Seahawks LB Cody Barton 'Has Really Improved,' says Pete Carroll

As the Seattle Seahawks defense looked to keep its team alive in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Munich, Germany, the unit faced a crucial 3rd and 10.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and the offense had just finished a quick-strike touchdown drive to cut the deficit to 12 points with just over eight minutes to go, putting the lead within reach if the defense could get off the field.

Pressure arrived quickly to Buccaneers signal-caller Tom Brady, but he navigated through it and found running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn underneath. Fortunately, Seattle's leading tackler, Jordyn Brooks, was in close proximity ... until a late slip put him out of position and allowed Vaughn to get just enough yards for the first down.

With time no longer on their side, the Seahawks were in desperate need of a big play. Enter fourth-year linebacker, Cody Barton.

Two snaps later, Barton made a jumping interception on Brady, who was three passes away from breaking the all-time record of consecutive passes without an interception (402, held by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers).

It was also history for Barton, as the play, which happened on his 26th birthday, marked his first career interception, one that Smith said: "set us up for a chance to get back in the game."

Seattle's offense capitalized, scoring another quick touchdown - but a slow start ultimately proved too much to overcome, as Tampa Bay held on to win 21-16.

Despite the loss, it was a special day for Barton, who's drawn criticism from the outside throughout much of the season. After the game, he broke down what he saw on the clutch play.

"At the snap, (Brady) went deep; I was looking for the two coming in but he didn't come in, so I just started sinking deep," Barton began. "He was looking right over my head, so I knew if he was going to throw it, it was mine. When I'm saying, 'do your job,' that's what it comes back to - there's nothing special about that play, I'm just dropping back to where I'm supposed to be."

Barton admitted that he's keeping the ball at home, serving as a reminder that he intercepted arguably the greatest player of all time in the NFL's first game in Germany.

But beyond that, the play served as a shining example of the progress Barton has made of late. After starting four of the first six games, the 2019 third-round pick saw his role diminish as the calendar turned to November.

However, he received his first start in nearly a month against Tampa Bay and saw his most activity share since Week 3, playing 80 percent of the snaps. Better yet, Barton capitalized, finishing as the team's second-leading tackler with nine and impressing coach Pete Carroll in the process.

"Cody has been playing really well and he has really improved in the last two to three weeks in particular," Carroll said. "He had some really nice plays on the perimeter; the interception was a gorgeous play. Cody's done a good job. We're really pleased; we need everybody to continue to get better and Cody's on track to do that."

Barton returned stateside with an extra football in his suitcase and a week off ahead, giving him an opportunity to reflect on the journey that led to his big play under the lights in Munich.

Moving forward, Barton will aim to continue progressing and rejoin the starting lineup on a permanent basis. But in the meantime, he's got some celebrating to do - and a football-sized case to purchase.

You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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