There was always a nod of the head when someone said, “Defense wins championships.” That’s the way it has always been from Dallas’ Doomsday Defense to the ’85 Bears to Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White and Ray Lewis.
Now it’s up to Dan Quinn and his Seahawks to prove the adage is still meaningful even against one the most prolific offenses in NFL history.
Good luck with that.
Quinn, 43, is the Seahawks impressive defensive coordinator, who will match his No.1-ranked defense against Peyton Manning and the Broncos No.1-ranked offense Sunday in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. In many ways it’s a litmus test of whether defense still wins championships in today’s era of rules favoring the offense and restricting the defense.
“We have a lot of regard for their offense and the style that they play,” said Quinn, a New Jersey native, who is emerging as a future head-coaching prospect. “So we’re certainly up for the task and can’t wait to get started.”
Defenses largely have been softened by rules limiting space where defensive backs can engage receivers. It’s part of the reason why Manning has enjoyed a record-setting season and receivers think a penalty flag should be thrown whenever they are breathed on.
Yet, officials largely have let players push, tug and pull at each other during these playoffs. The Seahawks were flagged eight times for 66 yards in the NFC Championship against the 49ers. But only one — on cornerback Richard Sherman in the second quarter — was for defensive holding. That’s why the Seahawks aren’t planning to hold back on Sunday.
“We still want to get our hands on people,” Quinn said. “Can we get them after five yards? No. But at least we can play them real physical at the line of scrimmage.”
The line of scrimmage isn’t the only place the Seahawks want their presence felt. Should any of the Broncos roam too deep in the secondary, they will be greeted by someone from the Legion of Boom, none of whom mind taking batting practice on receivers.
“We call it the strike zone where we want to hit a guy,” Quinn said. “It’s like in baseball from the shoulders down to the knee. We want to hit the strike zone and make good contact.”
Then again, the Seahawks might be willing to risk a flag to send an early message. It could come from a defensive lineman applying a late hit on Manning, crunching a running back or rattling a receiver. “As often as we can get our hands on guys and play, that’s how we’re going to do it,” Quinn said.
The Broncos are notorious for “pick” plays where one receiver screens a defensive back shadowing another receiver. If only the Knicks pick-and-roll offense were as precise. The Seahawks aren’t overly concerned about that either. They likely will play mostly zone defense where the rub plays aren’t as effective. “We’ll need to work through it when we’re in man-to-man and pass them off when we’re in zone,” Quinn said.
The Broncos are basically a no-huddle offense with Manning making most of the calls at the line of scrimmage. That won’t make the Seahawks uncomfortable either. Quinn coached against a lot of no-huddle while working at Florida and has drilled the Seahawks since the training camp on how to react to those situations.
“We feel comfortable in that environment so we don’t make an extra emphasis on it,” Quinn said. “It’s part of what we do.”
Well known in coaching circles, Quinn coached at Hofstra before moving on to the 49ers, Dolphins, Jets and Seahawks. He was the defensive coordinator at Florida from 2011-2012 before returning to the Seahawks this season.
Having coached under Nick Saban in Miami and now Carroll, he was interviewed for head coaching openings at Cleveland and Minnesota. But he will be even hotter commodity if he can beat Manning in the Super Bowl.