Mike Macdonald Hopes New Offensive Coaches Give Seahawks ‘Alignment On Each Side Of The Ball’

As Macdonald and Kubiak have both discussed this offseason, a big goal for the Seahawks following this change is for the team to run the ball better, and the hope is that the blocking scheme will play a big role in that. The Seahawks will no doubt look to add to their offensive line this offseason, as they do every year, but there is also a belief that Kubiak’s scheme will help get the most out of players already on the roster.

“What’s exclusive to that (scheme) is you got to be able to move, got to be able to change direction, think on your feet,” Macdonald said. “These guys have a great track record of evaluating guys and developing them, and we have some people in house too. I’ve spoken to this at length, but the guys that we have on our roster are good at this scheme and I’m excited to develop these guys and see where they go.”

Kubiak’s offense should also make life easier on quarterback Geno Smith, Macdonald noted. Smith has shown he can thrive in multiple offensive schemes, but various versions of the Shanahan West Coast offense have proven to be pretty quarterback friendly for multiple reasons. For starters, a good running game always helps the passing game, and there are also elements of the passing game itself, including quick timing passes, getting the quarterback on the move and play-action passes that all can take pressure off a quarterback.

“He’s not like, specific to this scheme or whatever, but this scheme has a track record of the quarterback playing fast,” Macdonald said. “I just feel like if you can get the quarterback play decisive and fast, it builds confidence. It’s hard to defend on defense when the ball is out on time. And then all the play actions and the movements to be able to protect him that way, they take pressure off the offensive line, that’s going to help us.

“Both the track heard of how Klint has coached quarterbacks and their success was really important, and this scheme as a whole, you just think of all the guys who are coaching this scheme. And the things we know about Geno, he’s tough as crap, he’s smart, he’s accurate as hell. He throws a great ball, sees the field, plays with anticipation. Ultimate competitor. I mean, you line those things up with things that we doing, you’ve got to be excited.”