Seahawks on Grubb’s new offense: ‘It’s completely different’

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has studied a lot of different playbooks over the course of his 12-year NFL career.

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But even for an experienced veteran like Smith, there’s a unique level of creativity to new Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s scheme.

“In the past two weeks, I’ve seen plays that I have never seen before, and that’s something to say for a 12-year veteran,” Smith said last week on The Jim Rome Show. “Coach Grubb, he’s come right in (and) laid it out for us. He’s set the tone. He’s got high expectations.

“And the guy, he’s got some plays, man. I can’t wait to get out there and show the world. … Schematically, it’s going to be great. It’s really going to be good, and I think it’s going to help all the players.”

“I’ve seen plays I have never seen before.” – Seahawks QB @GenoSmith3 on new OC @GrubbRyan. pic.twitter.com/Huk1cldoLy

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) May 30, 2024

Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown, who played for four different teams over six seasons before signing with Seattle this spring, echoed a similar sentiment.

“It’s completely different,” Brown said of Grubb’s scheme after one of Seattle’s OTA practices last week. “Mostly in the NFL, people come off the Bill Parcells tree and all these different (coaching) trees, so the foundation of the offenses in the NFL across the league is fairly similar and it’s just different verbiage. This is like a whole new animal.”

What will Grubb’s offense look like?

The 48-year-old Grubb made the jump to the NFL in February, joining new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s staff after a success-filled run in the college ranks. Grubb spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator at UW, where he oversaw a high-flying Huskies attack that was one of the most prolific offenses in college football.

At UW, Grubb’s offense featured a pass-heavy system led by Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and a trio of top-100 NFL Draft picks at receiver. But as Grubb mentioned after Monday’s OTA practice, that doesn’t mean his scheme will be exactly the same at the NFL level.

“I think that grows and evolves every year, and you base some of that on the talent that you have and the guys that you have,” Grubb said after Monday’s OTA practice. “And so for us, we’re trying to make sure that we find every way to utilize those things.”

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Grubb certainly will have some weapons to use in Seattle. The Seahawks return Smith, a talented receiving trio of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and a one-two punch at running back in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

“When you talk about some of the run-pass balance (and) you have backs like (Kenneth) and Zach, you’re pretty excited about your ability to run the ball,” Grubb said. “So I think for us, we’re trying to melt some things together with some of the things we’ve done in the past. … We want to be a physical, dominant team, and at the same time have that same explosive, confusing element that people are used to.”

Adjusting to the NFL

As he works to implement his scheme at the NFL level, Grubb said he has leaned on Seahawks assistant coaches for advice. Some of them have had extensive coaching experience in the NFL, including assistant head coach Leslie Frazier and running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu.

“When you are in this system long enough, you know what some of the weak spots are,” Grubb said. “And (when) you have guys that are veterans like that, you know you can address those things with them like, ‘Hey, I’m watching film. I see this is gonna be a problem. How do we do this?’ And they can come up with quick answers and ideas and solutions. So it’s been fun collaborating with all of them.”

Until the Seahawks unveil Grubb’s offense this fall, there will be questions as to how effectively he and his scheme can transition to the NFL ranks. But Grubb has a strong track record of success at every level he’s coached – from the University of Sioux Falls to Eastern Michigan to Fresno State to UW.

“I’ve always felt like the next step, I was really anxious and excited to prove myself,” Grubb said. “And so I feel like every step I take, I just get more excited and more motivated and determined to make sure that we succeed. So it’s a lot of fun. I’m excited to show that we can do it on the biggest stage.”

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