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Before the season, new Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard suggested the Seahawks might be a little more blitz-heavy under his direction. But through three games, that has not been the case. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Seattle has sent extra pressure 18.7 percent of the time. Last season under Dan Quinn, the Seahawks blitzed 26.7 percent of the time. Richard was asked Friday about where he developed his play-calling philosophy. "It just came right through here," Richard said. "It came with coach [Pete] Carroll, obviously his wealth of knowledge and experience as a defensive coordinator throughout the NFL and in college, as being my coach. And once we get here, I’m sitting behind Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn. Really, again, it’s just understanding ultimately who we are as a defense, our philosophy and our standard." So far, the results have been almost identical when the Seahawks have blitzed and when they have rushed four or fewer. When Seattle has sent pressure, opponents have completed 69.2 percent of their attempts and averaged 7.92 YPA. On all other snaps, they have completed 67.2 percent of their passes and averaged 7.91 yards per attempt. "I think Coach Kris Richard is awesome," said defensive end Cliff Avril. "He does a great job of communication. The scheme and the defense, nothing has really changed for us, so that’s good for us as players. We’re not trying to learn anything new, the philosophy’s the same. He’s been in this system, this scheme for a long time, so just having him up there really coaching is the only difference in what we’re doing on the field. We definitely love him and we love what he’s doing." As for Monday night, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford has been getting rid of the ball quickly against the blitz. Per ESPN Stats & Information, he's yet to take a sack on a play where the defense has sent extra pressure, but Stafford is completing just 51.9 percent of his passes against the blitz, compared to 67.3 percent on non-blitz attempts. There's no reason for the Seahawks to change their philosophy, but we'll see as the season progresses whether Richard chooses to be more aggressive.
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