Seattle Seahawks: 5 Keys To Success In 2015

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Jan 19, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Anthony Dixon (24) is stopped short of the goal line by the Seattle Seahawks defense on a third down play during the first half of the 2013 NFC Championship football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

5. The Team Needs Run-Stopping Consistency

In 2014 the Seahawks gave up the fewest yards to opposing offenses for the second consecutive year. This included a No. 1 rating against the pass, and a No. 3 rating against the run. Anyone looking at these numbers would have to question why anyone would suggest that the team needed any improvement on defense. However, looking on a game-to-game basis, the times when the Seahawks failed to stop the run effectively were the times when the team struggled the most.

The Seahawks were 2-4 in the regular season when giving up over 100 rushing yards. By contrast, they didn’t lose a single game in which they held a team under 100 yards on the ground. Every time that Seattle allowed a single opposing player to collect over 100 rushing yards in 2014, they lost the game.

Defense is where the team has made its name, and defense is where it will continue to win football games, and that starts at the line of scrimmage, punishing opposing running backs. On the defensive line, the team often rotates as many as 8-10 players in a game, and this should continue next season. Adding defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin made a deep line even deeper, and drafting Frank Clark should give them help on the edge of the line.

At linebacker, the team will once again have a solid set of starters. Bobby Wagner is arguably a top-five linebacker in the league, and Bruce Irvin should improve even more this year after having a full season at outside linebacker under his belt. On the other side, K.J. Wright will continue to be a good player, even making CBS Sports Pete Prisco’s list of the league’s most underrated players.

Kevin Pierre-Louis will look to bring some solid depth to the position, after missing most of last season with an injury. Another player who missed most of last season because of injury is Eric Pinkins. He has moved from defensive back to linebacker this offseason after bulking up a lot. Pete Carroll has high hopes for him at linebacker:

"“Pink has given us an extraordinary athlete at the spot and he’s learned a ton,” Carroll said (per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times) “Probably the most improved guy on the football field would be Pink from where he started. So we’ll see what happens when we go to camp. We’ll line him up and give him a chance to go at it. You can’t find a guy much faster than that at outside backer in the league. We’ll see how he does.”"

The Seahawks are obviously one of the most talented defenses in the league, so making huge changes wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense. However, a few key improvements and some depth additions may be just what the doctor ordered in terms of improving their run-stopping ability. If they can have more game-to-game consistency in their run defense, they will be an even more formidable team in 2015.

Next: Where Does Russell Wilson Rank Among The NFL's Best QBs?

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