Grubb didn't put anything in motion

[Michael K.]

I was doing a little Fantasy Football homework today and found an article talking about the importance of using pre snap motion and shifts. I remember watching the DeBoer and Grubb Huskies, and everyone all the commentators always went on and on about what they did presnap with formations, shifts and motion.

The Rams used motion more than any team in football last year. No shock, McVey loves to do stuff like that, but the difference between LA and Seattle was, IMO, staggering. The Rams used pre-snap motion on 82.4% of their run plays and 75.2% of their pass plays. The Seahawks used it on 49.1% of their run plays (21st in the league) and 40.7% of their pass plays (24th in the league). Am I the only one that is surprised by that? Either Grubb was instructed to do less of it that he wanted to, or the pre-snap stuff at the UW was mostly DeBoer's idea.

[Donn Beach]

I think Grubb had difficulty adjusting his approach to the NFL. Part of it could have been his lack of familiarity, part of it could have been the players he had to work with. I think a lot of it could have come down to issues with the line. I read somewhere they seemed to change the blocking approach week to week, zone to power or whatever it's called. I'm going to guess that could have impacted his ability to run shifts and motion.

Thought that was kinda interesting, MM on what he wants from his offense

"We're going to be a physical unit, we're gonna run the football, and we want to have answers for the quarterback and we want to keep it consistent for him so he can play fast and play decisive and get the ball to our playmakers," Macdonald stated. "I know that's kind of coach speak. But it needs to be an efficient unit, we want to be able to possess the ball, we want to be able to obviously be explosive and not turn the ball over. And I think that's going to come through run and play action on early downs. And then when we are forced to drop back in those situations, having a consistency in the quarterback's reads so he can play fast and be decisive."

[Michael K.]

Running more motion would not have made a bad line worse. I'm confused at why he went from a guy known for that to a guy using it in the bottom third in the NFL.

[trharder]

Running more motion would not have made a bad line worse. I'm confused at why he went from a guy known for that to a guy using it in the bottom third in the NFL.

Dave Wyman sometimes hinted at it and Mark Schlereth came right out and said it - that Grubb was not calling plays
that helped the O-line.

[Michael K.]

I like Stink, but that guy has never blamed an O Line for ANYTHING!

We had a first year play caller that was known as a pass first guy and a dogshit O Line, specifically in the run game. Blaming Grubb for the O Line getting dominated on ever run play is bullshit. Those guys flat out stole money last year.

Grubb was over his head, but with that O Line? McVey and Shannahan would have struggled to run the ball. Blaming the play calling for getting knocked all over the field physically is chicken shit. Man up and win at the point of attack a few times, for Christ sake.

[Donn Beach]

Schlereth's deal was Grubb's fondness for shotgun. MM says before hiring Grubb he's a fan of play action. I doubt he was demanding Grubb continually run shotgun.

There seemed to be a disconnect. I don't think it's about telling your oc how to run the offense as much as trust that you're thinking alike. I heard another guy discuss it. You have meetings all week, you go over the strategy. But all that can go out the window once the game begins. You get punched in the nose, a no gain run on first and 10 .

That was a guy from the Athletic, I'll find it if you want. In his mind there shouldn't have been more expectation than what Grubb delivered. He brought up his being the only NFL OC to go straight from college. He was going up against seasoned NFL defensive OC's, he was going to get his lunch handed to him. It was unfair for a team in win now mode to do that.

In 2023, Geno Smith averaged 23 shotgun pass attempts per game and had 4 shotgun snaps for every 1 under center snap.

In Grubb’s first season as OC, Geno is averaging 38 shotgun passes per game and 10 shotgun snaps for every 1 under center.

Geno in shotgun this season: 213/313, 9 TD, 10 INT, 26 sacks, 86.3 rating

Geno under center: 20/29, 2 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 113.1

That was Schlereth's signature quote

“Show me a team that gives up seven sacks and I’ll show you a team that has a coordinator that doesn’t understand what the problems are up front.”

Schlereth goes on

“Because when I’m under center and we run play action, linebackers have to step up. In shotgun, linebackers can see the backfield much cleaner than if you’re under center. The QB turns his back to the defense when you run play action under center, and in shotgun you don’t.

