Heaps: The 3 adjustments Seahawks OC Shane Waldron needs to make

The Seahawks scored 30 points on offense against the Tennessee Titans, but they struggled in the second half in the team’s 33-30 loss in overtime.

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Seattle’s offense started 2021 on a high note under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, scoring 28 points in a Week 1 win over the Colts. After jumping out to a 24-9 lead at halftime in Week 2, it looked like the Shane Waldron era was really starting out on a high note.

But the Seahawks found the end zone just once after halftime and struggled to maintain drives in the second half and overtime, and the Titans dominated when it came to time of possession.

The Seahawks will look to get back over .500 when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings on Sunday. What adjustments does Waldron need to make for the Seahawks offensively in Week 3? Former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps shared three thoughts on Wednesday’s edition of Jake and Stacy on 710 ESPN Seattle.

“What I think he needs to make the quick adjustments of is get back to the pre-snap motion that you had in Week 1,” Heaps said. “That was fantastic and I believe that was a big reason why your running game was as effective as it was.”

Heaps noted earlier in the week that the Seahawks’ loss to the Titans emphasized just how critical the running game is to the offense. But pre-snap motion, a staple of the Los Angeles Rams’ offense where Waldron spent the last four seasons, opens up other areas of Seattle’s offense as well, Heaps said.

“It also allows you to have the ability to get out on the edge in your naked bootleg games, it allows you to have that screen game very much developed and working well in yards after catch,” Heaps said.

But that’s not all Heaps wants to see Waldron implement more of come Sunday.

“No. 2 is get the tight ends back involved,” he said. “Get Gerald Everett and Will Dissly involved in this game.”

Everett and Dissly combined for five catches for 57 yards and a score in Week 1, but Dissly had no catches or targets while Everett caught one of two passes thrown his way for a measly 3 yards.

“No. 3, the big one for me, is you’ve got to be better on third-down conversions,” Heaps said. “… That takes everybody — it’s not just solely on Shane Waldron. But getting your guys the ball in advantageous situations, creating that through motions, creating that through formations and obviously through the play design and call … How quickly can he make them? I think that’s going to be a big determining factor as to whether the Seahawks win this game in Minnesota.”

Listen to the second hour of Wednesday’s Jake and Stacy at this link or in the player below.

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