RENTON — The 2022 season marked what was ultimately another frustrating and confounding season out of the Seahawks defense. But in the eyes of coach Pete Carroll, the attempts to fix it in 2023 won’t come in changing coaches or in overhauling much of the scheme.
Asked if he anticipated any staff changes after what was the first season for defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt, Carroll said no.
“We’re staying with our guys,’’ Carroll said. “We’re solid.’’
That was about as strong of a postseason endorsement as Carroll has given his coaching staff and in contrast to last year when Carroll said in his end-of-year presser only that “I’m not addressing any of that stuff’’ when asked if there could be changes. The Seahawks then fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and defensive passing game coordinator Andre Curtis a week later.
Hurtt, along with new associate head coach for defense Sean Desai and passing game coordinator Karl Scott, then installed a system that featured more 3-4 looks than Seattle has used in the past. That came in an effort to beef up the pass defense after a 2021 season in which Seattle ranked third in the NFL in yards allowed per rush but 24th in yards allowed per pass.
Seattle got better against the pass this year, ranking 15th in yards allowed per attempt. But the Seahawks fell off markedly against the run, ranking 26th.
But Carroll said the new scheme will stay, though with some tweaks.
“I love what these coaches have done in getting it together, it’s just been more of a process than they wanted,’’ Carroll said. “And we transitioned in a way that’s not as good as we needed to. But it wasn’t because we weren’t on it. It wasn’t because we weren’t coaching it, wasn’t because the guys weren’t trying. We need to get better at everything — we need the time. We need a better offseason. Our guys were really committed to getting back here and doing their thing and taking advantage of it because they can sense why we need to. And we need to be smarter and sharper and more in-tune and more precise about what we’re doing.’’
But in comments about as candid as he ever makes on personnel topics Carroll also said the team simply needs to have players make more of an impact on defense and especially up front.
Carroll named players in the division such as San Francisco defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead and Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald and said “picture the really hot defenses around the league and there’s players on that front that make a difference and they distract you from everything else that is going on. … In some way, shape or form, you’ve got to have guys that are factors, that affect opponents in big ways.’’
Carroll said he thinks Seattle has some players who can fit that bill, naming the likes of cornerback Tariq Woolen, rush end Uchenna Nwosu, safety Quandre Diggs and linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
But Carroll further noted that “’in years past when we were really on it we had seven or eight guys that you had to deal with. … You’ve got to have issues that you cause for the opponent. And so we’ve got to get better.’’
That seemed to hint strongly at Seattle using some of its early draft capital on adding to the defense and especially the front. Along with having pick No. 5, Seattle is also assured of having at least four of the top 53 picks.
It also could point to something of an overall of the interior of the defensive front, though Seattle has much of its line under contract for 2023, with a couple notable exceptions in defensive tackle Poona Ford and ends L.J. Collier and Bruce Irvin who are all now free agents.
Carroll indicated that the emphasis on fixing the pass defense this season impacted the run, and said of the run defense going forward that “we will commit a little bit differently than we did’’ in 2022.
He also seemed to hint at streamlining some things defensively, saying, “We might have shot a little too high for what we were trying to do.’’
That might possibly have resulted in what seemed a number of costly missed run fits and assignments this season. Carroll said a 68-yard run by San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey on Saturday was mostly the result of a missed run fit.
“We made too many small errors that wound up being big things,’’ he said.
But Carroll said he’d take the blame for any issues that arose from the changes in the defense this year.
“I take responsibility for that because I let us go the way we went,’’ he said. “… I totally have to own that. This is me not getting it right fast enough.’’
Adams, Brooks updates
A key to fixing Seattle’s defense in 2023 will be if Brooks and safety Jamal Adams can return healthy to start the season. But Carroll said timelines for each remain unclear.
Carroll said Brooks will have surgery Thursday to repair an ACL injury and that the team has “fingers crossed’’ he’ll be back for the start of 2023 season. Adams continues to rehab a torn quadriceps and Carroll said “it’s still a long recovery’’ that will last into the summer.
“It’s going to take him a while,’’ Carroll said.
Illegal man downfield penalty was close
A turning point in Saturday’s game came when guard Damien Lewis was called for being more than 2 yards downfield on a pass play, officially being an illegal man downfield. It was the first of three times Lewis was called for that penalty in the game. Carroll said the second two were the right call.
But he said the first one, which was the most costly as it turned a potential third-and-two at the 49ers’ 7 into second-and-14 at the 19, was more questionable.
“It was so close,’’ Carroll said. “It was just a brush of a foot’s difference whether it’s in the time the ball is coming out.’’
Lewis had taken some steps forward to block a lineman who was backing up.
After an incomplete pass on the replayed second down, quarterback Geno Smith was sacked and fumbled the ball away on third down, a sequence preventing the Seahawks from potentially taking the lead in a game that was 23-17 with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter.
Carroll noted again that the NFL has had an emphasis on calling ineligible linemen down field this year, but said the intent of that emphasis is supposed to be on RPO, or run-pass-option, plays. The play on which Lewis was flagged was not one of those.
“This was a different situation,’’ Carroll said.
Still, Carroll said he wasn’t blaming the loss solely on that sequence, saying “we weren’t able to respond the way we needed to’’ as the 49ers followed the fumble by quickly driving for another TD that keyed a 25-0 run in the second half.
Notes
— Carroll said former UW standout linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven continues to rehab from a knee injury that involved nerve damage suffered in the preseason in 2021. Burr-Kirven is now a free agent but Carroll said Burr-Kirven hopes to continue playing and said “we’re going to give him every chance and if he can do it this is going to be the place he does it.’’
— Carroll said Rashaad Penny is recovering well from an ankle injury suffered Oct. 9 and will be ready for training camp. However, Penny is also again an unrestricted free agent for the second straight year.
— Carroll said tight end Will Dissly is for now attempting to heal a knee injury suffered Dec. 24 at Kansas City without surgery but that it may take a month or two before it is known if that can happen.
— Carroll said DL Bryan Mone had “a difficulty’’ surgery to repair an ACL injury suffered against the 49ers on Dec. 15 that revealed some additional damage and that his recovery will take a while, with no clear timeline.