Are the Seahawks equipped to handle Sam Darnold's sack issues? Why Klint Kubiak's system could be key

RENTON, Wash. -- One period earlier helium stepped onto the signifier tract for the archetypal clip arsenic a subordinate of the Seattle Seahawks, Sam Darnold showed the anticipation and decisiveness that immoderate bully backmost needs.

Darnold was fielding questions astatine his introductory quality league successful March, knowing 1 would yet travel astir the disastrous decorativeness to his 2024 play with the Minnesota Vikings. When asked what helium learned from that experience, the Seahawks' caller backmost took it head-on.

"I was waiting for idiosyncratic to bring that up," said Darnold, seated connected signifier astatine Seahawks office betwixt caput manager Mike Macdonald and violative coordinator Klint Kubiak. "I admit that. No, it's fair, man."

Darnold, the New York Jets' 3rd wide prime successful 2018, resurrected his vocation successful Minnesota, throwing 35 touchdown passes successful a Pro Bowl campaign.

After going 21-35 arsenic a starter portion playing for 3 different teams implicit his archetypal six NFL seasons, helium led the Vikings to a 14-2 grounds implicit their archetypal 16 games. But his bounce-back play ended with him struggling successful back-to-back blowout losses, the 2nd of which saw him instrumentality 9 sacks successful the wild-card circular against the Los Angeles Rams.

"I deliberation being capable to get the shot retired a small spot quicker ... and adjacent if a feline is covered, adjacent if my back's covered connected a checkdown, conscionable throwing it astatine his feet," helium said reflecting connected what he'd bash differently. "I consciousness similar I was taking immoderate unnecessary sacks past year, particularly those past fewer games."

Even earlier the playoff loss, Darnold's 7.7% sack complaint successful the regular play was 10th-highest among qualified quarterbacks. That was partially a merchandise of declining play from an violative enactment that mislaid near tackle Christian Darrisaw midseason, but Darnold didn't assistance matters with his propensity to clasp onto the ball. His mean clip earlier propulsion was 3.08 seconds, slower than 33 qualified QBs.

Therein lies 1 of the realities astir the Seahawks' violative outlook that tends to get overlooked. The violative enactment struggled past play to support Geno Smith, whose 7.7% sack complaint was a hairsbreadth down Darnold's. Still, Seattle made lone 1 important upgrade to its enactment -- drafting near defender Grey Zabel with the 18th wide prime -- starring to an oft-asked question astir whether the squad did capable up beforehand this offseason to presumption Darnold for success.

But the violative enactment is lone 1 portion of what the Seahawks anticipation is simply a amended equation for keeping their backmost upright successful 2025. They are besides expecting caller coordinator Klint Kubiak to lick immoderate of past season's problems with his strategy and playcalling, and they're banking connected Darnold succeeding wherever helium failed during his disappointing decorativeness to 2024.

"I'll decidedly beryllium reasoning astir that," helium said, referring to his struggles implicit the last 2 games, "keeping 2 hands connected the shot successful the pouch astatine each times. Just doing each the small cardinal things, but that's a large one, is being capable to conscionable get the shot retired connected time."

FOR ANY QUARTERBACK to person a accidental to win successful Seattle, the Seahawks needed to hole aggregate problems with their discourtesy this offseason-- starting with the coordinator.

In a Week 9 location nonaccomplishment to the Rams that possibly champion illustrated their struggles connected that broadside of the shot successful 2024, Smith -- who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders successful March -- threw 3 interceptions, 2 coming successful the reddish zone. He was sacked 7 times portion playing down a enactment that was down to its 4th enactment astatine close tackle (rookie Michael Jerrell), and whose struggling halfway (Connor Williams) would abruptly discontinue earlier the adjacent game. Needing conscionable 1 gait to support a imaginable game-winning thrust live successful overtime, Seattle was stuffed for nary summation connected consecutive moving plays.

The show exposed flaws successful the Seahawks' quarterback, violative enactment and tally crippled -- arsenic good arsenic successful then-coordinator Ryan Grubb's approach. Grubb had Smith successful the shotgun connected a season-high 90.5% of the snaps that day, including the archetypal of the 2 failed moving plays successful OT. And helium made Smith a sitting duck, with lone 2 of the quarterback's dropbacks getting him extracurricular the pocket.

The Seahawks violative enactment was overmatched astatine assorted spots from a endowment position successful 2024, but Grubb's strategy and playcalling played a relation successful its underperformance, starring to his firing 1 time aft the play finale.

Enter Kubiak.

The caller coordinator is, successful respective ways, a 180 from the feline he's replacing. Whereas Grubb was a lifelong assemblage manager earlier Macdonald hired him past year, Kubiak is successful his 12th NFL play and 3rd full-time stint arsenic an OC. He runs his mentation of the Kyle Shanahan system, portion Grubb was trying to beryllium that a prolific, pass-heavy assemblage discourtesy -- tally mostly retired of the shotgun -- could win astatine the pro level. Kubiak's, connected the different hand, volition beryllium operated much from nether center, and it volition thin connected a tally crippled that focuses connected the extracurricular portion portion besides utilizing a fullback.

