Like most contending teams, the Seattle Seahawks lost one of their key guys to another franchise. Mike Macdonald managed to keep most of his staff intact, but offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak left to get his first head-coaching experience.
Kubiak's move to the Las Vegas Raiders was well-deserved. However, that also left a big void in Washington, and there were not many top-tier candidates to replace him, as most teams with new coaching staffs had already filled some of their vacancies.
That's why there were some concerns about Brian Fleury. They come from the same offense and coaching tree, but he's never called plays, so most people just assumed he'd take a page out of Kubiak's book and add a few wrinkles here and there. Per Coach Macdonald, that won't be the case.
The Seattle Seahawks trust Brian Fleury's expertise
“The play calling is going to be different,” Macdonald told Seattle Sports. “I mean, if he goes and tries to copy what Klint did, then we’re going to be in trouble. That’s the last thing we want. We did a lot of great things last year, but that was that team and Klint was making those decisions for that team.”
Of course, the fundamentals will likely be the same, and the personnel is pretty much unchanged. That said, even with Kubiak in town, no team can afford to run the same offense and playcalling in consecutive seasons; that's just football suicide.
All eyes will be on Lumen Field this season. Everyone wants a piece of the defending champions, and every defensive coordinator in the league has already dissected every single one of their games and plays exhaustively. That won't cut it anymore.
Granted, having a first-time play-caller isn't necessarily encouraging, more so for a defending champion. Even so, Macdonald and general manager John Schneider should have the benefit of the doubt by now, and the fans must trust their judgment.
Not everyone gets to work with Kyle Shanahan, one of the most renowned offensive minds in the game. He's been on both sides of the coaching staff in San Francisco, and this wasn't even the first time he drew offensive coordinator consideration.
He played quarterback and started his coaching career as a defensive coordinator. That background might seem insufficient to some, but it gives him an integral understanding and vision of the offense, and that should count for something:
"He sees it in 360 degrees, which is rare. It's a lot of fun to talk football with him. I'm learning from him," Macdonald added.
Everyone was a rookie at one point. The Seahawks rolled the dice on a young head coach with limited experience to lead their new project, and it's safe to say that it worked like a charm. You can't blame them for doing the same again.
Klint Kubiak laid the foundation, adapting his system to the personnel and trying to bring out the best in their weapons. Now, Fleury has to clean the slate and earn his stripes, and adding his personal touch will be the only way to show why he was the right guy for the job.
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