So the ball never truly gets hidden. In shotgun, defenses tend to play high to low, meaning they get deeper drops and take away intermediate routes. When you’re playing under center, linebackers play about a yard closer to the ball and then when you turn your back to the defense, they can’t help but step up, same with safeties, and so you create a bigger space between the linebackers and the deep coverage. So it creates easier throwing windows and quicker throws and in turn helps the offensive line.” /quote]

Here's the interview i
https://youtu.be/OWlkkA7XoNM?si=IqFGZJkGruSOHjMh

[Donn Beach]

Here's the other one, Michael Dugar He brings up some interesting stuff, I feel like he hits on my point, the lack of experience. He combines it with the pressure to make the playoffs.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/59-softy ... 255597780/

[Michael K.]

I forgot that Baltimore, KC and Philly never use shotgun! Stink is stuck in the 90s. You can’t run when you have five dudes up front that suck ass at run blocking. You operate out of the gun more when you are constantly in long yardage situations and can’t protect your QB.

Tell me this, this organization has had like six OCs and God knows how many O Line coaches since Schneider got here….yet the O Line always sucks. BUT? It’s all about the coaching.

Well then, Schneider also sucks at picking coaches I guess. Fucking guy can’t build an O Line, but it’s never his fault. Horseshit.

[Donn Beach]

Except Grubb was using it in short yardage situations

Brock Huard said he rarely played out of the shotgun until his senior year at UW in 1998, when Scott Linehan took over as offensive coordinator. When he started operating out of the shotgun, he immediately realized how it benefited quarterbacks.

“I remember being like, ‘Woah, this is amazing. I’m already 5, 6 yards back. I don’t have to drop back. I’m already here. This is crazy,'” Brock Huard said.

However, Huard said the downside of shotgun is that it can limit an offense’s options in the run game and put added stress on the offensive tackles in pass protection.

In particular, Huard pointed to a pivotal moment of Seattle’s loss to the Rams last Sunday. Facing a third-and-1 in the red zone on the opening series of overtime, the Seahawks lined up in the shotgun and handed the ball to running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker was stuffed for no gain.

“Probably the most frustrating call to me on Sunday was their third-and-1 call where they just lined up in the gun,” Brock Huard said. “Back is offset, you know which way he’s running and (Grubb must have) just thought, ‘Well, we can get a foot.’ Not in the NFL, man.

“Maybe against WSU and Arizona and Arizona State and Stanford and Cal, you could just line up and assume we can move them a foot. Not in the NFL.”

From Brady Henderson

In a Week 9 home loss to the Rams that perhaps best illustrated their struggles on that side of the ball in 2024, Smith -- who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in March -- threw three interceptions, two coming in the red zone. He was sacked seven times while playing behind a line that was down to its fourth option at right tackle (rookie Michael Jerrell), and whose struggling center (Connor Williams) would abruptly retire before the next game. Needing just one yard to keep a potential game-winning drive alive in overtime, Seattle was stuffed for no gain on consecutive running plays.

The performance exposed flaws in the Seahawks' quarterback, offensive line and run game -- as well as in then-coordinator Ryan Grubb's approach. Grubb had Smith in the shotgun on a season-high 90.5% of the snaps that day, including the first of the two failed running plays in OT. And he made Smith a sitting duck, with only two of the quarterback's dropbacks getting him outside the pocket.

You should listen to Duggar, he talks about getting rid of JS. I thought the discussion here was about issues with Grubbs play calling.

[Michael K.]

I was curious why they didn't use motion. Running plays out of the shotgun is an easy call when your O Line is one of the worst ever. Each and every year this Offensive Line sucks ass, and each and every year the OC is either fired or placed on the Hot Seat, and the Mother Fucker that has built each and every one of those lines comes out just fine. I hate the dude, he is a smug ass hat that is too proud to admit when his philosophy is stupid. I guess it's a Seattle thing, because the Mariners are the same damn way.

Nothing is every about the players, it's not the hitters, it's not the O Line, it's the hitting coach or manager or O Line coach or OC. I've grown incredibly tired of it. We have two horribly flawed GM's and no one gives a shit that they are horribly flawed. Just fire the next coach and move on, don't look behind the curtain. It's a joke.

I don't know why Grubb didn't use motion, but I do know why he threw it all the time and why they used Shotgun a lot. Because the line sucked. Oh, and please tell me how many plays Michael Penix ran from under Center the year they went to a National Championship game. Then tell me who was calling plays, and it might clue you in to what was going on in Seattle last year.

They hired a guy because he does things a certain way, and then fired him for doing it that way. All so we'd take the focus off the real problem. And it worked. I think I might be the only guy that things JS is a joke. It blows me away. He and Pete single handedly destroyed a dynasty. But it must have actually been because we had the wrong Assistant Coaches.