"Zone worldly is coming disconnected the shot and running," Seahawks wide manager John Schneider said. "Anytime you tin [enforce] your volition connected idiosyncratic other first, particularly arsenic an violative lineman, instilling assurance successful those guys is huge. So erstwhile you're backed up and you're sitting astatine the 1-yard enactment and you're sitting successful shotgun and you're throwing the crud retired of it, that doesn't assistance those guys' confidence."

With Kubiak calling plays for New Orleans past season, the Saints had the league's fourth-lowest shotgun percentage. They besides had the third-highest complaint of passing attempts from extracurricular the pocket, which reflects however bootlegs are a staple of his strategy arsenic the earthy complement to extracurricular portion rushes.

What does that mean for Darnold? Expect Kubiak to enactment him connected the tally and marque him a moving people for pass-rushers.

"Just moving the motorboat constituent is simply a portion of what we bash erstwhile we person the accidental to bash it," said Kubiak, who was the 49ers' passing crippled coordinator successful 2023 portion Darnold was backing up Brock Purdy. "Extend the down longer and propulsion the shot down the field. I deliberation if we're ever staying successful betwixt the 2 guards, it conscionable makes beingness a batch harder for the awesome caller, truthful I'm trying to assistance him out."

Having coordinated immoderate of assemblage football's astir pass-heavy offenses, Grubb vowed to beryllium much balanced nether the defensive-minded Macdonald. That didn't travel to fruition, arsenic Seattle ranked 28th successful rushing and 29th successful designed unreserved percentage. As close tackle Abraham Lucas enactment it, moving the shot volition beryllium a "non-negotiable" nether Kubiak.

"We're trying to beryllium elite astatine precise fewer things, but those fewer things are what the discourtesy is going to beryllium based around, and that's the tally game," Lucas said. "We're going to beryllium elite astatine the tally game. That's the doctrine with it."

The Seahawks are hoping that Lucas' balky close genu volition clasp up aft limiting him to 13 games implicit the past 2 seasons. They besides anticipation they're amended prepared to regenerate him if request beryllium aft signing Josh Jones to beryllium their plaything tackle.

With holdovers from past play competing astatine close defender (Anthony Bradford, Christian Haynes, Sataoa Laumea) and halfway (Olu Oluwatimi, Jalen Sundell), Zabel whitethorn beryllium the lone newcomer to the starting five.

Schneider and Macdonald are expecting Kubiak and his strategy to marque a quality successful Seattle's quality to support Darnold clean.

"I deliberation [the caller offense] allows the backmost to play decisive," Macdonald said.

"NO PEEKING, NO peeking, nary peeking," Andrew Janocko says to Darnold close aft the drawback during an Organized Team Activity drill, reminding the backmost to afloat merchantability the play fake earlier helium pulls the shot backmost successful and rolls retired connected a bootleg.

"Ball's gotta go!" the quarterbacks manager shouts during a minicamp drill that practices quick-game throws.

After Kubiak was hired, helium brought Janocko, John Benton (O-line coach) and Rick Dennison (run crippled coordinator/senior violative advisor) with him from New Orleans portion besides reuniting with Justin Outten (run crippled specialist/assistant O-line coach), whom helium knew from their clip unneurotic with the Denver Broncos.

The Seahawks' anticipation that coaching continuity volition marque for a smoother modulation to Kubiak's discourtesy than what they experienced past twelvemonth with Grubb, who brought lone 1 adjunct (O-line manager Scott Huff) with him from the University of Washington.

"It's truly important, particularly conscionable successful this system," Macdonald said. "The transportation and the item and conscionable similar the shared knowing astir what's expected astir the timing and the angles and each this benignant of stuff, it was capable to get disconnected the ground. So you tin consciousness it retired there. You tin consciousness it successful the rooms. The guys person an knowing of what's expected connected immoderate fixed play and each the concepts."

One of Janocko's astir important tasks volition beryllium getting Darnold to play connected time. Over his archetypal 5 seasons, helium had the eighth-highest sack complaint among qualified quarterbacks astatine 7.2%, portion his mean clip earlier propulsion of 2.92 seconds ranked 34th successful that span.

Darnold's show implicit the Seahawks' 5 offseason practices that were unfastened to reporters was a mixed bag, lowlighted by respective plays that ended with the backmost not getting the shot retired of his hands.

Darnold volition person to amended that portion of his game, and with his three-year, $100.5 cardinal contract containing a imaginable retired for the Seahawks aft 1 play if helium were to falter successful 2025, he'll person to bash it quickly.

"That's a equilibrium of playing quarterback," Darnold said. "I deliberation that's sometimes the hardest portion astir it is knowing 'OK, bash I springiness this capable clip to make and it mightiness beryllium open? Or bash I conscionable cheque it down due to the fact that the unreserved mightiness beryllium coming?' That's ever benignant of the dichotomy of playing backmost successful general. That's the amusive portion astir our occupation is we get to marque decisions similar that."