Individuals tend to get the glory, but it is often the combination of talents from multiple players that allow any single player to stand out. Richard Sherman is an All-Pro corner who can seal the edge of the field as well as anyone in the game, but when Earl Thomas is added to the mix to take away the post route and Kam Chancellor is there to assassinate the middle of the field, Sherman’s star rises even higher. There were a number of these combinatory headaches for Seahawks opponents last year, including a pair that were custom-ordered. Cliff Avril blazed an arch around the outside of opposing tackles while Michael Bennett was a ball of butcher knives slashing up the middle. The resulting offensive line carnage left many-a-quarterback twitchy and terrorized. There are some new combinations, particularly on offense, that I am looking forward to come training camp. The first of which may prove an unsolvable riddle for defensive coordinators.



Percy Harvin, Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson

This group saw the field together precious few times in 2013. Harvin will see a heavy workload this season, and his ability to stretch the field horizontally on fly sweeps was flaunted during the Super Bowl. We have become accustomed to seeing defenses crash the edge when Wilson fakes the give to Lynch on read-option plays. This resulted in some big hits on Wilson. The Broncos ends clearly had that in mind coming into the game, only to see Harvin speed right by them as if they were statues. Defenses can adjust to take away the sweep to Harvin, but that could leave one less defender to tackle Lynch up the middle or Wilson running the opposite direction of Harvin. It the next step in read-option offense, and nobody has the combination of talents to run it that Seattle does.

Harvin, Lynch, Doug Baldwin, Luke Willson

The same threat applies here, but now add in Baldwin facing single coverage on the outside, a place he has consistently won, and Willson threatening the middle. Safeties and linebackers are going to need to commit, and when they do, opens spaces and favorable match-ups will be left for the Seahawks.