’ll direct you to the full video [the 6:04 mark] but if you haven’t seen it, Witherspoon jokingly called out Emmanwori on the sidelines.
Turns out, the two were supposed to switch off based on the pre-snap motion, and Emmanwori did not. Witherspoon had to adjust – you can see him backpedaling initially – and take on his new and unexpected assignment. He got there in time to deflect the pass and cause the pick.
I absolutely loved the interaction. Witherspoon is so freaking smart, so dialed in to the particulars of the defense right now, that he’s able to improvise at the highest level.
So that makes three positions Witherspoon can play now? He can play outside, he can play in the slot, he can play whatever you were supposed to play if you mess up.
The ultimate teammate.
