Ben Soliks take on Fluery replacing Kubiak

[Donn Beach]

Ben Solik on each of the seasons ten coordinator changes around the league. It's a long article, some of it's interesting. This is the take on Fluery. He's a bit guarded seems to me. He feels Kubiak was really good. Just trying to be the guy replacing a real success can be difficult. And I think he's got a point. Kubiak got an incredible performance out of JSN last season. I might compare it to the mariners and Cal Raleigh. He can't rely on duplicating that. In that sense, I doubt we are seeing the same offense again. He brings up some interesting stuff in terms of the Shanahan influence. Something I've been curious about

Again, I think this is the issue with having a defensive oriented HC. Your OC really needs to be something special, and if he is he gets poached and you're starting over again.

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury

What can the Seahawks rely on besides Jaxon Smith-Njigba?

In three years as the head coach of the Seahawks, Mike Macdonald has made three offensive coordinator hires. The first was Ryan Grubb, who ended up being a total miss. Macdonald deserves credit for quickly moving off Grubb to hire Klint Kubiak, who was one of the three best assistant coaches in football last season. Kubiak's offense was a revelation for wide receiver Smith-Njigba, who produced a stunning 44% of the team's receiving yards (the highest number for a wideout since Brandon Marshall with the 2012 Bears). It was a perfect system for Sam Darnold, who regularly displayed his arm talent and springy movement skills while hiding his shaky decision-making and play under pressure.

Now Kubiak is deservedly the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Fleury has the unenviable job of stepping into his shoes. It's unreasonably lofty to draw these comparisons ... but it's tough to be the guy who follows the whiz kid.

When Kyle Shanahan left the Falcons in 2016, Steve Sarkisian came up from the college ranks to replace him -- he was back in college in two years. Matt Cavanaugh was promoted in Washington to replace the outgoing Sean McVay, but Cavanaugh and head coach Jay Gruden never found offensive success together. John Morton didn't last a full season behind Ben Johnson in Detroit. When a truly spectacular talent leaves, the next guy almost always fails to reach the same bar.

I believe Kubiak is that level of schemer, and I think that inescapable decline is awaiting Seattle under Fleury. Consider Smith-Njigba's receiving yardage share. It's absurdly impressive but also unhealthy. A schemer must be so ridiculously on their game to continue funneling targets to one guy, no matter how talented he is and how many places he can line up.

Fleury has worked under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco since 2019 and has seen an offense rotate through a cast of viable leading target getters week over week. One day it's the George Kittle game. Then it's Deebo Samuel week. Here comes a 10-target Christian McCaffrey performance. Insert a random Kendrick Bourne spike here. Fleury's offense will inevitably rely more on Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and AJ Barner as secondary pass-catching options -- and rightfully so.

But the last guy got Smith-Njigba to post 1,793 receiving yards. And that's the measuring stick which Fleury stands against.

Fleury might have a big edge on Kubiak, who never really got Seattle's running game going. Of course, Kubiak had Kenneth Walker III to play with. But the Super Bowl MVP now has a big contract in Kansas City, and Fleury is forced to cobble together a running game with rookie Jadarian Price and third-down back George Holani while he waits for Zach Charbonnet to recover from his postseason ACL tear. But Shanahan's running games were long prone to running back rotations before McCaffrey came to town, and Fleury saw first hand how a simple blocking system with tons of window dressing could autoprint effective rushing numbers.

Whether via better performances from non-Smith-Njigba pass catchers or through a revitalized rushing attack, Fleury needs to find a new and substantial wrinkle in Seattle's offense. Much of the buzz in minicamp was on the similarity in Fleury's approach -- Fleury himself quipped that his offense will look "very similar to the one that just won the Super Bowl" -- but 31 other teams will be watching the Seahawks closely this offseason and devising plans to slow them down. With the ring on your finger comes a target on your back.

Fleury was not in Seattle last season and has never crossed paths with Macdonald, so I'm confident he'll come with enough new ideas to keep the Seahawks' offense on the cutting edge. Whatever that edge is, it's close to Fleury's vest ... for now

https://www.espn.ph/nfl/story/_/id/4916 ... anders#sea

[douche]

But the last guy got Smith-Njigba to post 1,793 receiving yards. And that's the measuring stick which Fleury stands against.

I suppose that's a measuring stick, but if the team wins games do personal stats really matter all that much? When all is said and done, all everyone really wants is to win.

Hopefully the team can stay hungry.

[Donn Beach]

But the last guy got Smith-Njigba to post 1,793 receiving yards. And that's the measuring stick which Fleury stands against.

I suppose that's a measuring stick, but if the team wins games do personal stats really matter all that much? When all is said and done, all everyone really wants is to win.

I think you're missing the point. He's not talking about JSNs season, he's talking about Kubiaks. JSN had a great season but so did Kubiak by engineering it. I don't know about it being a measuring stick. In order to win games is Fluery going to have to generate that kind of season again for JSN? I'm going to guess or maybe hope it's actually more balanced. Again, I compare it to the Mariners needing another 60 home run season out of Cal. I feel like that's what happened to the mariners

[douche]

But the last guy got Smith-Njigba to post 1,793 receiving yards. And that's the measuring stick which Fleury stands against.

I suppose that's a measuring stick, but if the team wins games do personal stats really matter all that much? When all is said and done, all everyone really wants is to win.

I think you're missing the point. He's not talking about JSNs season, he's talking about Kubiaks. JSN had a great season but so did Kubiak by engineering it. I don't know about it being a measuring stick. In order to win games is Fluery going to have to generate that kind of season again for JSN? I'm going to guess or maybe hope it's actually more balanced. Again, I compare it to the Mariners needing another 60 home run season out of Cal. I feel like that's what happened to the mariners

I understand that and I'm not missing the point, I just took the quote from the article. He literally says that Kubiak engineered JSN's monster season, and then states that it is the measuring stick for Fleury.

And no, if the offense is more balanced, then JSN shouldn't need a monster season. And he's received his money, so there's that.

[Donn Beach]

Yeah, again, I don't know what he means by a measuring stick. Fluery is going to be measured by winning games one would think, that and overall offensive team numbers. I thought it was a pretty good article but I didn't understand that part.

I don't know, does JSN need to put up the same sort of season? Honestly, I don't think I know that much about football. The balanced offense thing sounds nice but on the other hand, JSN is getting paid a shit load of money.

All I know is this seems more interesting to me than the mariners actual regular season