Tag: Ryan Grubb

Geno Smith says Ryan Grubb’s playbook has plays he’s never seen before

Here’s what Geno had to say about Grubb’s scheme on the Jim Rome show.

Geno Smith has been playing quarterback for about 20 years now, including his time in the NFL, at West Virginia and Miramar High School in Florida. That’s a lot of different playbooks to digest, so Smith has seen pretty much everything a QB can in his time. However, new Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has some zesty recipes that apparently Smith hasn’t seen before.

Here’s what Geno had to say about Grubb’s scheme on the Jim Rome show.

Grubb may not have the same level of talent that he did at Washington compared to the competition he will be facing in the NFL, but the work he did there over the last two years shows that he can run a balanced, aggressive pro style system.

The only real unanswered question is if he can still do it with a poor offensive line. Seattle’s front line unit was ranked No. 27 in the league in our recent consensus OL rankings, while Washington had perhaps the best in the nation with Grubb. One common denominator is offensive line coach Scott Huff, who’s followed Grubb over from the Huskies where he held the same position. Much depends on how well Huff does his job.

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Geno Smith on what he likes about Ryan Grubb’s offense

Geno Smith on what he likes about Ryan Grubb’s offense

It is the season of change for the Seattle Seahawks. Not only did they replace Pete Carroll with Mike Macdonald as head coach, but practically the entire coaching staff was switched out as well… including the offensive coordinator position. This year, Seattle hired former University of Washington (and Alabama, for about a week) offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to be the one in charge of that side of the ball.

In a league where coordinators are turned over year to year, there has been decent job security in Seattle at this position. Grubb is only the third offensive coordinator in the last seven seasons, but I think it is safe to say he comes with the most excitement among fans. The Seattle faithful got to see what Grubb’s offense could do, as the Huskies fielded easily the best unit in the nation last year en route to the National Championship.

So far, Grubb is coming in with plenty of positive hype from fans… and his new quarterback. Geno Smith took to the media to sing Grubb’s praises.

It is not surprising Smith is finding himself in favor of Grubb’s system. While Smith does have hidden mobility, he definitely is more of a prototypical pocket passer when it comes to the quarterback position. This is a similar to description to former Washington (now Falcons) quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Penix could move, but he primarily stayed in the pocket and distributed the ball at a high level.

It worked out well for Penix, who threw for 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns in the two years he played for Grubb.

Last year, Smith was better than his numbers might suggest. He set a new NFL record with five game-winning drives last year, as well as setting another record by throwing seven go-ahead touchdown passes in the fourth quarter/overtime. The Seahawks offense was terribly inconsistent, but Smith was not the primary concern.

Should Grubb find a way to get all his weapons proper usage, and have Smith distribute accordingly, this offense could go back to looking how it was in 2022… or perhaps greater.

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What will be the Seahawks’ identity in Year 1 of the post-Pete Carroll era?

Here’s Kay Adams talking about the mystery that is Seattle’s identity.

If you’re having a hard time predicting how the Seattle Seahawks’ season will go this year, you’re not alone. There doesn’t seem to be much consensus about how they’ll do, with ESPN projecting just under nine wins, but oddsmakers having them only favored in five. One reason is that we just don’t know what to expect from first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, who has the unenviable task of making the team his own after 14 years under Pete Carroll.

Here’s Kay Adams talking about the mystery that is Seattle’s identity this year, with a cameo from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

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Tyler Lockett talks about learning new offense under Ryan Grubb

Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett was a guest on the Jim Rome show last week.

Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett was a guest on the Jim Rome show last week. They talked about his new contract, his dedication to the franchise and learning from new head coach Mike Macdonald and new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

Listen.

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Mina Kimes on how Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb could help Geno Smith

Here’s Seahawks superfan and NFL analyst Mina Kimes on how Grubb can help get the best out of Geno Smith.

The Seahawks have turned over their roster a great deal this offseason, effectively starting over at linebacker, safety and their interior offensive line. However, the most important changes the team made were on the sidelines. This will be their first year playing under new head coach Mike Macdonald, who should get Seattle’s defense back to a respectable level.

On the other side of the ball Macdonald will rely on offensive coordiantor Ryan Grubb, who was arguably the best playcaller in college football over the last two seasons. Here’s Seahawks superfan and NFL analyst Mina Kimes on how Grubb can help get the best out of Geno Smith.

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Seahawks TE AJ Barner sets a high bar for himself going into the NFL

Seahawks TE AJ Barner sets a high bar for himself going into NFL

Without a doubt my personal greatest frustration with the Seattle Seahawks offense for several years now has been how they utilized their tight ends… or, rather, how they didn’t. Despite a talented trio in Noah Fant, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seemed unwilling or unable to find a way to get them involved in a meaningful way.

Now, Parkinson and Dissly are gone, but Fant remains, and he is now paired with rookie AJ Barner from Michigan. Initially, Barner was pegged as a blocking tight end. It may not be flashy, but it is substantive.

However, the Seahawks may have uncovered a diamond in the rough. There are those who feel as if his receiving skills have untapped potential, seeing as though he played in the run-heavy Wolverines offense. It appears Barner himself might agree with these opinions, as he recently revealed what he told offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after he was picked, per the team website.

“You guys just got a steal. I waited a long time, but I’m ready to go. I’m going to do everything I can to bring this team a championship. I want to be one of the best tight ends in the league, and I’m not going to settle until I do that.”

