Witherspoon
Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2023 8:02 pm
When I read this article, I had to share this article with you guys:
Here’s (ESPN analyst Bill) Barnwell’s rationale for making Seattle’s standout corner his frontrunner for the DROY award at the season’s midpoint:
Nobody on the Seahawks can feel good about getting blown out in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon, but that’s not going to define Seattle’s season. Witherspoon has very conspicuously emerged as a force in the secondary, settling in and immediately looking like a veteran.
After missing the Week 1 loss to the Rams with an injury, he has been virtually an every-down players. He made 11 tackles in the win over the Panthers, but his coming-out party was in Week 4, when he tormented the Giants for 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback knockdowns and a 97-yard pick-12 to put the game to bed. He followed that with a viral hit on Rondale Moore against the Cardinals, albeit on a play that produced a first down.
The Seahawks started with Witherspoon playing outside before moving him into the slot, which speaks to a flexibility that we almost never see from rookie corners. He has been great in both places. He has been targeted 51 times as the nearest defender in coverage, allowing just 5.4 yards per target while giving up two touchdowns in eight games. The only cornerbacks with 200 or more coverage snaps who have allowed fewer yards per target this season are Xavien Howard and L’Jarius Sneed.
Seattle still is a heavy zone team, so Witherspoon isn’t the sort of traveling man-coverage defender we associate with the league’s best corners, but he’s off to a spectacular start.
The comments below are from Frank T. Raines:
I’ll add to Barnwell’s research, using the same 200 snaps criteria:
Among cornerbacks with at least 200 snaps, Witherspoon has the 6th-lowest passer rating allowed at 56.7
His 6 pass breakups (PBUs) are tied for the 4th-most league-wide
Witherspoon’s overall score on PFF (80.2) is the league’s 10th-best, his coverage grade (77.7) is 15th-best, and his pass-rush grade (91.2) is tied for No. 1
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/es ... e0fa&ei=36
It's obviously, way, way too early to break out the anointing oil. But I'm going to go way out on a limb. At this point, just halfway through his rookie season, it is my judgement that Witherspoon is the best first round selection we've made in the Pete Carroll era, meaning that I'll put him ahead of Earl Thomas.
Here’s (ESPN analyst Bill) Barnwell’s rationale for making Seattle’s standout corner his frontrunner for the DROY award at the season’s midpoint:
Nobody on the Seahawks can feel good about getting blown out in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon, but that’s not going to define Seattle’s season. Witherspoon has very conspicuously emerged as a force in the secondary, settling in and immediately looking like a veteran.
After missing the Week 1 loss to the Rams with an injury, he has been virtually an every-down players. He made 11 tackles in the win over the Panthers, but his coming-out party was in Week 4, when he tormented the Giants for 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback knockdowns and a 97-yard pick-12 to put the game to bed. He followed that with a viral hit on Rondale Moore against the Cardinals, albeit on a play that produced a first down.
The Seahawks started with Witherspoon playing outside before moving him into the slot, which speaks to a flexibility that we almost never see from rookie corners. He has been great in both places. He has been targeted 51 times as the nearest defender in coverage, allowing just 5.4 yards per target while giving up two touchdowns in eight games. The only cornerbacks with 200 or more coverage snaps who have allowed fewer yards per target this season are Xavien Howard and L’Jarius Sneed.
Seattle still is a heavy zone team, so Witherspoon isn’t the sort of traveling man-coverage defender we associate with the league’s best corners, but he’s off to a spectacular start.
The comments below are from Frank T. Raines:
I’ll add to Barnwell’s research, using the same 200 snaps criteria:
Among cornerbacks with at least 200 snaps, Witherspoon has the 6th-lowest passer rating allowed at 56.7
His 6 pass breakups (PBUs) are tied for the 4th-most league-wide
Witherspoon’s overall score on PFF (80.2) is the league’s 10th-best, his coverage grade (77.7) is 15th-best, and his pass-rush grade (91.2) is tied for No. 1
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/es ... e0fa&ei=36
It's obviously, way, way too early to break out the anointing oil. But I'm going to go way out on a limb. At this point, just halfway through his rookie season, it is my judgement that Witherspoon is the best first round selection we've made in the Pete Carroll era, meaning that I'll put him ahead of Earl Thomas.