One day after the end of the regular season, the Seahawks announced that they have fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after one season with the team.
Head coach Mike Macdonald said, “It’s really as simple as just I felt like the direction our offense was going was different than the vision that I had for our team, and it felt like it was just a necessary decision at this point.” Macdonald complimented Grubb’s coaching ability but stated that the decision was simply because of misaligned visions.
The decision seems justified but was it the right decision? Let’s analyze a few of the most crucial factors on offense that affected the Seahawks’s season.
Did the Seahawks make the right decision to let Ryan Grubb go?
Offensive Line
The offensive line was awful this season, which doesn’t happen to be new as it’s been an ongoing issue with the team for years now. I mention the offensive line here first because I believe this was the forefront struggle for the Seahawks’ offense.
The offensive line suffered from a lot of injuries and ultimately had 10 different linemen starting for them this season. According to ESPN, the Seahawks’ offensive line ranked 21st in pass block win rate and 28th in run block win rate.
An offense cannot be successful if they don’t have a fortified offensive line up front.
Geno Smith
Geno Smith had several head-scratching interceptions but he wasn’t the main issue for Seattle either. He threw for a career-high 4,320 yards and 20 touchdowns behind an awful offensive line. I don’t think Smith is a long-term keeper for Seattle, but he’s certainly not to blame for the main issues on offense.
Run Game
Macdonald has said in the past how he wants to prioritize the run game on offense but that didn’t happen. Seattle finished 28th in the league with 95.7 average rushing yards per game. Star running back Kenneth Walker III was injured off-and-on all year with Zach Charbonnet picking up the support. When Walker was on the field, he didn’t as big of an impact. It makes sense that Grubb decided to focus on the passing attack instead.
Ryan Grubb
I don’t think Grubb was the main issue for the Seahawks. It wasn’t a perfect season of playcalling for him, but I thought he deserved another year to learn and grow from it. When he was with the Washington Huskies, he helped completely transform the offense between 2022 and 2023. He could have very well done the same in Seattle if they gave him the right personnel.
Grubb is to credit for Smith hitting his career-high passing yards and for getting Jaxon Smith-Njigba his first 1,000-yard and 100 receptions season.
Now, the Seahawks will look to replace Grubb as quickly as possible, without losing efficiency in their search. Many speculate that he will now join Kalen DeBoer at Alabama as the two have a long history of working together.
Main Image: Joe Nicholson – USA Today Sports
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