One of the greatest advantages the Seattle Seahawks have going into the new season is their returning roster. There is an argument that their free agent losses hit them the hardest on defense, with the exits of Riq Woolen, Boye Mafe, and Coby Bryant. On offense, Kenneth Walker III also left.Â
All four of those free agent losses could have been worse if it were not for the Seahawks being prepared with the next man up. Josh Jobe, for instance, is more than capable of stepping into Woolen's starter spot. Ty Okada is expected to move into a starter's role in place of Bryant. All in all, the Seahawks are more than ready to move on with who they have now.
So if it's not the loss of key defensive free agents or the departure of their Super Bowl MVP, Walker, what, if anything, could derail a title defense year? What would be the reason for the Seahawks taking a step back? Another obvious possibility, if not player-related, is coaching. Would a switch at offensive coordinator be the bad apple?
Brian Fleury won't be the weak link should the Seattle Seahawks suffer from a Super Bowl hangover
The Seahawks likely knew the chances of losing Klint Kubiak to a head coaching job after last season were pretty high. Kubiak's name was floating around weeks before the playoffs even began. Sure enough, the Las Vegas Raiders nabbed him, and the Seahawks were forced to search for a new voice calling the offense.
They didn't have to look far, because the San Francisco 49ers had Brian Fleury, who had never held a role as a offensive coordinator before, only positional posts. That factor alone could cause concern, but in the modern NFL, it seems like every coaching job lands with someone who had no previous experience in that same role.Â
Naturally, the question was whether Fleury would be capable of getting more out of Sam Darnold and the Seahawks offense, and not regress. Kubiak coached the Seahawks offense to one of the league's most lethal last season, despite his own handful of hiccups here and there. Could Fleury come in and maintain the success? Or be the reason Darnold and the offense lose a step?
Fleury is an unknown for now, yes, but how much does that really matter when Darnold and the Seahawks offense take the field? It's hard to believe that this very same offense, which had a league-leading wide receiver, a very good quarterback, an excellent run game, and a solid offensive line, was really just a one-hit wonder.
What if Fleury is simply a better playcaller than Kubiak was? What if, instead of overhauling an offense that worked, Fleury stays with a familiar playbook and adds his own trickles of pixie dust here and there? What if there is actually no weak link on the Seahawks, and Fleury is just as good as, if not better than, Kubiak?
Last year's offense was no fluke, and Seahawks fans can bet on another great year even with a new offensive coordinator. If, and it's a big if, Seattle does take a step back, it won't be because Fleury wasn't ready to jump from a tight ends coach to an offensive coordinator.Â
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