Seahawks Counting on Tre Flowers to Follow Shaquill Griffin's Path
INDIANAPOLIS - When the Seahawks stunned many and chose to cut perennial All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman in March 2018, the team turned to Shaquill Griffin, passing the torch on the left side of the secondary to the second-year defender.
Burdened by the weight of expectations filling in for a legend, Griffin struggled in his first full season as a starter. Though he picked off two passes, he recorded five less passes defensed than his promising rookie season and received a dismal 54.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, second-to-last among qualified cornerbacks.
Looking back, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll believes the arrival of his twin brother Shaquem in the 2018 NFL Draft complicated matters, making it difficult for both players to truly focus on their craft.
"The two of them were the toast of the town every where they went. It was hard" Carroll said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "It would have been hard or anybody to handle that properly and to maximize the hard work and dedication. They did the best they could."
Giving himself a "D or D+" for his efforts, Griffin and his brother went back to the drawing board, hiring a personal chef and adjusting their diets last offseason. Film study also became a central focus, with Shaquill watching and learning from the "Legion of Boom" in its prime back in 2013.
No longer dealing with the constant attention that swarmed them throughout the 2018 season, Carroll could see a renewed focus from both brothers, particularly Shaquill. Trimming his frame back to his rookie weight of 194 pounds and no longer trying too hard to duplicate Sherman's individual production, he enjoyed a far more successful 2019 season.
Making the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, Griffin finished with a career-high 65 tackles, produced 13 passes defensed, and improved in several advanced metrics. Opposing quarterbacks completed nearly 10 percent less of their passers against him and he allowed 222 less yards to receivers in coverage, receiving a 77.0 grade from PFF.
"Things settled down quite a bit," Carroll commented. "They got a handle on how things were going at them. And they just put together, the two of them, put together a great offseason. And they just showed up from the day they appeared all the way through the early part or the season, the middle of the season. Shaq just kept rolling. They just had a fantastic season."
One year later, after seeing a motivated Griffin take a major step forward in his third season in Seattle, Carroll believes Tre Flowers will be ready to challenge himself in similar fashion this offseason in pursuit of a breakout season of his own.
Much like Griffin this time last year, Flowers has much left to prove after a dreadful performance in the playoffs. He drew two huge pass interference penalties in a wild card win at Philadelphia and then allowed two long touchdown receptions to Davante Adams in a 28-23 divisional round loss against Green Bay.
FILM BREAKDOWN: Is Tre Flowers trending in right direction after two seasons as a starter for the Seahawks?
The poor showings in January unfortunately overshadowed an otherwise steady second season for Flowers, who finished tied for the team lead with three interceptions and held opposing quarterbacks to a 72.5 passer rating on the season. He also added a pair of sacks blitzing off the edge, bringing a different element to the field than Griffin.
On the flip side, there didn't seem to be a mid-ground for Flowers last season. When he played well, he arguably outperformed Griffin in coverage and as run defender. But he also missed 15 tackles, per Pro Football Reference, and has his share of problems keeping up with quicker, shiftier receivers on short-to-intermediate routes.
Reflecting on his first two seasons in the league, Carroll thinks Flowers can learn a lot from the "shift in focus" that fueled Griffin's resurgence last season.
"Tre is a hard working kid. He wants to get it done. I thought he was pretty much the same one year, two years. Now this is a good chance for him to really make a jump. There’s no reason that he shouldn’t with the experience that he’s had. All the play time that he’s gathered in, he should be ready to make a good step forward."
It's worth noting that Flowers still only has two years of cornerback experience after transitioning from playing safety at Oklahoma State. While some fans have grown impatient with his progress, he should be praised for what he's managed to accomplish as a two-year starter still learning the intricacies of the position.
But now halfway through his rookie contract, the clock is undoubtedly ticking for Flowers to prove he's a viable starter in this league. To help the Seahawks improve upon their unacceptable 26th overall ranking in total defense, he needs to show exponential growth next season.
If he doesn't, general manager John Schneider sent a subtle message at the combine that should put everyone in the secondary on notice heading towards Seattle's offseason program.
“I think just like every position, you’re constantly looking to tweak it and figure out how to get better, whether it’s at strong safety, free safety, you know? Obviously we want to get better. If I told you that we were satisfied with the performance I’d be lying. We all need to get better.”
