Over the past several decades, as offenses have evolved into more complex, pass-oriented attacks, NFL defenses have been in survival mode trying to adapt on the opposite side of the football.

Thanks to Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and others orchestrating record-setting aerial assaults, thus making the ground-and-pound run games of earlier eras obsolete, teams have undergone dramatic personnel shifts since the turn of the century. Once 250-plus pound heavy hitters, linebackers have continued to get lighter and faster in an effort to counter the proliferation of running backs and tight ends being deployed as pass catching weapons. Many of the big-bodied defensive ends who once dominated the sport have been fazed out in favor of speedier EDGE defenders who can pin their ears back and hunt quarterbacks.

Even with those changes, most defensive coordinators have to still mix and match personnel groupings over the course of a game. In obvious passing situations, an extra defensive back or two - or in some cases three - sub in for nickel, dime, and bandit sub-packages, sending a defensive lineman and/or a linebacker off the field to maximize coverage capabilities. In short yardage, however, teams still have to have the brutes to be able to rotate in against heavier offensive sets, substitutions that can be difficult to execute, especially against offenses that utilize no huddle tempo on a regular basis.

In other words, at least for most of the NFL, clear limitations remain for how often they can employ nickel and dime packages. Smart offenses can dictate the personnel they see through their own schematics and formation usage, giving them the upper hand.

But for the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, that’s no longer the case thanks to the arrival of Nick Emmanwori. The do-it-all hybrid slot safety unicorn who moonlights as an EDGE rusher as well as an inside linebacker while possessing 4.3 speed provides coach Mike Macdonald with the ultimate cheat code, stealing that long-held advantage away from opposing quarterbacks and the offense.