Getty Tre Flowers is frustrated with the Seahawks defense.
Seattle Seahawks starting cornerback Tre Flowers is tired of the criticism. After the Seahawks’ loss to the Vikings, Flowers expressed frustration noting people want him to be more like former Legion of Boom member Richard Sherman.
“Sadly, y’all want me to be Sherman,” Flowers noted, per The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell.
The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar reported Flowers along with D.J. Reed indirectly implied that “coaching was in part to blame.” Flowers also expressed questions about the Seahawks defensive scheme.
“Reed and Flowers were the only defensive backs players available to the media after the game,” Dugar noted. “Both corners accepted personal responsibility while also indirectly implying that coaching was in part to blame.”
Flowers on Seahawks Defensive Scheme: ‘I Got My Own Questions to Ask’
Flowers has been a popular player to blame among Seahawks fans for the team’s defensive woes. The corner earned a dismal 52.9 grade from Pro Football Focus through the first three games of the season.
While Flowers’ struggles have been evident, the entire defense has underperformed since their strong Week 1 performance against the Colts. Flowers admitted he has his own questions about the Seahawks defensive scheme.
“It’s a schematic thing, I feel like,” Flowers told reporters, per Dugar. “I got my own questions to ask. I’m [going to] fix it. We got to find a way to tackle digs, those in-routes. I got to find a way to drive them or whatever it is. It’s a little gray area right now amongst a couple people. I’ll fix it or someone else will fix it. I guess I got a couple of questions myself.”
Carroll on Players’ Criticism of Coaching: ‘They’re Referring to the Frustration That They Feel’
During his weekly radio show, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was asked about some of the players expressing frustration over the coaching. Carroll elaborated on why sometimes the corners are being blamed for the entire defense’s lapses and also cited the absence of secondary coach Andre Curtis who was dealing with an illness.
“First off, they’re referring to the frustration that they feel, yeah and we all feel,” Carroll noted on ESPN 710 Seattle. “I would think that when there’s criticism and you’re playing zone, they’re going to try to understand how, we’re playing deep zone concepts with a third corners, and if the ball gets thrown underneath it looks like they’re not being [aggressive] enough. Well, that has to do with under coverage and a lot of stuff. I think that’s the question. We were trying to stay on top of these guys, not let ’em get any big plays, which we did that part of it for the most part. And it gets frustrating when they continue to get some, and I think that’s all it is. We’re no different than we’ve ever been conceptually and all that.
“I do want to say this, too. We really missed [secondary coach] Andre Curtis not being there. He’s their guy. …He’s the guy that settles everything down that keeps everyone on track. He lives and dies with these guys. He wasn’t there and it was obvious.”
Despite the criticism, Flowers described his own confidence in his game as “high as hell.”
“High as hell. I mean, I don’t care what anybody says or — no offense to what anybody writes — I know I’m playing good,” Flowers explained, per Bell. “Everybody can get better. If you want to point the finger at me, go ahead.”