Seahawks should fire defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr after Dolphins game

Ken Norton, Jr. has not proven to be a good Seahawks defensive coordinator.

First, let me say that Ken Norton, Jr., the Seahawks defensive coordinator since 2018, is probably a better human being than I am. He also is a better football coach than I would be. But in writing this, I am not comparing Norton, Jr. to me as a person. But I am relating Norton, Jr.’s ability to coach NFL defenses to his fellow NFL coaches. And that is where the truth and importance lies.

Ken Norton, Jr. should no longer be the Seahawks defensive coordinator and his time as being so needs to end after week four of the 2020 season.

A change in defensive coordinator might seem odd in the middle of a season, but let’s be real. The best defensive coach on the staff of the Seahawks is head coach Pete Carroll. Should, say, Dan Quinn, currently but the soon-to-be-let-go head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, be released from his current employer, he should be brought back to Seattle immediately as the Seahawks DC.

Sure, Quinn might stick with the Falcons through the end of the season because Falcons owner Arthur Blank seems like a good dude. But Falcons fans are probably also tired of Atlanta’s late-game collapses and seasons of diminishing return and want Quinn gone.

I am not going to compare Quinn as a Seahawks DC, which he was between 2013 and 2014, to Norton, Jr. directly because that is unfair to Norton, Jr. Quinn had overall better talent, like Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman and a whole host of future Hall of Fame possibilities.

But the 2020 version of the Seahawks defense is not without talent either. Seattle gave Norton, Jr. players to work with this year. They traded for cornerback Quinton Dunbar and safety Jamal Adams. They drafted defensive ends Alton Robinson (he missed the first two weeks as a healthy scratch and then given the chance to play in week three had a sack and a tackle-for-loss) and Darrell Taylor (no blame to Norton, Jr. there as Taylor hasn’t played because of injury).

Seahawks defense worse because of Ken Norton, Jr.?

Maybe the Seahawks defensive line is underperforming and not getting enough pressure. Or maybe they are simply under-coached by Norton, Jr. and Jamal Adams is put in weird spots. Adams was beaten a lot in week two against the Patriots on deep routes. Should Adams have been there? Or did Norton, Jr. place him there?

Then there is this tweeted from Joe Fann

But also…

Pete Carroll likes to keep things in-house as far as issues. But there is clearly some disconnect between him and Ken Norton, Jr. And Carroll is right! The communication on defense stinks. How can Norton, Jr. not agree to that?

When Ken Norton, Jr. was the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders (or whoever the heck they are currently – pick a city to stay in, Radiers…please!), his defenses in points-allowed (which is all that really matters) was 22nd, 20th and 20th. That’s kind of an improvement, but still really bad.

As the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks since 2018, his defenses in points-allowed have ranked 11th (2018), 22nd (2019) and 22nd so far in 2020. But his defenses in total yards have gone 16th to 26th to 32nd in the last three years. Norton, Jr. needs to go.

The problem is that the Seahawks are this close to being a Super Bowl-winning team. What is holding them back? The players on the field? Or the coaches? And if Seattle, even with a bunch of injuries, does not hold the Dolphins to under 30 points in week four, Norton, Jr. needs to be fired immediately and someone with some creative and knowledge of how to run an NFL defense brought in. Or heck, let Pete run the defense until the end of the season.