After the Seahawks parted ways with Brian Schottenheimer this offseason, Shane Waldron was hired in January to take over as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Waldron will be tasked with helping elevate the Seahawks’ offensive game. Seattle finished 16th in passing yards and 12th in rushing yards last season.
But most importantly, Waldron must keep Russell Wilson happy.
Wilson aired his grievances this spring after taking 394 sacks in nine seasons, including 47 in 2020. He expressed frustrations with getting hit too much and hopes Seattle will overcome those growing pains with Waldron at the helm.
So far, Wilson is pleased with what he’s seen from his new offensive coordinator.
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During Thursday’s Organized Training Activities at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, the Seahawks franchise QB spoke about the new-look offense under Waldron and what people can expect.
“It’s super complex,” he said. “We are going to be able to move people around. We are going to be do everything that we want to…One thing that I love about him is that he really understands the game and all aspects of it...
There’s nothing quite like a vote of confidence from your star quarterback. While a Waldron-led offense will give defenses a new look and present more challenges, the biggest change Seattle’s personnel will face is related to pace.
"We have some nuances across the board that really challenge the defense, using the whole field and really expanding the offense," Wilson said. "Just using everybody as much as possible, in all different formations and different looks and different tempos."
But that doesn’t mean the Seahawks are throwing the previous playbook out of the window completely. Waldron is bringing in new concepts and plans to marry them with plays the team ran previously.
"We'll have a great mixture of everything," Wilson said. "The good thing is, we can do it all. Shane brings a great versatility. Something that I love about him is he really understands the game in all aspects of it, situationally. He's been at a lot of different places, a lot of successful places. With Shane, being with the Rams, being with the [Washington Football Team], being with the Patriots, he brings a lot of perspective."
There will certainly be a learning curve as the Seahawks wrap OTAs and begin mandatory minicamp next week, but Wilson has been impressed with the work everyone has put in this far with a new playbook and new coaching staff.
“Obviously, we’ve been here for four days now or whatever it is — it is seamless out here,’’ Wilson said. “Just how efficient, how sharp, how clear, how the ball is coming out, how we’re making all our throws, catches, running the ball well, doing all the things we want to do. And that takes a lot of time. I mean hours upon hours on Zoom calls and us talking extra time...