The Seattle Seahawks are no fluke. They earned the right to be the top team in the NFC by closing out the season on a seven-game winning streak to take their record to 14-3. And while head coach Mike Macdonald clearly deserves plenty of credit for that, so does his offensive coordinator.
Klint Kubiak turned the Seahawks' offense around overnight. As such, it's not a surprise to hear that he might follow his father's footsteps and become the next Kubiak to become an NFL head coach. However, that's not going to happen if Grey Zabel has a say in it.
Addressing the media, the Seahawks' rookie guard made sure to let everybody in the league know how he truly felt about Coach Kubiak. He didn't say what other teams wanted to hear, but Seahawks fans will certainly appreciate the gesture.
Seattle Seahawks' Gary Zabel is trying to sabotage Klint Kubiak's head coaching aspirations
“Klint is the worst coach ever. Don’t hire him,” the rookie guard said, per Seahawks insider John Boyle. Then, on a more serious and candid note, he had nothing but flowers for his offensive coordinator, stating that “he’s an unbelievable coach, friend. His football IQ is through the roof.”
Zabel said the quiet part out loud. No Seahawks fan should want Kubiak to leave, but it's hard to argue that he's earned his stripes in the league. He's earned the right to be the next young coach to get his own team.
The Seahawks averaged the third-most points in the league with Kubiak at the helm (28.4). They had the seventh-most total yards per game (362.3), and he was instrumental in helping Sam Darnold top the 4,000-yard mark.
Kubiak's NFL career got started in 2013 when he joined the Minnesota Vikings as an offensive assistant. He's climbed the coaching ladder since, and this is his third different stint as offensive coordinator.
The league is transitioning toward the next generation of coaches, and given his pedigree, résumé, and the numbers the Seahawks' high-octane offense put up this season, it's hard to believe Coach Macdonald will be able to keep him on his coaching staff for next year.
Then again, the same happened to Ben Johnson just a couple of years ago. He chose to run it back as an offensive coordinator because he felt that he still had some unfinished business. Hopefully, if he does leave Seattle, it'll be because, unlike Johnson, he did finish the job.