that won Super Bowl XLVIII was
certain to produce future coaches. If you had asked me at the
time
Ethan Pocic
Jersey , I would¡¯ve said (and still would say) that Richard Sherman was
the most likely to end up in a prominent coaching position. But on Tuesday,
Heath Farwell became the first member of that championship winning team to earn
a coordinator job in the NFL, per Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer.The
former Seahawks linebacker and special teams captain was hired by the Bills to
be their special teams coordinator, less than five years after playing his final
snap in the NFL. After retiring, Farwell stayed on as an assistant special teams
coach in Seattle for two years, before moving on to the Panthers in a similar
role last season. Now, Farwell will join a growing Carolina contingent in
Buffalo, led by head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane.
Farwell¡¯s had a relatively quick rise as a coach, with just three seasons of
coaching experience under his belt before earning a coordinator job. However, he
still has a long way to go before surpassing this as his most notable moment:
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images The final position group to arrive in
Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine is the defensive backs, who will be
measured on Saturday ahead of their workouts on Monday. The DB group is
particularly..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections VideosCoffee and CigarettesGame
AnalysisThe Numbers GameCigar Thoughts2019 NFL DraftWhat the Seahawks will be
looking for from the defensive backs at the Scouting
CombineNew,10commentsPSTShareTweetShareShareWhat the Seahawks will be looking
for from the defensive backs at the Scouting CombineBrian Spurlock-USA TODAY
SportsThe final position group to arrive in Indianapolis for the Scouting
Combine is the defensive backs, who will be measured on Saturday ahead of their
workouts on Monday. The DB group is particularly interesting as it pertains to
the Seattle Seahawks. Their strict thresholds at cornerback will finally allow
us to narrow down the position, some six weeks since the college All-Star games
began. Free safety, meanwhile, is the most important spot on Pete Carroll¡¯s
defense, and is about to be vacated after nine Hall of Fame-level seasons from
Earl Thomas. Seattle, and Carroll specifically, will have their eyes closely
focused on the defensive backs. Here¡¯s what they¡¯ll be looking for.
CornerbacksBy now, Carroll and the Seahawks¡¯ desire for length at cornerback is
common knowledge league wide. Arms 32¡± or longer, and a frame typically between
195-205 pounds, standing 6-foot-1 and above. As far as explosiveness goes,
prospects only need to be between the 60th and 70th percentile¡ªaround 35¡± in the
vertical jump and 10¡¯ in the broad jump. Functionality is all that¡¯s sought
after in the 40-yard dash as
well
Shaquill
Griffin Jersey , around a sub 4.5. The focus athletically is more on
change of direction (which makes sense given the physical demands of the
position). A three cone quicker than 7.15 seconds and a short shuttle quicker
than 4.3 seconds are sought after. For the most part, the best cornerbacks
Seattle¡¯s drafted since 2010 have been exceptional in the three cone (Richard
Sherman at 6.72 seconds and Shaquill Griffin at 6.87, for example).During the
early years of Carroll and John Schneider¡¯s team building, they were able to
take their pick among the cornerbacks they wanted, in a market truly only
occupied by them. But, as Carroll¡¯s tree has spread and other teams have
followed the Seahawks¡¯ lead, the market has gotten more crowded. Thankfully,
Carroll¡¯s Hall of Fame résumé as a defensive back coach will always afford them
a competitive advantage. SafetyAs is the case at cornerback, size is sought
after at safety for Carroll and Seattle. Their height threshold isn¡¯t strict, a
player just can¡¯t be deficient¡ª5-foot-10 and up is the standard. Weight wise,
however, the Seahawks want bigger bodied safeties, generally between 205 and 220
pounds (even Thomas, who added excellent weight during his career, was 208
pounds coming out). Similarly to cornerback, elite explosiveness isn¡¯t
necessary: 32¡± in the vertical and 9¡¯05¡± in the broad jump has typically been
the threshold. The extremely explosive prospects have been the late round
gambles, such as Ryan Murphy or Eric Pinkins.However, like cornerback, the
emphasis is put on change of direction: Prospects with a three cone quicker than
7.1 seconds and a short shuttle quicker than 4.3 seconds will be targeted. More
wiggle room will be given to unique or rare prospects, as was the case with both
Thomas and Kam Chancellor. With a lack of top-tier prospects at free safety in
this year¡¯s draft, Seattle will need a vintage draft from Schneider and Carroll
to help replenish the All-Pro talent that has left in recent seasons.