Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay showed how much he respects their rivalry this year by praising the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive versatility ahead of this week’s NFC Championship Game.
No opposing coach has ever broken down Seattle’s defense so publicly. Thanks to Rams writer Wyatt Miller for asking a great question.
Miller asked McVay about the Seahawks’ ability to match long-distance tendencies rather than personnel, and he expanded on one of the most in-depth media answers of the season. He acknowledged that Seattle is one of the only teams that can do that, especially since they have a unique safety/linebacker/defensive end hybrid in Nick Emmanwori.
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His confidence comes from having the best scheme against the Seahawks defense of any team, built around the best player against them — wide receiver/tight end hybrid Puka Nacua. While McVay praised Seattle’s ability to match situations rather than personnel, he knew it allowed him to shift and move Nakua around the court and get them into rare mismatches. The question is, will the Seahawks deviate from the scheme they’ve had so much success with against other teams and use personnel issues to stop Nakua?
Their current approach can help them cope with any outcome in any given game. They’ll defend the first down mark or the end zone instead of trying the impossible to stop Nakua’s progress. Giving too much attention to Nakua will always lead to big opportunities for other teams, as it has with nearly every team the Rams play this year. It’s probably not going to be any better using one player alone, and it’s definitely not going to be that simple.
This won’t be as polarizing as a comment on an off-the-field issue and will likely get attention, but shows the real chess game between the Rams and Seahawks this year. McVay respects Seattle, and this division rivalry clearly brings out the best in him and Mike McDonald’s Seahawks in a way that no other team has been able to do all year.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks vs. Rams: LA HC Sean McVay praises Seahawks’ versatile defense
