SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Kubiak’s dad pinpoints what will be key role under Seahawks’ new OC

Jan 31, 2025, 12:52 PM

In football it takes all 11 players doing their jobs to make plays work, but it also extends past just those on the field.

Why we need to see DK Metcalf in new Seattle Seahawks OC’s scheme

The game planning and situational decisions made by the coaching staff play another major role.

The Seattle Seahawks are hoping new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak can help improve the second part of that equation in 2025.

It will be more than just Kubiak trying to make offensive game plans work on the coaching side, though. Several other assistants will be tasked with providing valuable input week in and week out as the seasons goes along. However, there is one assistant on the offense that may be the most important in helping put together a cohesive plan of attack.

During a conversation Friday with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Kubiak’s dad, four-time Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak, explained just how important the offensive line coach Alex Gibbs (who coached the Seahawks’ O-line in 2010) was to his own success in as a play-caller in the NFL.

“Alex is the guy that, I mean, he was the straw that stirred the drink. … He was amazing,” said Kubiak, who won three Super Bowls as an offensive coordinator and another as a head coach with the Denver Broncos. “… Alex Gibbs (is) one the greatest football coaches the National Football League’s ever seen, but he was never a head coach. … So you don’t hear about him as much.”

Kubiak and Gibbs worked together as offensive player-caller and offensive line coach, respectively, for 11 years in the NFL. They spent nine seasons (1995-2003) together in Denver, winning three Super Bowl titles under head coach Mike Shanahan. And the pair spent another two seasons (2008-09) together with the Houston Texas, a franchise Kubiak holds the record for as the all-time winningest coach.

“It’s a great offensive line and a line coach that helps you as a play-caller,” Kubiak said. “… Every offensive coordinator needs a really, really sharp offensive line coach who can help him prepare to call a football game, and I know I leaned on Alex for many, many years.”

Will Klint Kubiak look for a new OL coach?

The Seahawks currently have an offensive line coach on staff in former UW Huskies assistant Scott Huff, who joined the franchise last offseason alongside former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

After Grubb was let go, head coach Mike Macdonald left the door open as to Huff’s future with the team.

“It’s still in consideration,” Macdonald said earlier this month. “I would say it’s fair (to say) they were aligned coming in, but now he’s a Seahawk.”

Related: Six reasons Seattle Seahawks hired Klint Kubiak as OC

Klint Kubiak, however, could look to bring in someone that has familiarity with his scheme. One candidate could be John Benton, Kubiak’s O-line coach in New Orleans last season. Benton was also an offensive line coach under Gary Kubiak during his full tenure in Houston (2006-13) and Kyle Shanahan during his first four seasons as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers (2017-20).

“(If) you look at all these great minds and offensive coordinators and calling games and if you dig deep, all of these guys have somebody up front working for them or working with them that are their biggest source,” Gary Kubiak said. “… I had a lot of people around me, but from that standpoint, there’s no better feeling than knowing you have that person in place, and I just think it’s as big a piece as there is on a coaching staff.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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