Former Seahawk Giacomini thinks 2015 Jets defense has potential to be special

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Breno Giacomini knows a thing or two about facing a top-ranked defense every day on the practice fields, after all in 2013 when with the Seattle Seahawks he would go against the league’s No. 1 ranked defense in practice.

Now with the New York Jets, starting right tackle Giacomini sees a defense on the other side of the field that is starting to look similar to Seattle’s unit that has finished the past two regular seasons as the best defense in the league. His current team, however, is no slouch. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

The Jets took a defense that was sixth overall a year ago and added Pro Bowl cornerbacks in Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie as well as some significant pieces in the NFL Draft with Leonard Williams and Lorenzo Mauldin.

All of a sudden a very good Jets defense in 2014 has now gotten better. This unit might be very difficult to score on, not unlike the Seahawks defense that Giacomini saw dominate nearly every game over the past two years, lifting up what was sometimes a very average offense. He sees similarities between this Jets defense and that Seahawks group in 2013 that spearheaded his team before he left in free agency following a Super Bowl win.

“As far as having a good backend and a good front seven, the speed is definitely there. You can’t tell right now in practice but in terms of having the personnel – and I don’t want to compare you know but – I think there are some similarities there. There is leadership there, they will help lead the team. But you’re starting to feel like it could be like there,” Giacomini told Metro last week during minicamp.

“When you practice like you play and you’re practicing against one of the top defenses, it almost makes it easier. With all the looks that we got – we knew and were prepared for so much. It makes everything a little bit easier come gameday.”

Seattle has had an impressive resume over the past two years, creating turnovers and becoming a fearsome unit. When asked if the Jets have the same potential to be, say, a top three defense and in the upper echelon of the league, Giacomini didn’t want to make comparisons.

But he also didn’t hold back on this group’s potential.

“They’re going to be, in my book that’s a fact. They have the personnel to be a top defense. In my book, that’s a fact. If everyone stays healthy and does their job, I think we’ll have one of the top defenses in the league this year,” Giacomini said.

“I hope we have the best defense but there’s 16 games to determine that. I know they’re working hard.”