Devon Witherspoon does something Richard Sherman didn’t do with Seahawks. And: the speed
Devon Witherspoon has joined Riq Woolen in accomplishing what even Richard Sherman did not during his Seahawks superstardom.
On Wednesday the NFL named Witherspoon the NFC defensive player of the week. That was for the fifth pick in this year’s draft having a bonkers night Monday dominating the New York Giants in Seattle’s win.
Against the Giants, the 22-year-old Witherspoon had:
- seven tackles
- the first two-sack game of his football life
- three hits on besieged Giants quarterback Daniel Jones
- two tackles for losses,
- one pass broken up
- one game-breaking, 97-yd interception return for a touchdown
- one wacky, Gumby dance in the end zone
- 100% of defensive snaps played. Only he and safety Julian Love played all 75 snaps for Seattle on defense Monday night
That performance made Witherspoon and Woolen (week six last season) Seattle’s only conference players of the week as rookies on defense in the last 19 seasons. Before Woolen and now Witherspoon, the last Seahawk rookie defender to win the weekly conference honor was safety Michael Boulware in 2004.
Witherspoon turned his first career interception into a touchdown, switching what was close to being a 14-10 struggle deep into the third quarter into a cruise, Carroll said Tuesday on 710-AM radio
“That’s an incredible moment for me,” Witherspoon said. “First career pick is a pick-six on Monday night football.
“It don’t get no better.”
Sherman didn’t win NFC player of the week his rookie season of 2011 with the Seahawks. He then went on to become a three-time All-Pro cornerback and Super Bowl champion for Seattle.
After Woolen won the award last October, he became NFC player of the month and eventually a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie.
A new nickel spot
Witherspoon did all his heroics against the Giants while alternating between the starting left cornerback spot and nickel back in the slot for the first time in a game. Coach Pete Carroll began trying Witherspoon at nickel in June minicamp practices.
“I’ve never thought he wouldn’t play like this. This is why we took him, to be active and to show that he gets this game of football, and this comes easy to him,” Carroll said. “He’s an explosive, dynamic player.”
Monday night, his third NFL start, was Witherspoon’s first time moving inside as nickel in a game. That was after injuries to Coby Bryant and Artie Burns. They missed the Giants game after being Seattle’s nickel back the first three games.
Witherspoon missed almost all of August and into September with an injured hamstring.
“We got to put him in nickel for the first time,” Carroll said, “This was a process with getting him back out there. We didn’t have enough time, we thought, to have him ready, although he’s been working at it the whole time.
“He just did a great job again (Monday night), and you can see why we like him. We didn’t have Artie. We didn’t have (cornerback) Tre Brown. And so he had to do it all night long for us.
“It was a beautiful job. He showed who he is.”
And how fast he is.
Devon Witherspoon’s speed
NFL’s NextGen Stats said Witherspoon ran 20.25 mph on his end-zone-to-end-zone interception return for his score Monday. He covered a total distance of 117.3 yards, to the right sideline then diagonally to the left boundary, past Jones and other Giants in failed pursuit. That was the second-longest distances covered on a run with the ball in the NFL this season.
NextGen Stats says Woolen was running 22.25 mph blocking for Witherspoon on the return. That is the fastest on a play from scrimmage of any NFL player this season.
Love’s speed on the play remained unknown. He was also zooming with Woolen providing lead blocks on Witherspoon’s tour of New Jersey on his return.
“Really, it was just ‘Don’t get caught.’ But I’m really mad at Riq and ‘J-Love,’ because they made me look slow. They were trying to walk me down. I ain’t that slow!
“But shout out to them.”
That was their coach’s favorite part of his favorite play in Seattle’s third consecutive victory entering the team’s bye this week.
“That was the part of the play that I loved the most, the hustle by Julian and Tariq,” Carroll said Tuesday on 710-AM radio. “They seized the opportunity to just fly and get out in front.
“What Julian did, Julian made the blocks, and he did a great job to get that done. I haven’t heard his speed yet. But he had a burst in there that should have been right there, too. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a count. We didn’t hear about that yet.”
Witherspoon said his film study of the Giants told him New York was going to run those short routes inside the 10-yard line in that formation.
“We saw the play we saw on film, (and) the formation,” Witherspoon said. “They ran basically a return route, so I jumped it.
“Returned it. Basically, ‘get to the box.’ That was my mindset.”
Carroll said Witherspoon basically covered two routes by two Giants himself.
“But what a great play,” Carroll said. “There were two receivers that were running like a quick out and a return (inside). He had the choice to throw to either one of those guys. ‘Spoon kind of hung on the inside guy and was available on the outside guy. I would guess the Q was throwing to the outside guy, anticipating him coming in. And ‘Spoon just saw it.
“It was actually pretty easy for him.”
No NFL defensive back has been targeted more times per game than Witherspoon’s 10 (30 targets in three games). He’s allowed 15 completions for a 50% completion rate, per Pro Football Focus.
Witherspoon has blitzed six times, with two sacks and three pressures. That rate of affecting quarterbacks on 83% of blitzes is second-best among all NFL defensive backs. Only Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield Jr. has blitzed at a more impacting rate (seven blitzes, two sacks, four pressures, 87.5%).
Carroll chuckled Tuesday on his appearance with KIRO AM when he said Witherspoon talked to him following his bonkers game against the Giants.
“He did mention than he has more sacks than (Jalen) Carter,” Carroll said.
Carter is the elite defensive tackle with off-the-field issues from Alabama many Seahawks fans felt the team needed to draft at five this spring. Philadelphia did, at the end of the first round.
And, Carroll said of Witherspoon, “he’s just going to keep getting better.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 11:37 AM.
