Seattle, WA
How Kubiak's Seattle Seahawks offense could resemble the Lions
The Seattle Seahawks’ offense is expected to look much different this fall under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
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For one, there certainly will be an increased emphasis on running the football. Kubiak divulged as much during his introductory press conference Tuesday, stating that he wants the run game to be Seattle’s offensive identity. That comes after the Seahawks struggled mightily on the ground this past season, which was a major reason why they parted ways with former OC Ryan Grubb.
In addition, with Kubiak running a version from the famed Shanahan scheme, his offense will likely feature a much heavier dose of under-center snaps and play-action passing.
As a result, former Seahawks running back Robert Turbin thinks Seattle’s offense under Kubiak could look similar – at least from a schematic perspective – to the Detroit Lions’ top-ranked scoring unit.
“I think you’ll see a lot more under center with (Seattle quarterback) Geno Smith, very similar to how the Detroit Lions approach their offense,” Turbin, a Seahawks Radio Network analyst, said Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.
“(Lions quarterback) Jared Goff is much more under center. They’re a run-heavy scheme and then they’re able to utilize play-action off of that (with) a lot of in-breaking routes. … I think you’ll see something very similar with the Seahawks.”
Under-center usage and play-action passing were both solely lacking from Grubb’s offense this past season.
The Seahawks operated under center on just 24.7% of their snaps, which ranked 29th in the league according to Pro Football Reference. They also ranked 29th in play-action rate, using play-action on just 15% of their pass attempts. They totaled just 513 yards on play-action passes, which ranked 31st.
Meanwhile, during Kubiak’s one-year stint as the New Orleans Saints’ OC this past season, his offense ranked seventh in under-center rate (44.5%), 16th in play-action pass rate (20.9%) and ninth in play-action passing yards (1,081). And if not for a slew of offensive injuries, those numbers very well could have been higher.
And as for the high-scoring Lions? They ranked second in under-center rate (56.0%) this past season and led the league by a wide margin in both play-action passing yards (2,114) and play-action passing rate (39.9%).
Turbin, who was the Seahawks’ backup running back from 2012 to 2014, explained how an offense can benefit from operating under center instead of in shotgun.
“My issue with shotgun is that you leave things wide-open for the defense to see, and so it can be a little bit easier (for defenders) to key on their assignments,” Turbin said. “When you’re under center, it can make things a little bit more foggy for defenders and you get their eyes out of place. It can help with forcing guys to be undisciplined in their gaps. And that’s where you’re able to break the big runs. That’s where you’re able to go play-action and break those big passes down the field.”
Smith showed an ability to thrive with more consistent play-action usage in 2022 and 2023, when the Seahawks were middle-of-the-pack in play-action rate under former OC Shane Waldron. According to FTN Fantasy, Smith was one of the league’s best play-action passers over that span, ranking top-five in play-action completion rate and play-action passing yardage in each of those two seasons.
“I think that’s really the big difference,” Turbin said. “You’re gonna see Geno Smith under center, and then that play-action pass (will be) more impactful because of it.”
Listen to the full conversation with Robert Turbin at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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