After using the look with great succe s to close out last season, the Seahawks entered 2021 with a new base defense established: bear Justin Hunter Jersey fronts. However, Week 6 appeared to mark the termination of the planned core defenses of "stick," falcon," and a sprinkling of "base under." After beginning the campaign with a continuation of bear-as-base, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr called bear-family defenses on just six of the team's 70 defensive snaps in Sunday's lo s.Instead, Seattle returned to 4-3 over fronts. Most noteworthy was the usage of their stone family. In prior weeks, this was used mainly as a package to attack little-used 13 personnel formations with three tight ends on the field where duo run concepts are prevalent. Yet, Week 6 saw this reduced over front, that often looks like a 6-2 in structure, used far more regularly. It places the SAM linebacker down to the flex side of the formation, away from the Y tight end. Meanwhile, the strong safety plays close to the line of scrimmage to the Y tight end.Why does that matter? As explained by my colleague Corbin Smith in the video below, star strong safety Jamal Adams is now able to be closer to the line of scrimmage more easily and regularly thanks to the even spacing of the front. Conversely, the odd spacing of bear fronts required Adams to be more regularly off the ball to solve the i sues bear can experience, which explains his higher snap percentage as a free safety this year. In bear fronts, Adams could only be an additional edge defender if the offensive formation and personnel allowed for it. When Pete Carroll was at USC, he deployed strong safety Troy Polamalu in similar, reduced 4-3 alignments and a signments. Polamalu spent a lot of time down at the line of scrimmage.While Adams could align down at the line of scrimmage in bear, this was more reliant on the offensive formation and personnel allowing it. Similarly, Seattle choosing to blitz Adams from the over front looks will require le s moving parts and will be able to develop quicker.Even if Adams is off the line of scrimmage due to the offensive formation requiring Maurkice Pouncey Jersey that (say they form a slot to his side) he is still the overhang defender and therefore can be brought with little schematic headaches. Furthermore, the Seahawks are largely an over front team in clear pa s situations anyway, so the reduced over move on early downs fits well with this.As noted by ESPN's Brady Henderson, Adams wound up rushing the pa ser for a season-high eight snaps on Sunday in Pittsburgh, more than doubling his weekly average for the first five games. He was also very active against the run game, helping limit running back Najee Harris to 3.4 yards per carry on the night, and playing more snaps near the line played into his aggre sive nature flying into the backfield to make plays behind and at the line of scrimmage.There were other influences on these rushing figures - like Adams lining up at 'defensive end' in a 3-1-7 bandit package, overload front. Neverthele s, expect Adams to be sent at the quarterback more in base situations too now that the Seahawks are le s beholden to the offense's look for this to happen.On the broadcast, Chris Collinsworth had clearly received the inside scoop.Didnt take long did it? Theres Jamal Adams right down at the line of scrimmage and he is going to play things a little bit differently tonight, we believe, the color commentator said after the very first play, one which Adams played down in the stone front. Hell be closer to the line of scrimmage than he has been all season long in this one.Scroll to ContinueAsked on Monday by 710 ESPN Seattles Mike Salk whether this was a one Eli Rogers Jersey -game deal, coach Pete Carroll made it clear: Adam's deployment closer to the line of scrimmage will continue.No, we gotta do it moving ahead, Carroll answered.The advantages of bear for Seattle were how it enabled the defense to play under center play action bootlegs, allowing the second level defenders to slow play their run fit versus wide zone action due to the lack of a B gap bubble. Yet in 2021, most of the offenses the Seahawks have faced have not run the concepts that bear killed in 2020. Meanwhile, Seattles defensive front i sues have arrived largely versus bear-designed beaters. When the big end-type player has not been Al Woods or Poona Ford, i sues have arisen. Kerry Hyder Jr, Robert Nkemdiche, and L.J. Collier have each experienced a varying degree of i sues when trying to execute the one-and-a-half gap role versus zone combo blocks in bear, often getting overpowered at the point of attack. Stone gives them the added security of placing a shaded nose tackle to that same side, a man who will be power stepping instead of the head-up, mirror-stepping of bear fronts.When star linebacker Bobby Wagner was questioned as to why the run defense has struggled despite the bear fronts, in theory, helping the run defense, the middle linebackers answer proved illuminating. Because its in theory, Wagner responded last week. You know, a lot of stuff is on paper. But, you know, we have some extremely smart offensive James Conner Jersey coordinators in this league and so, on paper, you know you have gaps, all the gaps should be checked out, but you add a motion, you add a puller, you bump a 3-technique out of his gap, cut off a Mike. Theres a lot of different things.League-wide, employing more bear fronts is in-vogue. Add in that the Seahawks put a ton of bear usage on tape in 2020 and its little surprise that offenses have grown better at attacking the front. The ways that Wagner described are just some of the methods that attacks have looked to move the football.Reduced over fronts pinch the four defensive linemen tight, covering up the offensive linemen. This keeps the two off-ball linebackers behind clean. The offensive line is punished for staying on combo blocks for too long and this is the reason why Stone remained a part of Seattles defense even when bear was the base, because 13 personnel duo looks to stay on doubles for a while.I think it was better, like I said we went to a different front, it was a lot more cleaner for the linebackers, the safeties, Jordyn Brooks told the Seahawks YouTube channel after the Pittsburgh Roosevelt Nix Jersey game. Theres still stuff that weve got to clean up obviously. Thats a good back that they have, obviously. And I think with that front that we have, moving forward, we should be great.The second-year linebacker is clearly a fan of these looks. The crucial aspect to this discu sion is obviously that no defense is infallible.Its no different than any other defense that you run, whether its an over front, or an under front, or whatever the case may be, there is a weakne s or soft spot in the defense and, you know, our job is to make sure that they dont find it, Wagner added. And their job is to make sure they find it.My . Once more, sma