Shaquill Griffin burst onto the seen out of nowhere.
Many Seahawks fans may say that they saw it coming, but they’d be lying. Drafted in the third round with the 90th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Central Florida, Griffin had a great showing in training camp and in the preseason which eventually led him to becoming the starter opposite of All-Pro Richard Sherman. A spot that the Seahawks hadn’t been successful at filling full-time since the departure of Brandon Browner.
Some will say Griffin’s season was luck, I call it falling into the perfect situation.
Griffin played extremely well for a rookie in a system that plays bold . . . very bold! Opposing offensive coordinators know exactly what to expect from Seattle coverage-wise, so it’s no hiding “rookie mistakes or rookie learning curves.” The system in fact is pretty simplistic at best: Cover-0 (man), Cover-1 (man one high safety), Cover-3 (zone). Opposing teams get exactly what they see on film, no switching or disguising week in and week out.
With the departure of Sherman, Griffin’s expectations for himself hasn’t changed much but his role has.
He’s being asked to shift over into the left #1 CB spot. A spot that Sherman hunted QBs in for seven years. Sherman’s ability to shutdown a third of the field made the defense that much better. Sherman made Gus Bradley, Dan Quinn, and Kris Richard’s job significantly easier as well. I don’t think Griffin will have that impact — only a few corners to ever play have played at that level — but Griffin won’t disappoint. I still believe Ken Norton Jr. should slide Byron Maxwell into that role and let Griffin develop for one more season, but being that in the NFL there’s no such thing as job security, I thoroughly understand his decision.
With the Seahawks being a contender almost every year there’s no room for waiting or rebuilding so ehhh, I won’t fault him either. I also know the addition of playing alongside his brother Shaquem Griffin will not only motivate him to be better, but will also force him to do so due to the simple fact that “All Eyes” will be on them.
He wouldn’t want to vex his brother in any fashion — they have a documented unique bond like none other.
I remember how ecstatic I felt about playing alongside my college best friend Prince Sam before he transferred to Louisiana Tech for his fifth year. He’s not even my flesh and blood so I can fathom how the Griffin twins feel at this very moment. Prince is Seattle’s prototypical CB, standing at 6’1 with 197 lbs. Has the ability to play zone but strengths are more so press man and he is currently a free agent. Hint-Hint … come on Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner, I’m throwing you guys an ally-oop off the backboard in an imaginary NBA All Star game.
His brother Christian Sam just so happened to get drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (178th overall pick) of the 2018 NFL Draft. Here’s his scouting tape:
Back to the Cinderella story of Shaquill and Shaquem playing on the same team again.
They played together in high school, college, and now on the best stage of them all in the NFL. Vegas couldn’t have even predicted this. Like really think about the odds of this happening ever again.
Anywho, it’s an exciting time to be a Seahawks fan right?
I believe Shaquill takes full advantage of this opportunity. Will he be Sherman? Probably not. Will Griffin continue to make a name for himself in the NFL? You bet.
Griffin thrives for making a name for himself. He’s been doing so his entire football career. He didn’t have the buzz or publicity around his name by most commentators, fans, or scouts coming out of UCF compared to the bigger FBS school guys. Aaron Rodgers even found out in Week 1 just how good Griffin has the potential to be; Rodgers threw at Griffin nine times but he only allowed six completions for 52 yards. Pretty damn good for a rookie, if I must say so. There’s no way Rodgers would’ve done so to a bigger name like Sherman.
Is Griffin up for that challenge?
I believe he is. Enough of me rambling, enjoy the breakdown in the video above.