Sean Payton was out on Davis Webb before he was in on Davis Webb—maybe. At least, that's what it looked like. Webb was being talked about for head coaching jobs in the offseason; Payton told him he could run the offense if he stayed. Webb stayed. Payton said two quarters were enough; Webb was out, Payton was back in, and Webb would never be a head coaching candidate again.
Whether any of that is 100 percent accurate or not, it's a theory, and not a bad one, at that. Thankfully, Payton isn't Mike Macdonald, so Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury likely doesn't have to worry about being kicked to the curb so soon if what Macdonald says is true.
That said, Fleury appears to be struggling to make the Seahawks offense look like it did under Klint Kubiak last season. It's his first crack at OC, so he needs some room to breathe. However, the Seahawks aren't looking to take their time; they want to compete for championships, now. Given Fleury's struggles, what does that say about his future? Immediate or otherwise?
Seahawks' HC Mike Macdonald holds fast with OC Brian Fleury
Macdonald doesn't seem to be in the business of ruining his coaching staff's chances of rising higher in the NFL. It's not his style, but coincidentally, his Seahawks just lost to a team coached by a man who does bear that style, and while the win was a win, it wasn't convincing for Denver, which makes Webb look better today than he did yesterday.
The Seahawks had no business losing to the Denver Broncos last week. With Sam Darnold's costly mistakes and an offense that looks entirely devoid of juice (save for Jaxon Smith-Njigba), Fleury's six-game tenure as offensive coordinator is coming under some hot scrutiny.
Darnold is the biggest part of it all, looking nothing like he did last season, even though he still turned the ball over at an alarming rate. Even with the turnovers, Darnold put up substantial passing numbers, and the Seahawks offense was one of the league's best. Incredibly, it's the exact opposite this season, and the only changes have been at running back and offensive coordinator.
Despite the scrutiny and pressure Fleury is facing today, his head coach appears to have his back, but only in the sense that Fleury's immediate job security isn't in question. That said, what it could be after this season ends, depending on how it ends, of course, well, that could be another conversation.
Macdonald spoke about Fleury on Seattle Sports' Brock & Sock show Friday morning. While his comments weren't exactly fully backing Fleury, there were also no indications that Macdonald was ready to change things up dramatically.
“Do I expect Brian to be perfect? Absolutely not, but I expect our offense to play Seahawks football," Macdonald said. "Brian is well prepared and incredibly smart. But on offense, we need to ask who is doing it and see throughout the week that we are taking steps in the right direction, quickly.”
These comments followed what Macdonald had said over the weekend about coaching evaluation, when he stated, "We’re not questioning people. We’re evaluating. We’re finding solutions.”
Fleury is under evaluation; it's clear, but under threat of being fired or losing his play-calling responsibilities, likely not. That said, if the Seahawks offense continues to look lethargic as it is for the remainder of the season, and Fleury and Darnold are not able to find a strong connection, like Kubiak was out after one season, so could Fleury, and not because he got promoted elsewhere.
For now, it looks like Fluery has time to fix things. For now, it looks like Macdonald is more patient than some others.
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