The British coach building Seahawks' new 'Legion of Boom'

It's not often that Aden Durde has clip to halt and bespeak connected the "crazy" way he's blazing done the NFL.

Since becoming Britain's archetypal full-time NFL manager successful 2018, Durde spends astir of the twelvemonth focused connected the regular grind of American football.

Having joined the Atlanta Falcons, helium was promoted successful 2020 earlier taking different measurement up the coaching ladder with the Dallas Cowboys successful 2021.

The 45-year-old from Middlesex is present conscionable 1 rung from caput manager having been appointed arsenic the Seattle Seahawks' antiaircraft coordinator successful February.

"I haven't spoken astir it much," helium told BBC Sport portion backmost successful the UK during the off-season. "My household attraction astir it, but it’s conscionable thing I do.

"Coming location and talking to media, being astir each the guys astatine NFL UK, it's made maine think. It hasn't deed maine till contiguous really. It is crazy.

"I was backmost successful my aged bureau and it was similar I was present yesterday, truthful it’s a bully reflection infinitesimal to accidental I americium precise grateful for this opportunity. I'm truly excited for the future."

And that aboriginal already looks bright, with the Seahawks 1 of conscionable 5 teams looking to support their unbeaten commencement to the caller NFL play going into week 4 this weekend.

A erstwhile linebacker, Durde made it connected to the signifier squad of 2 NFL teams. But coaching has proved his existent calling, starting with the London Warriors successful 2011.

He aboriginal served arsenic NFL UK's caput of shot improvement and earned coaching internships with Dallas and Atlanta, wherever helium was fixed a imperishable occupation by past Falcons manager Dan Quinn.

Both moved to Dallas successful 2021 - Quinn arsenic antiaircraft coordinator, Durde arsenic antiaircraft enactment manager - and they transformed the Cowboys' defence into 1 of the NFL's best.

That saw Quinn go Washington caput manager successful February, portion Durde was interviewed by 5 teams.

Word of Durde's coaching quality is spreading crossed the NFL and it was Mike Macdonald, a antheral helium hadn't met before, who took Durde connected aft succeeding Seattle's long-serving caput manager Pete Carroll.

"It’s a large accidental and a large organisation," said Durde. "I truly similar Mike. I judge successful what helium believes successful and wherever helium wants to instrumentality the team.

"He’s a large dude. A large teacher, ace smart. He has a wide imaginativeness of what we privation to achieve. The mode helium wants america to bash things, to attack things, however we bash meetings and make players – they're each things I align with.

"It’s the mode we’re going to bash things moving forwards and we've each bought into it. I’m moving astir immoderate large radical and we're increasing together, truthful it’s breathtaking times."

Durde has inherited a young, dynamic defence, which has deed the crushed moving this season. The Seahawks person won their opening 3 games and on Sunday held the Miami Dolphins to conscionable 3 points.

Head manager Macdonald spent astir of the past decennary moving with the ascendant Baltimore Ravens defence and has installed a versatile, analyzable strategy successful Seattle with a balanced, flexible defence.

They disguise however the defence looks, keeping the absorption guessing wherever the menace volition travel from. They had six backmost sacks against Miami, dispersed crossed 5 antithetic players.

Across their opening 3 games, Seattle person conceded the fewest yards per play (3.9), the second-fewest yards per crippled (248.7) and the fourth-fewest points per crippled (14.3).

Already they are being compared with the 'Legion of Boom' defence, which helped Seattle to 2 consecutive Super Bowls successful 2014 and 2015, winning the archetypal against Denver.

Durde's mentor Quinn was the Seahawks' antiaircraft coordinator backmost then, but the Briton says this squad is gathering its ain identity.

"We've been making definite we're putting the close things successful spot astatine the close stages truthful we tin commencement the twelvemonth the mode we privation to commencement it," helium said.

"As we’re gathering this, I’m looking astatine wherever we’re going and however we're doing it fundamentally time by day, week by week, signifier by phase.

"The 1 happening I’m astir excited astir is the accidental to beryllium portion of thing from the commencement - to physique a mode of doing things, a mode of life, a modular and individuality wrong the defence that is bigger than conscionable 1 of us.

"It's a smart, physical, pugnacious team, and we've got a batch of talented players, truthful I’m excited astir what they tin be."

Seattle volition look the archetypal large trial of their play-off credentials connected Monday against the Detroit Lions, who reached past season's NFC Championship game.

Durde, meanwhile, volition support flying the emblem for the UK to guarantee much Britons get the accidental to travel successful his footsteps and fulfil their NFL dream.

"I consciousness similar I inactive person to bash everything I tin to beryllium arsenic bully arsenic I perchance tin be, not conscionable due to the fact that it’s my occupation but for the accidental for everyone else," helium added.

"If I correspond myself well, hopefully it creates different opportunities for radical [from the UK] to get seen."