Although Barner clearly has his sights set high, for now, he is willing to fill whatever role the Seahawks have for him. Sometimes doing whatever it takes means doing dirty work in the trenches. But perhaps that won’t be the case forever. The onus now falls on Grubb to see how creative he can get with Barner, and the rest of an offense loaded with talent at every skill position.

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2024 NFL draft: Washington OT Troy Fautanu has medical flag

However, there’s a late flag regarding Fautanu’s health.

One of the prospects who has been most frequently connected with the Seahawks has been Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu. He is by far the most popular mock draft pick at No. 16 overall and at least in theory would fit in like a glove with Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff, who he worked with the last two seasons.

However, there’s a late flag regarding Fautanu’s health. According to Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated, Fautanu has a knee issue that could affect his longevity in the NFL:

“Washington OT Troy Fautanu’s knee was flagged. That one was described to me as the sort of issue that shouldn’t be a problem in the short term, but could wind up impacting his longevity in the pros…”

This is pretty far from ideal, especially considering that Seattle’s starting right tackle Abe Lucas has a long-term knee problem of his own that kept him on the sidelines for 11 games last season.

Fautanu is still an excellent prospect overall and a great fit for what Seattle wants to do, but this could be disqualifying – especially considering the depth at offensive tackle in this draft class there’s no need to roll the dice on a prospect with a medical red flag.

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Seahawks high on Sam Howell, expected to bypass QBs in 2024 NFL draft

The real focus of this draft should be at the line of scrimmage, which is where the biggest gulf is between Seattle and potential Super Bowl teams.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider likes to talk about drafting quarterbacks every year, which is what the Packers front office would have taught him when he was coming up as an executive. However, in practice Seattle has mostly avoided drafting quarterbacks and seems to strongly prefer players with pro experience over rookies at this spot.

The 2024 NFL draft offers a deep and strong class of QBs. However, the latest buzz coming via Adam Schefter at ESPN suggests they won’t be picking one because they feel comfortable with Sam Howell backing up Geno Smith. Here’s what Schefter is hearing regarding Seattle.

“With regards to Penix, though, it should be pointed out that the Seahawks are high on quarterback Sam Howell, whom they traded for last month, and feel he offers some unique advantages. The 23-year-old Howell started 18 NFL games for the Commanders, is the same age as Penix (and Daniels) and is one year younger than Bo Nix (Oregon). Macdonald and the Seahawks feel they have invested in their future at the position with a player who already has game experience. Bypassing a quarterback also would be consistent with Seattle and continue an odd trend for the franchise.”

This does make sense on some levels, especially considering Howell’s age compared to most of the ’24 quarterbacks. The Seahawks also have a very solid starter in Geno Smith, who seems to be getting better with age rather than declining.

Then again, we have to remember that teams gain exactly nothing from even suggesting their plans to a reporter – especially with three days to go before the draft. Also, history shows the team rarely if ever goes with the conventional wisdom about what they’re planning. Seattle has also met with several QBs, including JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix and Spencer Rattler.

Our best guess is that they would like to take a quarterback but won’t force it. If Michael Penix is still on the board at No. 16 overall or Rattler at 81 then they will at least strongly consider it.

However, the real focus of this draft should be at the line of scrimmage, which is where the biggest gulf is between Seattle and potential Super Bowl teams. Last season they were dominated on both sides of the line by every contender they played with the exception of Detroit.

Over the years Green Bay has proven there’s value in the long run in drafting quarterbacks before you need them. However, the quickest path back to the playoffs for this team right now is building up those offensive and defensive lines.

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Seahawks officially start their 2024 offseason program today

New head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff have been busy over the last couple of months preparing for this day.

The Seattle Seahawks are back in the building at the VMAC today for the start of the team’s voluntary offseason program. New head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff have been busy over the last couple of months preparing for this day, forgoing the Scouting Combine so that they could focus on installing new game plans in all three phases.

Macdonald comes to Seattle from Baltimore, where he served as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator last season when they led the league in every meaningful defensive category. On offense the Seahawks will be learning from Ryan Grubb, who did superb work with the Washington Huskies over the last two seasons. Jim Harbaugh’s son Jay will be taking over as special teams coordinator, fresh off a national title at Michigan.

Learning the playbook is all players will be focused on for this first phase of the offseason and as we approach the preseason practices will get increasingly physical.

Other teams with first-year head coaches that will start their offseason program today include the Patriots, Panthers and Titans.

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Seahawks send 3 assistants to watch Michigan Pro Day

Seahawks send 3 assistants to watch Michigan Pro Day

By and large, the initial waves of free agency have come and gone. Now, teams are gearing up in full force for the 2024 NFL draft. Such is the case for the Seattle Seahawks, who have taken a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The reigning National Champions, the Michigan Wolverines, are hosting their annual pro day for their NFL prospects. In attendance are coaching representatives for the Seahawks.

Seattle’s offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made the trek to Michigan. He was joined by offensive line coach Scott Huff and linebackers coach Josh Bynes. Interestingly, head coach Mike Macdonald was not there. Seeing as though he was previously defensive coordinator for the Wolverines, his absence is at the very least notable.

Still, having top assistants there does mean quite a bit, especially when one is the man in total control of the offense.

The biggest name is of course quarterback JJ McCarthy, whom the Seahawks have met with. By nature of them acquiring Sam Howell via trade, it seems unlikely McCarthy will end up in Seattle. But then again, this is the NFL, and nothing is ever truly impossible.

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