Seahawks CB Jeremy Lane Courts Legion of Boom's Doom in Super Bowl XLIX
Storm clouds didn't gather on the horizon. The hairs on the back of ESPN.com's Terry Blount's neck didn't stand on end during the dramatic pause, and lightning did not crack when Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane finally spoke his ill-fated words.
"I actually don't think he's that good," said Lane, speaking of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
No wolf howled, nor did any witch cackle in the distance. Mount Rainier did not rumble, giving fell warning to the citizens of Seattle. Nevertheless, Lane's poorly considered words might have named his, and the Seahawks', Super Bowl XLIX doom.
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Gronkowski, a five-year veteran, is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. He's always been dominant in the NFL, but never more so than in 2014. The 6'6", 265-pound human weapon hauled in 82 catches for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns over 15 regular-season games. He led all Patriots, and all NFL tight ends, in the latter two categories.
At times, Gronkowski appeared to be the entire Patriots offense. In the Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears, he had nine catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns. It seemed like all Brady had to do was flip it to Gronk and let him rumble through the Bears secondary.
Pats receivers Brandon LaFell (74 catches for 953 yards and seven touchdowns) and Julian Edelman (92 catches, 972 yards, four scores) both had solid seasons. The only real weapon, though—the only terrifying matchup, the only true big-play threat—was Gronk.
The Patriots receivers don't match up well against the Seahawks, whose "Legion of Boom" secondary features big, fast, aggressive and athletic cornerbacks jamming at the line and superstar free safety Earl Thomas playing center field behind. This Cover 1 look is their bread and butter, and it's hard to see the likes of LaFell and Edelman getting open against Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell.
But Gronk?
Gronk is the Legion of Boom's worst nightmare.
A big, fast, athletic, pass-catching tight end is a great weapon against the Seahawks' base defense. Nobody knows that better than the San Diego Chargers, who beat the Seahawks 30-21 back in Week 2.
How'd they do it? A seven-catch, 96-yard, three-touchdown dose of tight end Antonio Gates.
This is the start of the Chargers' first touchdown drive, late in the opening quarter, on a 1st-and-10 from their own 20-yard line:
Note the Cover 1 look, with free safety Earl Thomas playing center field. Strong safety Kam Chancellor, his man-coverage assignment of the slot receiver drawn in red, is playing much closer to the line of scrimmage (as he usually does). Defensive end O'Brien Schofield is standing up; he will drop back into coverage while linebacker K.J. Wright blitzes.
Gates, circled in yellow, is lined up across from Wright. Wright will blitz past and allow middle linebacker Bobby Wagner to pick him up:
Just after the snap, everything looks as it should from Seattle's perspective. Gates, though, is about to get jammed by Wagner—after which he'll turn upfield into the giant hole between Thomas and the right cornerback. Thomas doesn't see this initially and flips his hips left in order to assist with the two receivers on that side:
At this instant, Gates beats Wagner to the inside and gets a step on him. Quarterback Philip Rivers decides to throw it to Gates, and Thomas hits the brakes as he realizes Gates is about to break one deep. Schofield is reading Rivers' eyes and is in the neighborhood, but he doesn't actually realize Gates is splitting him and Wagner for a 21-yard gain.
If Rivers' throw hadn't forced Gates to break stride and leap for it, this might have gone quite a bit farther. A younger version of Gates—or, to the point, Gronkowski—would have come down with this, kept his feet and given Thomas everything he could handle.
Let's fast-forward to the third quarter, while Thomas was off the field dealing with cramps:
The Seahawks are initially showing a Cover 2 look, with backup safety Jeron Johnson taking Thomas' place. In fact, Johnson will step up into an intermediate central zone, while Chancellor will drop back into Thomas' usual backstop role.
To the right, the Chargers are in trips. Gates is to the left, circled in yellow. He's lined up tight to the offensive line, this time covered by Wright:
Off the line, Gates feints outside, goes inside and is about to dip his shoulder and beat Wright deep to the outside. Johnson is sitting down in his assigned zone, again leaving a big hole that only the deep center safety can close. Chancellor, watching Gates all the way, closes as fast as he can:
Which isn't quite quick enough for Gates and his big left hand.
The Patriots likely won't be lucky enough for heat cramps to crimp Thomas and Chancellor's style in Super Bowl XLIX. But Gronk's size, speed and athleticism make him a nightmare matchup for any defender—linebacker or defensive back.
Lane had better be right that Gronkowski doesn't like contact. Gronk told Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald that Lane's comments just might have upset him:
What's the only force of nature more lethal to the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory chances than Gronk? Angry Gronk.
He has the ability to reshape the Seahawks defense all by himself. If he's beating the Seahawks consistently down the seam, they may switch to a Cover 2/Cover 4 look with Chancellor back deep. This would open up a lot of room for Edelman and slot receiver Danny Amendola—not to mention the Patriots' running game.
Chancellor proved in his massive game against the Panthers that he's capable of doing it all: stuffing the run, covering the pass, even blocking field goals. Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn would prefer that his do-everything captain carry the game, not peel off and cover Gronkowski.
Lane—a 6'0", 190-pound slot cornerback the Seahawks had better never put on Gronkowski—just brought a hurricane of pain down on Chancellor. He had better hope Chancellor holds up, or else he—and the rest of the Seahawks defense—will be hurting.
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