The Seattle Seahawks are poised for a significant transformation in their offensive strategy as they prepare to hire Justin Outten as a run-game specialist. Outten, known for his expertise in the offensive line and run game, will join forces with Klint Kubiak, the team's new offensive coordinator. Kubiak's forte lies in the outside zone strategy, a concept his father, Gary Kubiak, adopted from Mike Shanahan in the 1990s. This move aims to rejuvenate the Seahawks' rushing attack, which experienced a brief resurgence with a gap-scheme approach in December.
Kubiak's previous roles with the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints were marked by offenses near the top of the NFL in under-center snaps. The Saints, in particular, executed the second-highest percentage of outside zone runs last season. With this background, Kubiak intends to make outside zone runs the focal point of Seattle's rushing attack. However, the team must bolster its offensive line talent to successfully implement this strategy. Kubiak hinted at the necessity of an "elite" center to anchor the zone scheme.
Kenneth Walker, who ranked eighth among running backs in rushing yards and touchdowns in his first two seasons, faced setbacks last season due to injuries. Missing six games with oblique, calf, and ankle issues, Walker recorded career lows in rushing yards and touchdowns. The Seahawks' overall ground game struggled as well, ranking 29th in designed rush rate at 33.7% and 28th in rushing yards per game at 95.7.
Kubiak's history suggests he will aim for a balanced offense rather than a run-heavy approach. He emphasized adapting to what players do best and beating defenses through various strategies.
"Because if you drop back 50 times in the game, it's tough," Kubiak stated.
"You've got to be a balanced team. I think balance is important and sometimes you've got to drop back 50 times to win the game and sometimes you've got to run it 50 times," he added.
The new offensive plan will not solely rely on outside zone runs. Kubiak plans to incorporate gap schemes, inside zones, and pin-and-pull tactics to maximize player strengths.
"We're going to start with that being an outside zone, but obviously we're going to incorporate gap schemes, inside zones, pin and pull. We've got to do what our players do best," Kubiak explained.
Kubiak acknowledged that adaptability is key and noted that Seahawks' head coach Pete Carroll has emphasized specific offensive qualities.
"Coach Macdonald has stressed from the beginning the things that he's looking for, and the type of offense that he seeks," Kubiak mentioned.
"It's not always going to be one way. There's more than one way to win a game," he observed.
This philosophy aligns with Kubiak's intent to create an offense capable of countering defensive strategies through multiple methods rather than depending on a single approach.
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