The Seahawks were once known for their dominant defense with a

secondary dubbed the Legion of Boom Womens Taco Charlton Jersey , and featured some of the best at each position, including Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor. Only Wagner will still be on the field Saturday night. Furthermore, several of the architects of that defense are no longer there, as guys like Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn have taken jobs elsewhere. And of course there’s Kris Richard, who was the Seahawks defensive coordinator last year and was fired before taking a similar role in Dallas. Suffice it to say that this defense is not what it once was. While they haven’t been terrible, the Seattle defense has regressed significantly and failed to finish top ten in any of the three yardage categories, any of the three efficiency ratings, and finished just outside the top ten in scoring defense. Looking at the roster, it seems as if this unit is going through a transition, as they have several short-term free agents in key roles as they usher in younger talent. This includes Barkevious Mingo, whose 48 tackles, one sack, and two forced fumbles have been solid in limited snaps Authentic Sean Lee Jersey , and Dion Jordan, who has contributed 1.5 sacks and six hits on the quarterback in a small role. Then there’s the young guys that have been flashing potential for Seattle, specifically on the defensive line. At the 1-technique, Quinton Jefferson has been very impressive while putting up three sacks and a whopping 15 QB hits. Jarran Reed, a former standout at Alabama, has locked down the 3-technique spot next to Jefferson, as he’s got 50 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and 24 QB hits. All of that is outdone by Frank Clark, though, who’s got 13 sacks, two fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, and 27 QB hits. The defensive line has had success at rushing the passer.And then there’s Bobby Wagner, the lone remaining prominent piece of that former defensive group. At 28-years old, Wagner is still going strong and has been the best inside linebacker in the NFL this year. His stat line is ridiculous, as Wagner has 138 tackles Authentic Demarcus Lawrence Jersey , six tackles for loss, one sack, eight QB hits, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a 98-yard pick six, and 11 passes defensed, which is more than any defensive backs on the team. Unfortunately for Seattle, the rest of the linebacker corps hasn’t been that great. KJ Wright has missed time throughout the year with injuries and played in only five games, though he is a full go for Saturday night. Mingo’s contribution have been solid but not as much of a supplement as the team would surely like, and the midseason addition of Mychal Kendricks hasn’t panned out, as the troubled linebacker was placed on injured reserve. But the positive for the Seahawks is that Wagner is good enough to carry the linebackers. A near unstoppable force, Wagner will fly sideline-to-sideline and disrupt the offense whether it’s a run or pass play. Teams that have had success against this defense have devoted much of their offensive game-plan to stopping Wagner, and for Dallas this will be the same. The Cowboys could try a variety of things, including sending Dalton Schultz in on run plays to immediately get to the second level and block Wagner, or utilizing trap plays to get offensive linemen into the next level to take on the stud linebacker. However the Cowboys do it, they need to take Wagner out of things if they’re going to find success in this game. Where this defense struggles the most is in the secondary. With no Chancellor or Thomas, the Seahawks have relied on Bradley McDougald and Tedric Thompson as their starting safeties Womens Connor Williams Jersey , and the drop off in talent has been very noticeable. Still, neither safety is a slouch in tackling, which is a positive. McDougald’s 78 tackles are second on the team behind Wagner, and he’s tied with Thomas for interceptions with three. Thompson has 57 tackles to his name and one interception. The bigger problem for this secondary is the cornerbacks. Tre Flowers, Shaquill Griffin, and Justin Coleman have all done a serviceable job but have clearly been the weakest point of the defense. Coleman is easily the best of the bunch, and his work out of the slot has yielded an interception and ten passes defensed. Griffin and Flowers, though, have been easily beat by better receivers. Going against Dallas will be a trial by fire for this secondary, as focus will naturally shift to Amari Cooper, but the likes of Michael Gallup, Cole Beasley, and a healthy Tavon Austin will still be around to benefit from that attention Cooper draws. All of this should culminate into a good day for Dak Prescott, who’s had a spectacular second half of the season, save for the Colts game, and seems to be well positioned to continue against this defense. The biggest obstruction to that will be the offensive line’s ability to prevent this young defensive line from creating pressure. If they can handle that, this offense could take advantage of a very average defense. Jason Garrett took to the podium for his final press conference of the season on Monday afternoon. Here’s what he had to say (all answers are paraphrases and not exact quotes).Evaluation of staffJason Garrett declined to really get into what is going on with the coaching staff, but he did say that things are still “pretty immediate” with them. He noted that he’s been in player interviews since the season ended in Los Angeles and that they are going to make evaluations before decisions are made.Jason Garrett “doesn’t know” how he answered the question Monday morningPressed about his answer on Monday morning regarding Scott Linehan returning in 2019 Womens Chidobe Awuzie Jersey , Jason Garrett sort of pleaded the fifth. He said that he “didn’t know” how he answered the question earlier in the day. For a coach with a strong memory that’s awfully odd.There are collaborative decisions when it comes to everythingGarrett reminded us that Jerry Jones owns the Dallas Cowboys when asked who makes the final decisions on things, but he was specific to say that it