As usual, Frank Clark confident in his role as Seahawks’ key man vs KC’s Patrick Mahomes
Frank Clark hasn’t lacked much this season.
Including confidence.
The Seahawks’ best pass rusher will be on the spot Sunday night. He needs to pressure Patrick Mahomes to disrupt Kansas City’s top-ranked offense at CenturyLink Field.
Asked about going against Eric Fisher, the Chiefs’ Pro Bowl left tackle, and his teammate Mitchell Morse who most think should be in the Pro Bowl, Clark said: “They’ve got a pretty good offensive line, if you look at the numbers. We’ve got a pretty good defensive line, if you look at the numbers.
“I feel like our defensive line is better than their offensive line, at the end of the day.”
The Seahawks’ defensive end and leading sack man has 12 this season, in 14 games. That’s his career high. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract as Seattle’s controversial second-round draft choice in 2015.
Sunday he gets another chance to showcase to the entire league in the primetime game against Mahomes how much more money he’s going to earn beginning in 2019 than his $943,000 salary for this year.
“My plan, as my plan is every week, is to get to that quarterback and put all pressure on him as I can,” Clark said.
“We are going to stop our run, that’s our goal. Then we are going to get after it on third down. ...
“Our goal is to get after it on third down and have fun.”
For years Clark and the Seahawks have said defending Aaron Rodgers in Seattle’s many games against Green Bay has been their biggest challenge.
During Mahomes’ wondrous debut season as Kansas City’s full-time starter replacing Alex Smith, some have compared the likely NFL most valuable player for this season to Rodgers, the two-time league MVP, in their skills at throwing on extended plays outside the pocket.
Clark is not one of those folks.
“I think it’s too early to say. I think he’s just been making the right plays this year,” Clark said of Mahomes. “You don’t want to give him too much credit on the same level or mention him in the same conversation as Aaron Rodgers. Personally, that’s one of my favorite quarterbacks to play the game. Ever. His talent compared to others guys’ talents is unmatched, I think.
“I believe Patrick Mahomes is in his own lane right now as far as this year and as far as his playing level and as far as establishing himself as a quarterback in this league. I feel like it’s no lie. The numbers don’t lie. The numbers he’s been putting up is incredible. For a young guy, second year in the NFL and to be a guy who’s been putting it together like he has in their offense? Hats off to him. ...
“We’ve got work to do. We’ve got things to do, and we’ve got plans.”
The Seahawks have emphasized all this past week the need to, All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner described it, staying “plastered” to their assigned Chiefs receivers even during Mahomes scramble outside the pocket to extend plays.
“He’s going to run around. He’s going to try to extend plays and a lot of times” Wagner said. “When you watch on film, the guys that mess up. It’s like you have your guy and you leave your guy to go get the quarterback and then he throws it over your head to the guy that you just left. A lot of the times, you’re going to have to let him get that 5-yard run versus giving up the 40-yard pass that you’re going to leave your guy (for). We call it plastering.
“So basically, if we’re in zone and he starts to scramble, you look for the closest guy in your area. That’s what we’re going to have to do a really good job of this week, is making sure that we can keep him in the pocket. Our rush is going to do a great job of keeping him in the pocket and making sure he doesn’t get out and if he does get out, find a man. Find an open man.”
Clark said he’s aware of the need to not let Mahomes get outside him, to reduce Wagner and the Seahawks’ cover men needing for “plastering” to receivers for a longer time.
“Very conscious,” Clark said. “He’s done a great job leading that Kansas City franchise over there this year. As a young quarterback that’s not one of the things that you see in this league, is his calmness. Last year it was Deshaun Watson over there for the Texans and Carson Wentz for the Eagles. This year, Patrick Mahomes. All year you’ve been hearing about how explosive he is....
“All across the board, they’ve got explosive players. Everywhere. A great, great, great receiver in Tyreek Hill... Hats off to them.
“But we are focused on the Seahawks.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2018 at 11:01 AM.
