Seattle, WA
Why Seattle Seahawks OC likely to come from Super Bowl team
In the world of sports, expectations and performance boil down to “What have you done for me lately?” In that vein, after the initial excitement and expository phase for new Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald wore off, the speculation and questions soon pivoted to figuring out what the rest of this Seahawks coaching staff will look like.
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Because of Macdonald’s defensive background, the single most important assistant will be whomever the Seahawks hire as their offensive coordinator. It’s a position that will operate with plenty of independence and creative control, but what that also means is there will be outsized pressure on the man who assumes the role.
So… why haven’t the Seahawks hired anyone yet? They are the only team in the NFL without an offensive coordinator (the Saints job is technically still vacant, but it has been publicly reported that they will hire 49ers assistant Klint Kubiak after the Super Bowl ends) and the fervor in discussing the vacancy grows with each passing day.
Much like the Saints, it feels like the Seahawks’ next offensive coordinator will come from one of the two teams playing on Sunday. They were patient in waiting for Macdonald to finish the season as Ravens defensive coordinator, and with only three reported interviews for OC candidates so far, it feels like another patient, thorough assessment of a guy whose season is still in progress.
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So, if this is the path the Seahawks have chosen, which of these 49ers and Chiefs assistants could it be? Ah, well I’m glad you asked. I’ve boiled it down into three categories for the potential hire.
The Favorites
• Anthony Lynn: The 49ers assistant head coach and running backs coach has plenty of experience, and it would be a safe bet if Macdonald stockpiles veterans around him. Lynn has been coaching in the NFL since the 2000 season, including four years as Chargers head coach and a recent offensive coordinator stint with the Lions in 2021. That was not the most resounding endorsement for what Lynn would bring as an OC, as he was stripped of playcalling duties midway through the season, but perhaps that experience leads to new ideas if he does get another chance in Seattle.
• Brian Griese: The 49ers quarterbacks coach is the most fascinating name out there because of the dichotomy between his long, successful career as an NFL quarterback and the lack of experience coaching. Griese only decided he wanted to get into coaching two years ago, but as this article outlines, it was Griese who helped identify what could make Brock Purdy a successful NFL quarterback. The intuitive knowledge that comes from having been a quarterback in the league for a decade is highly appealing in this era. An offensive coordinator and his quarterback have to be of like mind and have almost a telepathic understanding of how to run and implement an offense. Griese’s nascent coaching background does lead to questions about whether he is ready to handle the entirety of an offense instead of simply a position group. But you don’t stick in the NFL as a quarterback for as long as he did without knowing how to run an offense, and it feels like that translates to what he has done so far as an assistant coach.
• Klay Kubiak: The 49ers assistant quarterbacks coach is certainly well-versed in the coaching world. When your dad was a successful head coach (Gary Kubiak) and you work under San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan, doors open up. Klay Kubiak was also mentioned in that San Francisco Chronicle article about helping to identify and develop Brock Purdy. Former quarterbacks possess the innate knowledge of how to teach offensive concepts and attack defenses because they went through it as a player. Any hire of a first-time coordinator comes with a risk but some of that uncertainty could be mitigated by hiring a guy who was been around the NFL his entire life.
Video: The reason Seahawks may be waiting to hire an offensive coordinator
The Dark Horses
• Joe Bleymaier: The Chiefs passing game coordinator is among the stable of well-respected minds that are part of one of the most successful offenses in the NFL. The inevitable question that hovers over any Chiefs assistant is whether their success is due to Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Bleymaier has been with the Chiefs for eight seasons and is well-positioned to bring that system to Seattle – if the belief is that he can replicate that offense without Patrick Mahomes.
• Brian Fleury: The 49ers tight ends coach interviewed for the Patriots offensive coordinator job and played quarterback in college (if we’re working under my preferred assumption that playing that position is the best precursor for the skills needed to dictate and lead an entire offense). Fleury is relatively inexperienced coaching on the offensive side of the ball, though, with his first crack as an offensive assistant coach coming in this position with the 49ers in 2022.
The Longshot
• Matt Nagy: The Chiefs offensive coordinator would be a home run hire and the best choice out of any assistant coach in the Super Bowl. However, there is no indication that he would want to leave Kansas City. Because it would be a lateral move, the Chiefs could block the Seahawks from interviewing Nagy (as the Giants did with Mike Kafka). The appeal would be if Nagy yearns to call plays, but unlike Eric Bieniemy leaving to try and break free of the Andy Reid shadow, Nagy has already been a head coach. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like there is a need to prove anything or leave the stability of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs dynasty.
Who will be the Seattle Seahawks’ pick?
Kyle Shanahan’s track record of developing assistants speaks volumes. His coaching tree already includes Robert Saleh, Mike McDaniel, and DeMeco Ryans as head coaches, along with Mike LaFleur and Bobby Slowik, who were assistants that moved into coordinator roles, plus the impending hire of the elder Kubiak to the Saints.
The working relationship with Macdonald is a fundamentally important component of this hire. The Seahawks’ reported move to hire Leslie Frazier as assistant head coach brings a veteran voice and mentor for a young head coach, and I vacillated between applying that same principle for an offensive coordinator or taking a chance on a similarly young, bright mind for that position.
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Ultimately, by giving Macdonald a six-year contract, the Seahawks are giving him the freedom to take risks. He can afford to make a mistake the first time on a coordinator hire, especially if the payoff maximizes what the offense can accomplish with its myriad of talent.
