Defense sparks Seattle's start

KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- For all the talk about Mike Holmgren developing four Pro Bowl players last year with his West Coast offense, Seattle's fast start this season is all about defense.
The Seahawks (3-0) have allowed only 13 points. They are tied for the NFL lead with 10 takeaways, setting up 31 of their 65 points. Last week, Seattle became the first team since 1977 to shut out the San Francisco 49ers.
The defense is playing with a contagious enthusiasm.
"Guys are out there making big plays, and it jacks up the level of the whole defense," end Grant Wistrom said. "The more excited you are, the harder you play and the better your chances of making a big play yourself."
Directing this high-flying show is defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, who has players hitting hard and running to the ball on every snap.
It's been said that teams take on the personalities of their coaches. If that's the case with Seattle's defense, look out. These Rhodes scholars play with a passion that is impossible to fake.
"You can tell Ray is an intense guy, but you wouldn't necessarily call him aggressive," injured linebacker Chad Brown said. "Then you sit down and talk to him and you realize, 'There's a killer somewhere inside."'
That much seemed confirmed last Sunday.
With Seattle leading 24-0 at halftime against the 49ers, Rhodes kept his defenders fired up in the locker room when he promised to give them every chance to preserve the shutout.
"'Keep the pressure on, keep the shutout on,"' Wistrom said, recalling what Rhodes told them. "He was going to keep making aggressive calls. They were going to try to help us have the best chance to do it."
Started 3-0 last year
Don't forget that Seattle was 3-0 at this point last season, too, then went 7-6 the rest of the way. This year's defense, though, has given the team a different feel -- a confidence that suggests this team is better.
"Time will tell," Holmgren said. "How do we handle a 3-0 start this year? Do we handle it well? Do they start feeling pretty good about themselves? That will be important."
Ask any defender, and Rhodes is the biggest difference. Though it's his second season with the team, the veteran coach has added a few more schemes, and most players have one more year working with him.
"It's got to be the coaching and the attitude they brought," tackle Cedric Woodard said. "We've had players here before, but I think you need to play defense with a certain attitude to be really successful."