Schlereth: What could motivate Seahawks to get offensive-minded coach
Jan 17, 2024, 2:22 PM
Ben Johnson and head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions on Dec. 10, 2023. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
With the Seattle Seahawks in need of a new head coach, will they go with a familiar face for that role?
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“You’d think that Dan Quinn is the guy that would be the perfect fit, but look what happened with defense this year in Dallas, especially in that playoff game,” former NFL offensive lineman and current NFL analyst Mark Schlereth told Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Tuesday.
The Cowboys lost to the Green Bay Packers 48-32 on Sunday with Quinn leading Dallas’ defense. He just finished his third year as defensive coordinator, a role he held for two years in Seattle under Pete Carroll in 2013-14.
“You’ve had a head coach as you mentioned in Pete Carroll that has been kind of the motivational guy in charge that comes from the defensive side of the ball,” Schlereth said.” Nowadays everybody wants an offensive guru. They all feel like that’s the direction you need to go in and everybody feels like you’ve gotta go with a young guy. That’s just the way the NFL is operating right now.”
Teams have definitely shifted towards wanting younger, offensive-minded head coaches in recent coaching cycles. Schlereth said that what ultimately matters is the ability to communicate.
“I always say your ability to communicate is your ability to communicate,” he said. “Nobody ever had a problem with Wade Phillips and his ability to communicate as defensive coordinator. Age doesn’t mean a whole lot to me when it comes to innovative thinkers or whatever.”
But with the Seahawks just coming off 14 years with Carroll, a longtime head coach and former defensive coordinator and assistant, Schlereth does think the Seahawks could choose to go with an offensive-minded coach this time around for a few reasons.
“I would think that after having a guy that was considered a defensive head coach for all these years, that a guy like (Detroit Lions offensive coordinator) Ben Johnson, a guy that is a young, innovative offensive talent, that would be a guy that people would be kind of interested in. He’s a young one. Bobby Slowik, (the offensive coordinator) in Houston, what he’s been able to do with C.J. Stroud has been incredible,” Schlereth said.
The Seahawks requested interviews with both Johnson and Slowik this week.
“Again, it’s all about the quarterback development, right?” Schlereth said. “And obviously, (the Seahawks) are gonna make a change at some point at the quarterback position, and they’re gonna go younger at some point. That could be the thing that motivates ownership to go in a different direction in that way.”
Listen to the entire second hour of Tuesday’s Wyman and Bob at this link or in the player near the top of this story.
More on the Seattle Seahawks’ head coaching search
• What would Vrabel, Quinn, Harbaugh bring as Seattle Seahawks coach?
• Seahawks Notebook: What GM John Schneider said about coach search
• Seahawks Coach Search: Bump’s easy, smart and fun picks
• Who are Seahawks’ first reported coach interview requests?
• Schefter shares if 2 big-name coaches could be in play for Seahawks
