Getty Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. is not listening to the critics.
The Seattle Seahawks defense has had its struggles this season but defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. does not have time for the criticism. As the son of legendary boxer Ken Norton Sr., Norton admitted he has been dealing with critics for most of his life.
“I mean, going back to, I was 6 years old, my father gets knocked out, they are always talking,” Norton told The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell. “I’ve been dealing with criticism in family issues through my father’s career, through his friends’ careers. So when it comes to me, I have a certain way of dealing with it. I understand, and I get it. Everybody loves a winner. And everybody has all the answers for the guys who aren’t playing well. It’s a matter of us taking care of our business. If we take care of our business, we do our work, we play the way we are supposed to, then you quiet the noise.”
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Carroll Cited a Meeting Led by Norton as the Tipping Point for the Seahawks Defense
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll recently referenced a defensive meeting led by Norton prior to the team’s win over the Cardinals as the tipping point for the unit’s turnaround. The early results show the Seahawks defense is playing much better in the last six quarters, and Carroll believes the unit is going to keep improving.
“I’m going to tell you, it was Wednesday night, Kenny [Ken Norton Jr.] had a meeting with the guys, and he had the players all go through their own position and what they had to do in some of our base calls,” Carroll detailed on ESPN 710 Seattle. “It was one of the most remarkable defensive meetings that I’ve ever been in, that every single guy just rift on what he’s supposed to do, who he’s supposed to communicate with, how it’s supposed to work out, what you can count on coming from me and then the next guy and then the next guy. One after another after another, it was like one of the great meetings of accountability. It just took us to the next step.”
The Seahawks Have Been Linked to Other Defensive Coordinators for 2021
Norton’s future with the Seahawks could depend on how the defense takes shape heading towards the postseason. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported that a reunion with Dan Quinn is one possibility if the Seahawks opt to move on from Norton in 2021.
“Should Quinn not end up coaching his own team, there are already persistent rumblings about a potential reunion with two head coaches he most recently worked with,” LaCanfora noted on November 15. “Quinn remains very close to Seattle head coach Pete Caroll, whose defense is struggling this season at a historic rate and who quite likely will be shaking up some personnel next season. Quinn is already well versed in that system and philosophies and would be a natural fit in Seattle (former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley, whose Chargers staff is under fire after repeatedly blowing games late, is also a candidate to reunite with Caroll in some capacity).”
One thing that is important to point out is that whoever the Seahawks defensive coordinator is in title works with Carroll to put together a gameplan. It would not be accurate to put all the defensive criticism on Norton without also attributing some to Carroll’s system. Heading into Week 12, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner emphasized the team has a lot of faith in Norton.
“We have a huge confidence in him, you know. We believe in him,” Wagner said, per The News Tribune. “We don’t necessarily listen to the noise because the noise is going to be the noise. It’s noise every season, whether it’s offense, defense, it’s always, you got to talk about something. You can’t talk positive about everything. And obviously we haven’t played as well on defense. So they’re going to try to figure out how to single one person out.
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