3 burning questions Seattle Seahawks fans are asking ahead of Week 2 vs. Lions

The Seahawks just changed their defensive coordinator before the 2022 season

Are we looking into the defense coaching? Might be time to dive into that. - Joe Missy A.

This question gets a lot more complex than it may first appear. The easy answer to the second part is that Seattle did just change their defensive coordinator from Ken Norton, Jr. to Clint Hurtt after the 2021 season ended. Hurtt has only been the DC for one full season and one game of 2023. Hurtt, though, has been on the defensive coaching staff in Seattle since 2017 so one would think the transition from Norton to Hurtt would have gone better.

In Norton's last season with the Seahawks (2021), the team was very good against the run but bad against the pass and couldn't get teams off the field on third down. In Hurtt's first season (2022) as DC with Seattle, the team switched to more of a 3-4 base and Seattle was terrible against the run and decent against the pass but also couldn't get teams off the field on thiird down. Another through-line with Norton to Hurtt is a lack of aggressiveness or consistent pass rush.

Head coach Pete Carroll also remains fairly loyal to his coordinators and doesn't make quick changes. Coordinators sometimes leave on their own, such as Dan Quinn, but mostly Carroll gives the coordinators four years or so before any changes are made. But one might wonder if Carroll still chooses to be the head coach for a few more years. If he decides to step down, the new coach is likely going to change the coaching staff.

But what about right now? Well, what you see is what you get, and the trends we have seen from the Seahawks over the last few years are likely to stay. This means inconsistent pass rush and mediocre run defense. Seattle appears to have talent on defense, but are the coaches getting the most from it?

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