Big Ray: What stands out about Seahawks’ new OL coach

Jul 9, 2024, 8:05 AM | Updated: 10:32 am

Seattle Seahawks Scott Huff UW Huskies 2021...

Scott Huff coaches UW Huskies players during a 2021 game. (Jesse Beals/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(Jesse Beals/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks have long had issues along the offensive line, which has consistently been one of the weakest position groups on the team over the past decade or so.

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That was again the case last year, as an injury-depleted unit cycled through 10 different starting lineups and struggled to protect quarterback Geno Smith. Seattle finished the season with a Pro Football Focus pass block grade of just 52.9, which ranked No. 28 out of 32 teams.

Tasked with helping improve that unit is new offensive line coach Scott Huff, who came across town after seven seasons as the UW Huskies’ O-line coach. Last fall, Huff coached a Huskies unit that received the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the best offensive line in the nation. Huff is coaching at the NFL level for the first time after spending the past 18 seasons coaching at Boise State and UW.

After watching a few spring practices, former Seahawks offensive lineman Ray Roberts already likes what he’s seen from Huff.

“When I watch him coach, he’s doing a lot of teaching,” Roberts said last week on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “I think sometimes when you’ve been coaching in the NFL for a long time, you just assume that these guys know the little things. And sometimes, they don’t. They’ve been so dominant in college that you don’t have to worry about if your foot is two inches to the outside or six inches to the outside.

“In this league, all those little things matter – pad level, knee bend, the angle that you take, if your helmet is on (the defender’s) shoulder or his number or right down the middle. … All those little things, I saw him teaching and spending a lot of time teaching it. And I love that.”

Roberts shared an example of Grubb correcting a Seahawks offensive lineman who was about to hit a blocking sled.

“He was like maybe two inches too far to the right,” Roberts said. “And Scott blew the whistle, came up, slid him over like two inches and then said, ‘OK, let’s do it now.’

“I love the attention to the details, because they will save you every single time,” Roberts added. “You’re gonna run up against dudes that are bigger, stronger and faster. … But if your technique is good, you’re gonna have a chance every single time. And he teaches that to the nth degree.”

Roberts said he’s already noticed a difference in how the coaching has benefited third-year starting left tackle and former No. 9 overall pick Charles Cross.

“I can see how it’s impacting Charles Cross already,” Roberts said. “Charles is much more compact in his stance – even his two-point stance. He doesn’t stand as tall, he’s more violent with his hands, he’s a little quicker with his feet.”

Former Seahawks linebacker Dave Wyman has also noticed detailed coaching at Seahawks practices this spring – beyond just the offensive line.

“That’s exactly what I’m seeing out there too,” Wyman said. “It seems like they’re coaching on the spot. I think with (former longtime head coach) Pete Carroll, they ran lots of reps – which that’s just his style and that’s fine. They think, ‘OK, we’ll get it on film. Let’s get as many reps as we can (and) then we’ll correct it on film.’

“But here, I feel like with this (coaching staff), they’re out there, boots on the ground, coaching right at the moment when the mistake is made or how to improve something. And I feel like there’s a ton of value (in that) – and not enough of that going on in the NFL.”

Listen to the full conversation with Ray Roberts at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2 to 7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.