Heaps: ‘Let Russ Cook’ offense is here to stay for the Seahawks
Oct 31, 2020, 12:38 PM
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks rank first in points and yards this season. (Getty)
(Getty)
After an offseason of speculation of whether the Seahawks would “Let Russ Cook” by allowing star quarterback Russell Wilson to be the focal point of an offense that throws the ball more than most Seattle offenses under head coach Pete Carroll, the team has done just that and the early results have been great.
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Heading into Week 8, the Seahawks rank first in the NFL in points per game at 33.8 and first in yards per game at 425.2. Additionally, Seattle is second in passing yards per game with 295.7 and still is a solid rushing team, averaging 129.5 yards on the ground, 12th in the NFL. And, most importantly, the Seahawks are tied for the best record in the NFC at 5-1.
But will the Seahawks keep playing this way on offense? Under Carroll, who is the winningest coach in franchise history and guided the Seahawks to their lone Super Bowl title in 2013, Seattle has been known for having a physical run-first approach offensively, due largely to Carroll’s philosophy of limiting turnovers.
Seattle is tied for fourth in the NFL in turnover differential at plus-five, so even with passing the ball more, the Seahawks are still doing what Carroll wants on offense to an extent. This comes despite Wilson throwing three interceptions in last week’s overtime loss in Arizona.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was asked this week about whether that side of the ball will still be a “Let Russ Cook” offense for the rest of the season.
“He’s playing with a lot of of confidence right now. We knew at some point we might lose a game and you know, we did lose a game. If anything, it motivated us to get back to work,” Schottenheimer said. “I think it’s fun for the fans. I think it’s fun to talk about. But at the end of the day, we want to win and if that takes us not letting Russ cook, hey, we’ll do that to. If we think we’ve got to let Russ cook or that’s the way the game unfolds, we’ll be pulling out our recipe books and mixing all the different ingredients and stuff and seeing how it tastes.”
Former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps of 710 ESPN Seattle’s Tom, Jake and Stacy got a kick out of Schottenheimer’s comments, even if he doesn’t necessarily believe what he said.
“I just love the idea that they’re gonna flip this thing around and all of a sudden run for 30 to 35 times and Russ is going to throw for 20. That’s not going to happen at any point this year,” Heaps said.
Heaps, who works with Wilson in the offseason as his personal quarterback coach, thinks it’s clear how much better the Seahawks are as a team and as an offense when Wilson is allowed to be “the guy.”
“The best key to success for this Seahawks offense is putting the ball in Russell Wilson’s hands. Letting Russ cook is here to stay,” he said. “I understand (Schottenheimer) saying that for the media, saying that for everyone else out there that they don’t want to lose their balance and their physical nature and that they have the ability to adapt based on their opponent, but they have been pretty darn good as an offensive unit with the style of play that they’ve had so far, and I don’t see that changing.”
Listen to the second hour of Friday’s Tom, Jake and Stacy at this link or in the player below.
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