What we learned about Seahawks OC candidate Klint Kubiak

Mike Hoss, play-by-play man for the New Orleans Saints, joined Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Tuesday to talk about offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who the Seattle Seahawks reportedly interviewed Tuesday.

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The 37-year-old just completed his first year as offensive coordinator with New Orleans, an offense that led the league in points per game through the first couple weeks of the season before dropping off a cliff.

But was it Kubiak’s scheme, failure to adjust, or something else that sent the Saints from first in points to 24th by season’s end?

Where Kubiak’s issues began

Hoss saw those problems as beginning with a key injury.

“The third play of Week 3, play three against (Philadelphia), center Eric McCoy gets hurt. And from that point on, it felt like an uphill battle. No Taysom Hill, interior offensive line, no Alvin Kamara, I mean it was jut one after another.

“I don’t think it was a system. I do believe it’s really his injuries.”

It’s a wide zone offense

“So, it’s a wide zone,” Hoss said of Kubiak’s system, “which we thought would be perfect; he’s got Kamara, give it to him on the outside and let him pick the hole. What Klint will tell you and what Carr will say is that the beauty of this offense, when you’re running it correctly, in the quarterback’s first four or five steps, the defense won’t know run or pass. If you’re doing it well, that’s the goal.

“And so, I do believe it is kind of a run-first offense, but it’s built on the premise that you don’t know. A lot of naked boots, a lot of taking it underneath. You’ve got to be able to run the football on first and second down to some degree of positivity.”

The Seahawks were one of the worst rushing teams in football this year, in no small part because issues with play up front (they finished as one of the lowest-graded offensive lines). Because of that, one popular assumption about the Seahawks’ decision to move on from Ryan Grubb is that Grubb didn’t push the run more. A fair question to follow: did he have the offensive line to do it? Some personnel adjustments in the offseason — and a new OC that will presumably be more stubborn or creative there — will answer that.

He’s a quiet guy

Kubiak isn’t gregarious. But his offense for the first couple weeks was intriguing enough for plenty of other people to do the talking: first in points per game, and first in EPA per play,

“He’s a fairly reserved guy,” Hoss said. “I just call him cerebral. He’s kind of meticulous in what he does. He’s not loud. (But) he’s a young guy, bright, (from the) Shanahan tree. I mean, gosh, I’d just show Weeks 1 and 2 and say ‘this is my resume.'”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Seattle Sports app.

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