Black and Blue Review
Nickel Shuffle
The Seahawks have the No. 2 ranked rushing attack in the NFL, which isn’t great for the Panthers, who are 26th against the run. But Seattle’s emphasis on the ground means Carolina may be able to play more of its base defense on Sunday.
Led by running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks have rushed the ball 170 times this year. They’ve attempted 176 passes. So it’s not like they’re the Packers, who have 43 more passes than rushes.
When the Panthers do go into their nickel package, cornerback James Dockery will get a shot to cover in the slot. With starter Bené Benwikere out at least one more game, and after Charles Godfrey’s release, Dockery has gone from jobless just two weeks ago, to Carolina’s No. 1 nickel corner.
“My comfort level with playing nickel is great, and it’s getting to be even more so as I go,” Dockery said. “At first I was a little rusty, but the coaches have been doing a great job of putting me in the positions I’m going to see in the game, and I think I’ve done a good job with it so far.”
Safety Colin Jones, a special teams ace who played some nickel corner in training camp, will back up Dockery.