How much was Grubb handcuffed by Seahawks’ O-line woes?

Jan 6, 2025, 4:15 PM | Updated: Jan 7, 2025, 2:51 pm

Seattle Sports

Ryan Grubb’s tenure as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator lasted only one season.

Brock: Two reasons Seahawks moved on from OC Ryan Grubb

The Seahawks relieved Grubb of his duties on Monday morning, less than 11 months after the former UW Huskies offensive coordinator was hired by Seattle for his first NFL job. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and later confirmed by Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald during his weekly appearance on Seattle Sports.

The move comes after an up-and-down year for the Seahawks’ offense, which finished 18th in points per game (22.1) and 21st in points per drive (1.89). Seattle struggled all season to find run-pass balance, ranking eighth in passing yards per game (236.5) but just 28th in rushing yards per game (95.7) and 19th in yards per carry (4.2). The Seahawks ran the ball on just 37.2% of their plays, the fifth-lowest rate in the league.

Throughout the season, Grubb’s pass-heavy offense seemed at odds with the complementary style of football that the defensive-minded Macdonald has often stressed. Macdonald appeared to indicate as much on Monday morning to Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“I felt like the direction our offense was going was different than the vision I had for our team, and felt like it was just a necessary decision at this point,” Macdonald said.

How much of the Seahawks’ rushing struggles were on Grubb’s scheme and play-calling? And how much were a product of a struggling offensive line that cycled through 10 different starters over the course of the season? That was a discussion point during Monday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

“The interior offensive linemen have been a struggle,” Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus said. “When you cannot protect in the middle, you’re less like to get under center and (use) play-action, and you’re less likely to try to run the football.

“And that’s the part where I feel for Grubb, because you’re handcuffed by your personnel,” he added. “You can have all the ideas in the world, but if you don’t have the players to execute that, you have to morph your play-calling. And essentially that’s what I think happened.”

‘I don’t think he had the personnel’

The Seahawks’ longstanding offensive line woes were again at the forefront this season, with a combination of subpar play and numerous injuries.

According to Pro Football Focus, Seattle ranked 24th in run block grading and 26th in pass block grading. ESPN’s metrics paint a similar picture, with the Seahawks ranking 21st in pass block win rate and 28th in run block win rate. Injuries certainly didn’t help, as the team rarely had continuity while cycling through four right tackles and three right guards.

The individual metrics further illustrate the issues up front. Out of 77 guards, second-year right guard Anthony Bradford ranked 73rd in PFF grading and rookie right guard Sataoa Laumea ranked 77th. Right tackle Stone Forsythe, who started five games, ranked 80th out of 81 tackles. Rookie right tackle Michael Jerrell didn’t hit the minimum-snap threshold for PFF, but finished with only a slightly better grade than Forsythe over his three starts.

And at tight end, veteran Noah Fant was ranked 73rd out of 78 players at his position in PFF run block grading.

“Mike Macdonald has been in the playoffs. He’s been in conference championships,” Bumpus said, referring to Macdonald’s extensive coaching background on John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens staff. “And I think he understands that once you get into these (playoff) situations, there’s a style of football that is conducive to winning tight games.

“But on Grubb’s side, I don’t think he had the personnel to do it,” Bumpus added. “… So when you add the lack of strength and blocking at the tight end spot with the interior offensive linemen not being able to execute, what the heck do you expect Grubb to do?”

Co-host Stacy Rost shared a similar sentiment.

“I would have liked to see them be a bit more stubborn (with the run) to just kind of see what they could do,” Rost said. “That being said, I don’t even know that Mike Macdonald’s philosophy… matches up with their personnel.

“It all comes back to what you said – you need to fix that offensive line. It doesn’t matter if you want to play like Grubb did or play like Macdonald wants, or whether there are philosophical differences between these two men offensively – you don’t get anywhere until you fix your offensive personnel.”

‘It’s deeper than what we’re seeing’

While Bumpus thinks the O-line struggles put Grubb in a tough spot, he also thinks the decision to move on from Grubb goes beyond what transpired on the field.

“It’s deeper than just personnel,” Bumpus said. “There’s no way Mike Macdonald is looking at that offensive line and saying, ‘You should be able to win with this.’ I’m watching the film. I’m seeing them get beat. I’m seeing them not be consistent. So it has to be just a philosophy type of thing. It has to be the presentation. It has to be taking advantage of what a defense is giving you.

“It’s deeper than what we’re seeing, because when you (let go of) a guy after one year, it’s not just what you’re seeing on Sundays,” he added. “It’s throughout the week, too.”

That said, Bumpus doesn’t think a new offensive coordinator is nearly enough to fix Seattle’s offense.

“Whoever you bring in here, equip them with an offensive line, or you’re gonna have some of these same issues that you’re having,” Bumpus said.

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear Bump and Stacy live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports. Click here for podcasts of every show.