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| How will Seattle replace Mebane? Photo Credit: Kyle Terada/ USA Today Sports |
The Seahawks defense took a major hit with losing one of their best defensive players.
By: Michael Hanley
Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane pulled a hamstring in Sunday's game against the Giants. It was confirmed that it was a torn hamstring, which will spell the end of the season for him. This loss leaves a huge hole for Seattle to try and fill for the rest of this regular season and potential postseason.
Here is some of what players have said the importance of Mebane's play and presence on the defensive side of the ball (via Jayson Jenks, The Seattle Times):
“He’s the most important person to this defense,” defensive lineman Michael Bennett said earlier this year. “Everybody think it’s the Legion of Boom or me or Cliff (Avril), but it’s really Mebane.”
“I mean, there is nobody like Mebane,” Carroll said. “He’s a very unique player. He’s had, I think, the best season he’s had since he’s we’ve been here to this point – most consistent, best factor — so that’s a big hit to take.”
That is a hole that will be impossible to replace no matter who they decide to put in Mebane's place. He was a player that did so many things to aid in the success of the Seahawks defense. For starters he routinely was able to take on two defenders so that the linebacker core could run with freedom and attack the offense at the point of attack. Having that ability is such a benefit to the rest of the defense, allowing the pressure Seattle loves to put on offenses come to reality and be effective in doing so.
It also made offenses have to change how they protect their quarterback from that pressure by switching protections that the offensive line was in and would force them to go for a more short yardage play instead of a long pas splay since the quarterback would have next to no time to sit in the pocket and scan the field for an open receiver.
Mebane also was capable of ruining an opponents running game by himself at times. Though sometimes he did miss on stopping running backs from getting an open lane up the middle of the defense he more times than not was able to clog up that middle that running backs love to exploit and run through for chunks of yards.
That made running backs have to make a decision on the fly about which direction they were to go in before be swallowed up by the Seahawks defensive line. It would force them most of the time to bounce their lane to the outside which would be waiting with players from the secondary waiting to tackle him after a few yards gained. Mebane would have such a bead on some run plays that his strength would enable him to shoot through the opposing offensive line and get the running back down himself.
There are only two options as of right now for the Seahawks to go in as of right now. First they will look to turn to veteran Kevin Williams who is in the last moments of his potential hall of fame career. He has years of experience and could make for a less bumpy transition from Mebane.
Seattle will also try second year tackle Jordan Hill, who though has a very high ceiling in the franchise's eyes has so far had difficulty staying healthy. These two players could combine and do a solid job for the Seahawks defense as the season goes on but it just will not completely fill in what Mebane brought to the table with his skill set and overall talent.
With a tough schedule upcoming for the Seahawks it will be a challenge for their defense to perform at the level it had with Mebane but they do have talent throughout that unit and their is no reason why they cannot find a way to still be able to be effect in stopping offenses overall.
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