Seahawks hire Justin Outten as run game coordinator

[Irish Greg 2.0]

https://x.com/tompelissero/status/1890089258951798833?s=46&t=eqdNrP6vzGFDWcVyn5D0cA

If Kubiak's hiring didn't point to shifting to heavy wide zone enough, this definitely does.

Outten was the former OC for Denver and RGC in Tennessee.

We are looking at smaller, more athletic linemen now, most likely. I'd expect an all new LG, C, RG.

[4XPIPS]

https://x.com/tompelissero/status/1890089258951798833?s=46&t=eqdNrP6vzGFDWcVyn5D0cA

If Kubiak's hiring didn't point to shifting to heavy wide zone enough, this definitely does.

Outten was the former OC for Denver and RGC in Tennessee.

We are looking at smaller, more athletic linemen now, most likely. I'd expect an all new LG, C, RG.

I wouldn't quite give up on Sataoa Laumea. Has excellent natural strength, but still very raw. Played decent when thrusted into action as a starter. Could be a solid starter, and he comes cheap to us considering where he was picked. Hopefully the new coaches can work with him. I agree the rest should go bye bye, Laken was a bad signing, Olu and Christian Haynes seem to be too weak to play interior.

Here is a nice vid of S Laumea. If you notice a constant theme, you can see most of our OL gets pushed back on passing plays, but he rarely concedes any grass when he is being rushed, he tends to hold his ground. He isn't an all pro, but worth coaching up and being a solid starter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbLHdCN6JBE

[Irish Greg 2.0]

I wouldn't quite give up on Sataoa Laumea. Has excellent natural strength, but still very raw. Played decent when thrusted into action as a starter. Could be a solid starter, and he comes cheap to us considering where he was picked. Hopefully the new coaches can work with him. I agree the rest should go bye bye, Laken was a bad signing, Olu and Christian Haynes seem to be too weak to play interior.

It's not necessarily giving up on him (or any of the other guys) - it's that with wide zone you need differently shaped O linemen. Think "smaller" and quicker.

I am not sure Laumea fits the mold, or they may try to switch him to tackle.

[4XPIPS]

It's not necessarily giving up on him (or any of the other guys) - it's that with wide zone you need differently shaped O linemen. Think "smaller" and quicker.

I am not sure Laumea fits the mold, or they may try to switch him to tackle.

I was referencing your statement of all new LG;C;RG. I agree, just think Laumea can work himself into the new system. Polynesians are pretty light footed considering their size. I live on an island full of Polynesians and a lot of them can really move given their stature.

[Irish Greg 2.0]

I was referencing your statement of all new LG;C;RG. I agree, just think Laumea can work himself into the new system. Polynesians are pretty light footed considering their size. I live on an island full of Polynesians and a lot of them can really move given their stature.

Well yeah, if they are changing to a wide zone I'd expect a much different looking OL.

Last season, LG was Tomlinson and he isn't coming back. Olu "may" stay at center, but that's not a given.

I think they sign a veteran G and draft one and those two guys get plugged in at LG and RG, at a minimum. Laumea is probably going to be a depth piece.

[NorthHawk]

Free Agents could be the order of the day, but I hope they also look to the draft and with that any selection will have to have very good measurables favorable to the wide zone blocking scheme.
I would rather have a gap or power scheme mostly because of the last decade of short yardage failures. But if we can get players that are experienced in combination blocking and have the required athleticism then we could see a big improvement.

[Irish Greg 2.0]

Free Agents could be the order of the day, but I hope they also look to the draft and with that any selection will have to have very good measurables favorable to the wide zone blocking scheme.
I would rather have a gap or power scheme mostly because of the last decade of short yardage failures. But if we can get players that are experienced in combination blocking and have the required athleticism then we could see a big improvement.

I think they will look to add a good vet in FA but will also be drafting a guard high.

[Oly]

I think they will look to add a good vet in FA but will also be drafting a guard high.

I want them to bring in Dalman at C and a cheaper, league-average vet at guard. That way they can let the draft come to them instead of picking for need. We don't need any more Collier or Penny reaches.

Of course, I'd love an above average guard in FA, but with the cap I think they can only bring in one high profile lineman. It sounds like center is more important for Kubiak, so Dalman it is.

I seem to recall Haynes being a good zone prospect. He's definitely too weak for a gap scheme, but maybe Kubiak can get make something from him. Besides, the line is one of the trickiest positions for rookies and I'm not ready to give up on a prospect after only one year. If he or Laumea can even get within sniffing distance of league-average, then the Dalman+G approach in free agency would be enough to draft BPA instead of reaching.

[NorthHawk]

I think Dalman played for Kubiak so he would have a good understanding of what is required at Center in his Offense as well he might be able to help the Guards beside him to develop the necessary cohesion required by the new scheme.

I’d rather get a good Center in FA and draft a Guard early as we’ve tried the cheaper veterans and continually failed over the last decade.

