JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Peyton Manning counts $17.5 million against the Denver Broncos’ salary cap this season. For less than double that, the Seahawks pay for their entire starting defense.
With some expert drafting and a few selective forays into free agency, Seattle built a dominant unit that’s also inexpensive, with the starting 11 costing less than $34 million.
It’s a young defense, too, and that’s a major reason it’s so affordable. Of the 18 players who have started at least one game this season, six were drafted by the Seahawks in 2011 or later, which means they’re still on their very reasonable rookie contracts.
Where Seattle has spent money is on the defensive line, because depth there is a major priority. Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett were signed as free agents during the offseason for an $8.5-million tab; neither is expected to start in Sunday’s Super Bowl, but both are key parts of the rotation.
“The nice part about working here is we have a real style about how we want to play,” defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. “They know how to bring the players in.”
After head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider were hired in early 2010, one of their first big moves was to trade for Chris Clemons. They wanted him for the “LEO” defensive end position in their hybrid 4-3 defensive scheme, the weakside rusher who sometimes plays with his hand off the ground.
Their style has allowed the Seahawks to find great value with players who might not fit into many other teams’ systems. Length and speed are attributes Quinn covets at all positions, confident the coaching staff can develop guys with raw skills into productive starters.
Never was this truer than the 2011 draft. The Seahawks had seven picks in the final three rounds and used all but one on defensive players.
“Overall, I think we were able to really improve the athleticism and speed of our team, and then we were able to do some things up front from a strength and toughness standpoint,” Schneider said that day.
He would prove to be right.
Seattle got its two current starting cornerbacks in the fifth (Richard Sherman) and sixth (Byron Maxwell) rounds. The Seahawks also added two linebackers who have started this season: K.J. Wright in the fourth and Malcolm Smith in the seventh.
For all the late-round success, Seattle also hasn’t whiffed when taking defensive players at the start of the draft. The Seahawks’ two defensive first-round picks in the last five years both are starters: linebacker Bruce Irvin (2012) and safety Earl Thomas (2010).
But what’s been crucial, Quinn said, is a franchise philosophy to give players an equal chance no matter how much they’re paid.
“Let’s not worry about where they were drafted or how they got here,” he said. “How far can we take them?”
Seahawks are ‘ready to go’
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Pete Carroll said the Seattle Seahawks are ready to go for the Super Bowl after their final walkthrough practice Saturday.
The Seahawks first went to MetLife Stadium around 10:30 a.m. and hung out on the field for about 15 minutes. Seattle then boarded buses and went across the street to the New York Giants’ practice facility. Seattle had brief meetings, took the official team picture and had a 35-minute walkthrough.
“We’re ready to go,” Carroll said. “That’s kind of how we are. I don’t know if it’s loose, but we’re where we’re supposed to be. This is how we always prepare. This is the exact routine we always do. And the guys did it perfectly (Saturday). It’s been great. We have no hesitation saying it’s been exactly what we hoped to get done. We’re physically right and mentally right, and we’re ready to go.”
The Seahawks spent a little bit of time taking pictures and hanging out with their position groups at the site of Sunday’s game before going back to the practice facility they have used all week. Owner Paul Allen was part of the official team photo and after a brief break went back to the field for the short practice.
Carroll said he intended to keep the Saturday night and Sunday routine the same and had no intentions of moving the team from its Jersey City hotel.
Among the guests at Seattle’s final practice were former running back Shaun Alexander and former linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski, both players on Seattle’s other Super Bowl team eight years ago that lost to Pittsburgh.
“It’s always great to see Shaun and those guys,” Carroll said. “It’s good to have them around. It just kind of reminds us what we represent.”
