While the majority of the talk leading up to the Super Bowl was about Richard Sherman, the focus on the field Sunday will be on two less verbose members of the Seattle secondary. Just as demonstrative in their play, but less inclined to make a post-game interview a demonstration, the Seahawks safety tandem of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas are the real keys for the Seahawks as they attempt to do what nobody has done and slow down Peyton Manning.
Whether or not you agree with his assertions that he’s the best corner in the game, Sherman only plays the left side of the field. Although Seattle hopes to take away Demaryius Thomas the same way Sherman now infamously blanketed Michael Crabtree; the Broncos will likely attempt to move Thomas around to get him the ball and neutralize Sherman’s impact. For all his accolades, Sherman is only thrown to eight percent of the time. Part of that is because teams don’t test him out of respect for his abilities, but lately opponents have also flexed tight ends and fullbacks out wide to run dummy routes on him—solely to keep him occupied while they try and pick up yards elsewhere. But Sunday, those yards elsewhere will be hard to come by because of the safeties that protect Sherman.
The Seahawks safeties are the chief reason they were first in points per game, yards per game, takeaways, red zone TD %, and total QBR. Thomas uses his 4.3 speed to out-run angles and fly into the box with reckless abandon. Rapidly building a reputation as one of the game’s most devastating hitters; Chancellor intimidates both in the box as a run stuffer and over the middle separating man from ball.
The reason Chancellor and Thomas are the players to watch is because they are perfectly suited to take away what Denver does best. The Broncos 2,583 yards after the catch lead the NFL. Denver’s record-breaking offense rolled up a staggering 82 completions with 10 plus yards after the catch. That equates to 46 percent of the Broncos offensive yards coming after the reciver’s secured the football.
Don’t count on that trend this week. The Seahawks allowed the fewest yards after the catch and the second fewest yards after contact. Safeties are often the last line of defense—but Seattle’s are so athletic that Thomas and Chancellor were second and third on the team in tackles with 105 and 99 respectively.
When the media wasn’t blowing hot air about Sherman, they were hypothesizing how much the transformation from the rocky mountain thin air to football’s version of the winter classic would affect the man seeking legacy validation. Much has been made about the lack of strength in Manning’s arm and his propensity to throw Ducks when he pushes the ball down field. With the winter wind at an already gusty Met Life stadium likely to play a factor, Manning might have even more of a propensity to check the ball down—in most scenarios, a wise decision given the Seahawks pass rush, but not this week. The fact that 71% of Manning’s passes travelled less than 10 yards down field further plays into the hands of the heat seeking missile tandem of Chancellor and Thomas. Manning’s average throw of 7.8 yards ranked a paltry 28th in the league.
Seattle, on the other hand, were the best in the league at stopping the short passing game, allowing just 4.6 yards per attempt on passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. The ball control offense Denver utilized against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game plays right into Pete Carroll’s defenders hands as they have more interceptions than TD’s allowed on passes shorter than 10 yards.
What makes them effective is their ability to interchange safety responsibilities, negating Manning’s ability to move them with eye manipulation and shoulder rolls. Peyton is a predator of pre-snap information and excels at remembering details from previous encounters and using them to gain an edge. He’s never played against Thomas or Chancellor before and the fact they line up 10 yards off the ball with the ability to cover acres of ground makes checking into a higher probability play based on their alignment something of a moot point.
Considering he’s been associated with Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, Defensive Player of the Year Troy Polamalu and All-Pros Joey Browner, Tim McDonald, and Lawyer Milloy Carroll claiming “they could be the best tandem to win it all” is high praise.
One of Carroll’s pupils agrees “Those two are playing at a high level and will be playing a role in this game because they attack people. The best safety tandem in the league,” said Lott.
The stats back up Lott’s claim. In four seasons as a duo, the 25-year-old Chancellor and 24-year-old Thomas have tallied 22 interceptions and made five Pro Bowls. Racking up five interceptions and 100 tackles in 2013/14 made Thomas the first safety to reach both milestones in the same year since 2002. This might be the year that one of these safeties becomes just the third safety to be named Super Bowl MVP. Is it a long shot? Yes. Is it more likely than media darling/villain Sherman taking the honour? Absolutely. Chancellor and Thomas—not a law firm but names worth remembering in the lead up to the game. Will they be worth talking about afterwards? Only if they can stop Peyton Manning.