Huard: Good, bad and ugly of Seahawks getting OC Ryan Grubb
Feb 10, 2024, 1:43 PM | Updated: 1:58 pm
UW offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb on Nov. 11, 2023. (Jesse Beals/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Jesse Beals/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
It may have taken a month, but the turnovers of the Seattle Seahawks and UW Huskies coaching staffs have finally crossed with the Hawks’ reported hiring of former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Husky revenge? Seattle Seahawks may grab more of DeBoer’s coaches
News of the move broke Friday night from multiple NFL insiders shortly after pictures appeared on social media of Grubb with Seahawks general manager John Schneider and new head coach Mike Macdonald at a Renton bar. That came just days after initial rumors of the Seahawks’ interest in Grubb for their open OC position quieted down because Grubb introduced himself at an event in Alabama as the OC for former UW Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide.
It’s been quite the turn of events, to say the least.
Seattle Sports host Brock Huard, who is a FOX football analyst and former UW Huskies quarterback, took a few minutes Saturday to break down thoughts on Grubb reportedly returning to Seattle a month after it seemed his immediate future was in Tuscaloosa (video link here). Here’s what he described as the good, the bad and the ugly about Grubb apparently landing with the Seahawks.
Ryan Grubb to Seattle Seahawks
• The good
Huard is a big fan of the Seahawks making Grubb their OC because of his background as an offensive line guy, something that is reinforced by a report by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that former UW Huskies O-line coach Scott Huff is also expected to be hired by Seattle.
“There’s just not a lot of them in college football, in pro football,” Huard said. “There’s gonna be one calling a game tomorrow in (the Super Bowl in Kansas City Chiefs head coach) Andy Reid that has that background, he’s at the very top of the game. But I love that. Ryan Grubb has coached offensive line.”
Huard added that Grubb shouldn’t have the same difficulty going from the college game to the NFL that other offensive coaches may have because he has a pro-style system, and “obviously the record the last few years (at Washington) speaks for itself.”
While we’re about to get to some less positive things, it’s worth mentioning that before Huard went through the full good, bad and ugly, he said “the good outweighs the bad.”
“All in all, I think this is an ‘A’ move for Mike Macdonald, most importantly because it fits philosophically what he wants to do, and that’s play this game and win this game at the line of scrimmage.”
• The bad
Grubb can have a “gruff” demeanor, something Huard has seen in person from witnessing multiple UW Huskies practices, and that is where the transition to the NFL may be a bit rocky for him.
“How’s he going to handle coaching men?” Huard said. “These aren’t young men. There is no carrot of playing time. … Just handling grown men with grown contracts and guaranteed money versus guys who are 18 to 22 that are fighting for their chance, fighting for their opportunity. I think that’s where some of the personality adjustment and maturity adjustment that comes with coaching grown men and not young men at the college level.”
• The ugly
The timing of Grubb going to the pros leads to some obvious speculation. With a coaching change in college football comes a 30-day transfer period for players of that team, and Grubb appearing to be Alabama’s OC likely helped the Crimson Tide’s coaching situation look more stable than it was during those 30 days.
“We’ll figure out a little more of that in the days ahead, but if indeed this news was waiting for that 30-day portal to end, it’s just yet another sign that what’s going on in college football is unsustainable. It’s gross, it’s why coaches are leaving, its why any of them that have a chance to really jump into the NFL are doing so. Something’s gotta happen from a rules or regulations, a leadership standpoint in the college football game or we’re gonna continue to have really messy situations like this.”
Catch Monday’s Brock and Salk from 6-10 a.m. for more reaction on the reported hiring of Grubb, plus an exclusive live interview with new Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
