Seahawks' Coordinator Masterminds Defensive Scheme in Super Bowl Win

Defense wins championships, and Dan Quinn is now proof of that.

The Morris Township native made sure of that in Sunday night’s Super Bowl XLVIII game that saw the Seattle Seahawks dominate the Denver Broncos in a 43-8 victory.

Quinn, the Seahawks defensive coordinator, has plenty to be proud of after the franchise’s first championship. His squad nabbed four turnovers in the game and scored a touchdown, recorded a safety and a sack against the NFL’s most prolific single-season scoring machine.

Seattle came into the game with the league’s top-ranked defense, allowing just 14.4 points per game. They showed no problem keeping the belt tight against newly-minted league MVP Peyton Manning and his bevy of receivers, holding the top offense to just eight points, shutting them out in the first half altogether.

Linebacker Malcolm Smith, who intercepted Manning and returned it for a touchdown, was named the game's Most Valuable Player—just the third linebacker in the game's history to garner the award. 

Quinn, who gave much praise to his coaches and teammates as an athlete growing up in the Morristown area, built a suffocating game plan for the Seattle defense, allowing just 27 yards rushing and 280 yards through the air.

"On behalf of Morris Township, the hometown of Super Bowl Champion Defensive Co-ordinator Dan Quinn, I, and the entire Morris Township Committee congratulate him and the Seattle Seahawks on winning Super Bowl 48 here in New Jersey," Morris Township Mayor Bruce Sisler said in a statement to Patch. "We are so proud of Dan's success, this great accomplishment and to call Dan Quinn Morris Township's own son."