Clayton: Why Seahawks are giving Shane Waldron’s offense rave reviews
Jun 21, 2021, 12:36 PM
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson has a new offensive coordinator for 2021. (AP)
(AP)
New Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron got the best offensive reviews from the team’s OTAs and minicamp.
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That shouldn’t be a surprise. He’s a good teacher and a good coach. He brings the Sean McVay-Kyle Shanahan offense to Seattle. Pete Carroll likes a running, balanced offense. Waldron offers a running offense with great tempo and unpredictability.
Last year’s theme was “Let Russ Cook.” Quarterback Russell Wilson was roasting opponents at the beginning of the season, but when defenses got better at defending the Seahawks over the second half of the season, they overcooked. Teams went Cover 2 against Wilson and limited his ability to get the ball downfield.
This year, the offense’s theme should be labeled “Let Shane Scheme.”
Carroll said he wants balance out of the new offense. That definitely wasn’t the case last year. The Seahawks were basically a 60-40 pass-to-run offense. Wilson threw 35.2 passes a game while they ran it only 25.7 times a game. Wilson averaged 7 yards an attempt while the running game averaged 4.8 yards per carry. The Rams, whose coaching staff Waldron comes from, averaged 29.6 running plays a game last year.
One of the keys to the Rams-49ers style of offense is not holding onto the ball too long. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers quarterback, gets rid of the ball in 2.57 seconds. Jared Goff, the ex-Rams QB, releases the ball in 2.76 seconds. Wilson held onto the ball on average for 2.97 seconds during the regular season and 3.3 seconds in the Seahawks’ playoff loss to the Rams. That’s too long.
Wilson complained after the Super Bowl that he was tired of being hit so much and took a shot at Seattle’s offensive line. That’s where this new offense will help. Garoppolo and Goff have not had 40-sack seasons. Wilson has been sacked over 40 times every season since 2013, his second year in the league.
Waldron will use a little more two-tight end sets because it makes the offense unpredictable whether each play is a run or a pass. Everyone on offense seems to rave about the new system.
The team will assemble in training camp on July 27 and get more educated on what the offense will do.
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More from John: Seahawks Minicamp Observations
