Devon Witherspoon’s big night highlights Seahawks’ brilliant plan

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Seattle’s visions of how to use Devon Witherspoon came to live against the Giants

Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon had the chance to introduce himself to a national audience during Monday Night Football.

And what an introduction it was.

Against the New York Giants Monday night, all Witherspoon did was record seven tackles and two sacks, as well as a game-breaking interception of Daniel Jones which he returned for a 97-yard touchdown. It was the kind of night that Seattle head coach Pete Carroll envisioned when the team drafted him fifth overall last April.

“I never thought he wouldn’t play like this,” said Carroll after Seattle’s 24-3 win.

“This is the why we took him. To be active and to show that he gets this game of football, and it comes easy to him. He’s an explosive, dynamic player,” added the Seahawks head coach. “We got to put him at nickel for the first time. This was a process, getting him back out there. We didn’t have enough time, we thought, to have him ready, although he’s been working at it the whole time. He did a great job tonight, and you can see why we like him there.”

Witherspoon’s performance may have felt rewarding for both Carroll and general manager John Schneider, who drafted the defensive back at No. 5 overall despite having other needs on the roster. Defensive tackle was one such need, and Jalen Carter was on the board when the Seahawks were on the clock. With last year’s starting cornerbacks — Michael Jackson and Riq Woolen — returning, the team could have gone in a different direction.

But Witherspoon was a player they were unwilling to pass on.

“I haven’t come across a guy like this in a long time. The last time I recognized this kind of makeup was back at USC when we had a guy that you guys may know. Troy Polamalu was a guy who had an extraordinary way about the way he played the game, and I saw this connection between what Devon does and how he looks at the game and how he approaches it that just knocked me out,” said Carroll last April. “I’m just really excited about this. He’s physical, he’s tough, he’s got an attitude, he’s going to bring it, he’s going to fit right in with our guys.”

Asked last spring about trading out of that spot, Schneider had this to say: “We had two players we definitely weren’t going to leave for, and Devon was one of them.”

However, how would the team use Witherspoon, given the options already on the roster? Over the summer, a plan started to emerge: Using the rookie in the slot as their nickel cornerback. The plan made sense at the time, given Witherspoon’s physical style of play, the talent in Seattle’s secondary room, and how the Seahawks approach defense schematically.

“It plays to my game a good amount, and it plays well to our defense the way that we run it,” Witherspoon said back during training camp.

“There’s so many more assignments that are intricate to the running game that aren’t part of the corner position,” Carroll said back in August. “Being in an area where he gets to pressure as well. He’s got blitz pick up stuff. He’s got all kinds of things that he has to do. I’m telling you it’s not hard for him. It’s easy for him to learn the stuff. He’s going to be able to get it down and that’s not going to be the concern. It’s just which is the best mix and combination for us.”

There is another reason why putting Witherspoon inside makes sense for Seattle.

It helps get one of their best players closer to the football.

This is a philosophy advanced by many, including Seahawks analyst Matty F. Brown. When he talks defense, people should listen. After all, when he is not breaking down Seattle or asking Carroll questions which the veteran head coach himself praised, he is coaching defense, as he is the defensive coordinator for the London Olympians.

Get your best players closer the ball and the quarterback.

Which is what we saw on Monday night.

We can start with Witherspoon’s first sack, an impeccably-timed blitz from the slot:

The Giants use motion presnap, and Witherspoon at first glance looks like he is just sliding in response to the motion. But instead of covering a receiver, he comes screaming into the pocket off the edge, and the Giants — having used a four-man slide in protection away from him — leave him unblocked.

Daniel Jones does not have a chance.

As noted above, putting Witherspoon in the slot not only gets him closer to the football, it caters to one of the strengths he showed at Illinois. Witherspoon could be described as a linebacker in a cornerback’s body, a player willing to crash downhill and make physical plays against the run.

Putting him closer to the football lets him make plays like this one:

Teams that want to play with extra defensive backs need to find ways — and players — willing to get involved in the run fit. On this snap, Seattle slides outside linebacker Boye Mafe into the C-gap between the right tackle and the tight end. That means that Witherspoon is tasked with fitting off the edge should the Giants test the outside.

When running back Gary Brightwell tries to bounce this outside, Witherspoon is there, having crashed downhill and beaten the block attempt from the slot receiver. That’s when the rookie defensive back makes his introduction to the RB.

Witherspoon had already introduced himself to Jones with that sack in the first quarter, but if the QB was not exactly sure who the rookie was, Witherspoon made a reintroduction of sorts later in the game.

With this game-breaking Pick Six:

Again, put him closer to the football, and good things happen.

After the game, Witherspoon was spotted signing a “12” flag for a Seahawks fan, adding “DROY” — Defensive Rookie of the Year — to his signature:

If he stays near the football, that prediction might very well come true. Something Carroll and Schneider envisioned last spring.