I believe Macdonald will take that gamble and make a bold choice when he names Brian Griese as the Seahawks offensive coordinator.
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Looking to extend the country’s longest non-conference home win streak to 66, Auburn (18-16) hosts Seattle U (21-13) Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and the Auburn Sports Network (106.7 FM), where Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will describe the action for listeners.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:
- Auburn’s win over South Alabama extended the Tigers’ nation-best non-conference home winning streak to 65 straight games. It’s a streak that dates back to the 2016-17 season.
- The Tigers made a season high 16 3-pointers against South Alabama and tied a school record with 44 3-point attempts.
- Kevin Overton made seven 3-pointers (all in the second half) against South Alabama and now has 80 triples this season. He is four 3-pointers away from cracking the top 10 for single-season 3-pointers at Auburn.
- With 636 points this season, Keyshawn Hall is ninth on Auburn’s single-season scoring list. Hall notched his 18th game of scoring 20 or more points against South Alabama with 21 points against the Jags.
- Led by Will Heimbrodt’s 86 blocks this season, Seattle U ranks 12th nationally in blocks per game (4.9) and is also top 25 in scoring defense (66.6 – 23rd) and turnovers forced (14.94 – 21st). Heimbrodt is the WCC Defensive Player of the Year.
There’s nothing mid-major about Seattle U’s defense.
Auburn’s second-round NIT opponent, the Redhawks, rank No. 23 in the country in scoring defense, allowing fewer than 67 points per game.
“One of the better defensive teams we’ll have gone against all year,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “Incredibly active, they really fly around and make what you do really difficult.”
After defeating South Alabama 78-67 on Tuesday in the opening round of the NIT, Auburn hosts Seattle U on Sunday. The Redhawks advanced to round two by defeating St. Thomas (MN) 67-52.
“Our guys are going to have to show up and be excited about playing because if we don’t, this is a team that is capable, defensively, of making you look bad,” Pearl said.
Seattle U ranks No. 12 nationally in forcing turnovers, causing nearly 15 per game while blocking almost five shots per game (No. 21) and holding teams to 41.5-percent shooting (No. 42).
“They play hard, and that makes your defense so much better when you give multiple efforts like that at all five positions,” Pearl said.
Against the Jaguars’ zone defense in round one, Auburn hit a season-high 16 3-pointers, with Kevin Overton swishing seven.
“He knows that every time he shoots the ball, we think it’s going in,” Pearl said. “We can’t change what we do a ton because what we do has been effective, offensively, but we also have to understand that this is a really good defensive team, and we have to be disciplined in a lot of things we’re doing.”
Redhawks No Stranger to Big Names
Like Auburn, which earned high-profile victories this season over Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, and St. John’s, Seattle U also has brag-worthy wins at Stanford and at home against Washington, Washington State, and Oregon State.
Representing the West Coast Conference, Seattle U would like nothing better than to end the season for a Southeastern Conference opponent on Auburn’s home court.
“I know this is going to be an important one for them,” Pearl said. “It’s an important one for us as well. Our guys, once we show them the film, they’re going to realize pretty quickly how real and how legit these guys are.”
“This game is an important one for both groups,” Pearl said. “We’re going to have to play well to beat them. It’s another great opportunity to compete against a really good team from a great conference.”
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Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer
The Seattle Mariners re-assigned outfielder Brennan Davis, right-handed pitcher Dane Dunning and left-handed pitcher Jhonathan Díaz to minor league camp on Friday.
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Seattle’s spring training roster is now at 38 players, with 33 from the 40-man roster, four non-roster invitees and one player on the 60-day injured list.
Davis, 26, had been one of the Mariners’ surprise standouts during camp after arriving on a minor league contract. The former top prospect went 12 for 34 over 15 games while producing a .353/.450/.824 slash line with a 1.274 OPS, four homers, four doubles, six RBIs and five walks to 11 strikeouts.
Dunning, 31, was also in camp on a minor league deal. He allowed four runs on five hits and five walks while striking out four over 6 1/3 innings in three appearances. The right-hander also pitched for South Korea during the World Baseball Classic, surrendering two runs over three innings in three apperances.
Díaz, 29, was a non-roster invitee to spring training. He pitched three scoreless innings, struck out two and didn’t allow any hits or walks in two spring outings. The left-hander was on World Baseball Classic champion Venezuela’s roster but did not appear in a game. Díaz made one appearance for the M’s last season, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
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Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena are officially Seattle Mariners teammates again, and if you need proof, just look at the box score.
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The two players who were at the center of a controversy last week during the World Baseball Classic both drove in runs as the Mariners put up a six-spot on the Athletics on Thursday night in Cactus League play.
Arozarena came off the bench with runners on second and third with one out in the top of the seventh inning, and he reached on an infield single that gave Seattle its first run of the game, cutting the A’s lead to 3-1.
And Arozarena, who hit his first homer of the spring on Wednesday, wasn’t done. He then stole second, which allowed him to score the second of two runs on a Ryan Bliss single that tied the game.
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A few batters later, after a Brock Rodden single and Luke Raley hit by pitch loaded the bases, it was Big Dumper’s turn, and he delivered with a bases-clearing double off the tall wall in center field at the Athletics’ spring home, Hohokam Stadium in Mesa.
That capped the inning and the scoring for Seattle in a 6-4 victory.
Perhaps it’s a sign that the handshake that never happened when Arozarena stepped to the plate for Mexico with Raleigh catching for the USA is behind the two Mariners All-Stars. As they say, winning cures everything.
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