was a collaborative effort. The brain-trust is an important group.There have been no discussions as far as an extension is concernedDespite multiple previous reports, Jason Garrett said that neither he nor his representation have had any discussions with the Jones family regarding an extension for him. His current contract runs through the 2019 season.The Cowboys grew in 2018Speaking about various members of the Cowboys, Dak Prescott among them, Jason Garrett discussed the growth within the team over the course of the season. We certainly saw them go from one place to another and there’s definitely reason to be optimistic. Dak can grow in “every aspect” of his gameObviously the Cowboys are going to want Dak Prescott to continue to grow as he heads into his fourth season, and Jason Garrett kept things general when asked about where they want that specifically. Garrett also praised the environment that Dak Prescott has been in which includes Scott Linehan and Kellen Moore. He explained that the coaches around Dak have a good sense of who he is and what his strengths are.There’s a misconception about the Los Angeles RamsJason Garrett said that many people believe the Rams are a passing team but noted that they’re actually a running team (the results clearly show that). He was a little miffed when asked about offensive schemes and even chirped back at a question asking for a scheme to be explained to him. It’s worth saying that the Cowboys responded well to changeObviously the Cowboys made some serious changes in the middle of the season with firing Paul Alexander and trading for Amari Cooper. From that moment on they only lost three games, including the playoffs, which is quite the testament considering it was late October. Garrett discussed how the Cowboys felt Amari Cooper was worth the price they paid and that he made an instant impact. Change is difficult to overcome but the Cowboys found a way and that’s definitely impressive.Travis Frederick was outstanding this seasonWhen the Cowboys got the abrupt news of Travis Frederick’s diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome it was devastating. To have such a great player and person taken away is never a good thing and it was so near the start of the season.Garrett praised Travis for how he handled the adversity across the season. He noted that Frederick was at every meeting and every practice and that his attitude throughout it all had a tremendous impact on the team as a whole.He also said that he expects Travis to be a full go at the start of offseason programs!Rod Marinelli is “off the charts” as a person and a coachAfter the Cowboys lost in Los Angeles we saw Rod Marinelli announce that he plans to return to the team as defensive coordinator in 2019. Garrett praised Marinelli as a person and a coach, but he made sure not to discuss the part about him returning next season. DeMarcus Lawrence is fantastic and handled the franchise tag wellLawrence really elevated the Cowboys defense (including the Hot Boyz) this season and earned praise from his head coach for that. Jason Garrett noted how Tank has embraced the role of being a leader on the team.Garrett wouldn’t fully answer the contractual status of Lawrence but did note that he’s as big of a priority as there is. The biggest thing with Sean Lee is his health, Garrett wants him backMany have assumed that linebacker Sean Lee won’t be part of the Cowboys next season, but while praising who Lee is Jason Garrett noted that the Cowboys want him back. The best teams have tendenciesIt was reported on Sunday afternoon that the Los Angeles Rams diagnosed some of the tells and tips from the Cowboys defensive linemen. Jason Garrett simply said that the best teams have tendencies and that the Rams deserved to win the game. Jason Garrett thinks Jason Garrett needs to do “a million things” betterAsked about a self-diagnosis Jason Garrett joked that there were “a million things” there and that perhaps one day we’d all have a lemonade to discuss it. He was honest in saying that the Cowboys didn’t start well and that he will continue to take a look in the mirror to always better himself and the Dallas Cowboys.Pro Bowl wouldn’t impact any coaching decisionsJason Garrett specified that the Pro Bowl won’t impact anything.David Irving wasn’t a big part of the Cowboys in 2018Asked about David Irving, Jason Garrett simply noted that the Cowboys didn’t get much from him in 2018. He added that he has yet to meet with him.Building and starting over is workEvery team has to start over when it’s all said and done. Jason Garrett simply noted that you have to do it. It must be done. He added that when you reflect back and learn that if you do things a certain way that you get one result or another. It’s important to know the NFL Draft in its entiretyAsked if not having a first-round selection at all impacts the Cowboys preparation for the NFL Draft, Jason Garrett didn’t bite. It seems like the Cowboys will prepare as they always have.A big difference between Cowboys and remaining playoff teams is home field advantageAll four teams playing in the conference championships had home field advantage in the Divisional Round. Garrett stressed this as one of the differences between his team and theirs as playing at home can be so pivotal.Jason Garrett is excited for the futureThere is a lot to build on with the Cowboys and this is a message that Jason Garrett echoed. He noted that they believe they can do a lot of things even with how young they are, he’s proud of the “right kind of guys” that they are, and that that’s exciting entering a new season.The feeling from losing sticks with you and fuels youThe Cowboys lost in the Divisional Round for the third time in five seasons and Jason Garrett was quick to note how bad of a feeling that is. He discussed how you have to use that feeling to motivate you forward.Jason Garrett loves Ezekiel ElliottHe wouldn’t get into any contractual discussions, Zeke reportedly wants a new deal, but Jason Garrett did discuss how fond he is of Ezekiel Elliott. He noted that Zeke has made them a better football team and that everyone in the building feels that same way. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys