Colin Cole Hopes To Fill Gap In Seahawk Defense

How important is the defensive line in securing the fortunes of an NFL franchise? Consider this.

In 2007, the Seahawks run defense was ranked 12th in the NFL. Defensive coordinator John Marshall's "bend but don't break" philosophy found the Seahawks playing a Cover 2 scheme for most of that year, allowing the two safeties to stay back and protect against the pass. Their pass defense was ranked 19th in the NFL in 2007 and Seattle won their division with an 11-5 record, also securing a home playoff victory against the Redskins.

However, after Green Bay's "Ryan Grant Express" (201 yards rushing and 3 TD's) bounced the Seahawks out of the playoffs, NFL teams around the league took note and began forcing the Seahawks to stop the run in 2008, which the 'Hawks undersized D line proved unable to do.

The solution? Stop playing Cover 2 defense, bring safety Deon Grant up on the line and help stop the run. And it worked, well, sort of. In 2008, the Seahawks defense ranked 18th against the run, a notch downward, yes, but not catastrophically so.

The price for this adjustment? Seattle ranked an alarming 31st in the league in pass defense and finished the year with a dismal 4-12 record. Who'd of thought that keeping one safety back to defend the pass would be less effective than keeping two back? Things that make you go, hmmmm.

To be fair, Seattle's wide receiver corps was a veritable walking wounded in 2008 and QB Matt Hasselbeck missed a huge chunk of the season as well. And you know what they say, an offense that keeps the defense off the field is a defensive coordinator's best friend. Hopefully, changes (and better luck) on that side of the ball will give the defense more breaks this year.

Still, if Seattle's D continues it's mediocrity against the run, the team's fortunes will most likely be no better this year than last. The defensive fix in 2009? 330 pound defensive tackle Colin (I Never Met A Cheeseburger I Didn't Like) Cole.

In a Clare Farnsworth interview, Seattle General Manager, Tim Ruskell says, “When you can get a guy at the nose who is a pillar, and even though they’re double-teaming him he does not move, and you know they’re not going to run right there, it just frees up the rest of the line. Colin had the traits for what we needed and what (line coach) Dan Quinn was looking for at the position.”

Cole also possesses what middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu wants in a defensive tackle—the ability to occupy blockers, so Tatupu can flow to the ball carrier.

“If we’re ever free, if you ever see one of the linebackers making a tackle for a loss by shooting the gap, it’s because the tackle took two (blockers),” Tatupu said.

“You’ve got to watch film to really appreciate what these guys are able to do. Going against physics and everything, it’s unbelievable how they’re able to get things done.”

“If I do my job well, it makes it easier for Lofa,” Cole offered, before smiling and adding, “But my goal is to steal some of those tackles before they get to him.”

So is Colin Cole the answer to a Seahawks playoff run? Only time will tell. I guess the most you could say is that he's a very big piece to their 2009 playoff puzzle.