Bumpus: Seahawks have in-house OC candidate who deserves attention
Jan 18, 2021, 9:07 AM | Updated: 9:16 am
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There are a lot of names that have been brought up as potential candidates for the Seahawks’ open offensive coordinator position.
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There’s former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, whose background in leading a run game could fit right in with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s stated desire to get back to running the ball effectively in 2021.
Also from the Chargers is their current offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, who is getting a lot of attention after Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert had a breakout rookie season.
And while it may be a long shot, Washington native Doug Pederson, whose tenure as Eagles head coach ended after the 2020 season, has reportedly talked to Carroll since Seattle parted ways with previous OC Brian Schottenheimer.
Names of coaches who are already on Carroll’s coaching staff haven’t really come up, however. Michael Bumpus would like to see that change.
“A name that I’m not hearing enough, I think Dave Canales needs to be in the mix,” the former Seahawks wide receiver told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake and Stacy on Friday.
Canales is certainly worthy of consideration. He’s been with Carroll since 2009, when he joined the USC staff as an offensive administrative assistant. He came to Seattle with Carroll the next year to become the Seahawks’ wide receivers coach, a position he held until 2017. He was quarterbacks coach in 2018 and 2019, and in 2020 he moved to passing game coordinator.
“He’s been there for a while,” Bumpus said of Canales. “He understands what Pete wants, what he doesn’t like, what Russell (Wilson) likes, what he doesn’t like.”
Bumpus knows that with Carroll wanting to go back to the more run-heavy offensive style he’s been known for throughout his career, promoting an in-house candidate could be risky in the court of public opinion. He doesn’t think Carroll is just looking for someone who will do what he says to be his next OC, though.
“If you go with a guy who is in-house, obviously he’s going to bring a little bit from everything that he’s learned, and people are going to say, ‘Oh, he’s just a yes man.’ I keep hearing that, that Pete Carroll just wants yes men. I don’t believe that at all,” he said. “Pete Carroll is a football coach and great football coaches surround themselves with great minds and you challenge each other every single day. I don’t think that would be an issue, (though) I think for the public that might be an issue.”
The question is whether Canales or an outside hire would better fit what Seattle’s offense needs in 2021.
“Canales understands the culture – it’s not like you have to ease him into anything, he knows the day-to-day, he knows how operations work. That’s the comfort zone,” Bumpus said. “You get a guy from somewhere else, then he kinda changes the game a little bit. And that might be good. I think Russell might need a voice he’s not used to hearing.
“I see pros and cons for both situations. I just want to make sure that Canales gets some love because he’s been there for a while and his name needs to be brought up.”
You can hear Bumpus’ full segment with Jake and Stacy in the podcast at this link or in the player below.
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