[NorthHawk]

Apparently they've also hired Rick Dennison who's 66 years old.
It's interesting to note that they have a young HC and an older Assistant HC in Leslie Frazier(65 years old) and now have a young OC with an older Assistant Coach in Dennison.
Probably not a bad idea to combine the two viewpoints on both sides of the ball.

[River Dog]

Apparently they've also hired Rick Dennison who's 66 years old.
It's interesting to note that they have a young HC and an older Assistant HC in Leslie Frazier(65 years old) and now have a young OC with an older Assistant Coach in Dennison.
Probably not a bad idea to combine the two viewpoints on both sides of the ball.

It's a good move to keep some gray hair sprinkled in with that crew of millennials. Even if you take out the experience angle, there are certain things that only age can bring to the table. I think that's true in any organization, that you want to have a mix of young and old.

[NorthHawk]

Maybe there's hope after all.
From ProFootballTalk.com:

The Seahawks have a new offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak, but their offensive fortunes aren’t likely to change all that much if they don’t get better offensive line play in 2025.

Geno Smith was sacked 50 times and the Seahawks run game ranked 28th in the league thanks in part to a group that failed to consistently provide protection or open up holes at the line of scrimmage. During his show on Seattle Sports, Seahawks General Manager John Schneider said that the team is aware that they need to be better in that area to make a run at returning to the playoffs.

“We know exactly what our deficiencies are,” Schneider said. “We can all see it, right? And we have a plan to address everything.”

Schneider noted that the Eagles did “a really nice job getting acquisitions and developing” their offensive line on the way to winning Super Bowl LIX and called both of those areas things the Seahawks will need to improve on as they head into next season.

[Aseahawkfan]

Is the wide zone used by anyone else? Is it a good system in the modern NFL?

[NorthHawk]

Any system is good with the right players. It’s a derivative of the Shanahan blocking system iirc.

[Oly]

Is the wide zone used by anyone else? Is it a good system in the modern NFL?

I don't watch a lot of other teams, but the Rams are the most notable. I've definitely seen the 9ers use it, but I couldn't tell you if it's their base scheme.

I prefer a gap scheme because it seems that there are more players that can thrive in that system and it won't collapse when key players get injured (and it's better in short yardage), but wide zone is definitely dynamic and can be a very good system. You know those plays against the Rams where they line up in 11 personnel and get 8 yards on a stretch run, and watching on the TV at home you're confused as hell because it seems like the Hawks had 7 in the box and a low safety and still couldn't stop the run? That's the wide zone. But you have to have a back with great vision and one-cut explosiveness. I think Walker has the explosiveness, but I worry he doesn't have the vision for this system. And you obviously need the athletic linemen. In a gap scheme, you can often double to make up for a weak link. But it seems harder to me when you're moving laterally. When the DT knifes through, it's a big loss.

What I do like about the wide zone is that it's the best system out there for play-action pass. That system is what enables those naked bootlegs that McVay runs so well. Get the entire defense flowing to one side of the field and then peel the QB to the vacated space. It's really going to work well with Geno, who is obviously way more athletic than Stafford. With a good playcaller who doesn't abandon the run, this can neutralize (or at least dampen) the ability of an elite EDGE to take over a game. Either you run right at them and have the TE seal the outside or, when running away from them, they have to either commit to chasing the RB (and if they don't chase hard they'll never catch them) or they hold back to watch for the boot. So they'll often be in no-man's land. With an athletic QB like Geno, it will often be hard for the EDGE to stop the PA pass.

[NorthHawk]

They have now signed Jason Peters as an OL coach.
I didn't know he was a UFA in his draft year but became a 9 time Pro Bowl and 6 time All Pro OT.
Hopefully he can help this OL mature into a productive unit after the expected new additions.

[TriCitySam]

The wide zone is notably difficult to teach, and hard to practice. Mike Shanahan's comment: “it’s not going to happen overnight,” Mike Shanahan told Sports Illustrated. “You gotta believe in it. You gotta be a product of the environment. It’s gonna take time.”

"He (Kyle) believes you have to have a good run game to be successful, I think that's where it starts, where you have 11 people that are committed to having a great running game. There's only one way you have a great running game, where everyone is involved, including wide receivers and the tight end."

Nobody was exempt from Mike Shanahan's desire for complete buy-in, not even superstar running back Clinton Portis, who was traded for future Hall-of-Fame cornerback Champ Bailey following back-to-back seasons with 1,500 rush yards to start his career.

"I told Clinton at the time, this is why I'm doing it and I hope you understand, he just wanted to be home in Miami and not be a part of our offseason program. The reason I tell you this, because you really need to have guys that understand if you're going to be part of this team, if we're going to run the football, we need to have everyone involved, not just eight or nine guys."

One thing you've probably noticed watching any 49ers game in recent years is how physical they are, including blocking by the wide receivers and tight ends. That's not by accident.

"Oh we had the best, Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey, they took as much pride in blocking as catching the football," Mike said. "They dominated people. And once other players start seeing this is the concept, they buy in, and if they don't buy in, they are usually gone.