We all saw it. The Seattle Seahawks were playing the San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle had failed to convert a third down and four. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb had called a pass play (as he did the fifth-most times in the NFL last year) while the 49ers played close to the line. No one went deep for Seattle. Wide receiver DK Metcalf was next seen on the sidelines yelling into a headset.
He was not happy, and many of the Seattle offensive players seemingly were not either. Grubb had shown he could design a highly successful college attack, but he lacked the creativity and ability to adapt once coaching at the highest level. Third-down conversions were not the only issue, of course. The Seahawks' red-zone offense was poor as well.
One way to open the field in short-yardage situations is to have one or two receivers run post patterns. This makes at least two, and most times three, defensive backs follow them. Maybe the ball is never going to be thrown their way, but they still become dangerous decoys and allow other receivers to work underneath.
DK Metcalf clearly not a fan of former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb
On a recent episode of the Get Got podcast with Marshawn Lynch and Michael Robinson, Metcalf talked about how he and Tyler Lockett became so frustrated with Grubb's scheme and play-calling that they simply refused to do any extra preparation before games. They worked hard and did what Grubb asked, but the OC also would not listen to the receiver's input that was based on experience.
Metcalf said, "On that particular day, we were playing the 49ers. They got this DB I’ve been going against since he was – we came (into the NFL) together...On third-and-4, we call all hitches. Like, that’s not running past him. He’s waiting on it. So when he sat and knocked the ball down, I come to the sideline like, let me just get the headset. Maybe (Grubb) don’t need to hear it from (me) or he may have missed the text. So I said, ‘Grubb, can we please run by these guys?’...That was the last week me and Lock did any extra game planning."
To be fair, the proverbial road does go both ways. Grubb was hired to design the offense and call the plays, and he called the ones he thought would work. Ultimately, he failed as the offense got worse as the season grew old. But he was not intentionally trying to lose games.
At the same time, the offensive coordinator had never coached in the NFL before, and his veteran players, such as Metcalf and Lockett, knew the opposing players better than Grubb. The OC should have been open to hearing what players had to say before the game. A great leader would do that, and assume they did not have all the answers. Grubb was not a great leader for the Seahawks.
Maybe money was ultimately the reason left, as Seattle was unlikely to give him the five-year and $150 million extension that the Pittsburgh Steelers did after Metcalf requested a trade. But clearly, the relationship between team and player soured considerably last season. Much of the blame for that, it seems, falls on the shoulders of the now-fired Ryan Grubb.