As we’re all mentally preparing ourselves for the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks to open the 2026 NFL season against the New England Patriots, one question sticks out in my mind.
What play will first-time Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury call to open the game?
Maybe that seems like it’s not a huge deal to you, but there’s a specific reason why it’s bouncing around my brain. You see, while waiting for Seattle’s opener, I actually have another one to prepare for on Tuesday
night. This year, I’m coaching middle school football, calling offense for 7th grade and defense for 8th grade. While I’m coaching at an infinitesimal level compared to the NFL, I’m also wrestling with how I want to start off my first game as a play caller.
That first play can be used to establish an identity. Fleury has said that Seattle is going to continue to play “Seahawks football.” Hell, that was the reason he was hired in the first place, the continuity that he brought with him from the same scheme as Klint Kubiak. With that in mind, a run play would seem to be the odds-on favorite. The Seahawks commitment to the run paid off in a big way down the stretch in 2025, catapulting them to the mountain top.
Yet, there are significant changes in the backfield. Kenneth Walker III plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. Zach Charbonnet is on PUP. Jadarian Price hasn’t taken a handoff in an NFL game. Everyone is excited about Price’s potential, so giving him the ball off the bat could be the best way to go. Like Walker, Price can break a game open on one play with his explosiveness. Wouldn’t a long TD run be a fun way to start?
But the Patriots know that the Seahawks want to establish the run. Their inability to stop it was a big part of their downfall in February. They understand it, and have likely been prepping for it all offseason. Fleury also knows that, so is it the time to zig when everyone thinks they’ll zag by calling a play-action pass and try to hit an explosive? Seattle has the reigning offensive player of the year in Jaxon Smith-Njigba and other weapons including Rashid Shaheed, Elijah Arroyo, Cooper Kupp, AJ Barner, and (hopefully) Tory Horton. That’s a lot of firepower for Sam Darnold to target through the air. With all the questions about the Seahawks running back corps right now, maybe Seattle should lean on their passing game?
Obviously, I have an easier decision than Fleury since my first call comes with much less pressure. After two weeks of practice, my kids can run power, counter, pitch, and boot…not a ton of choice there. That likely makes my decision easier, and boils it down to a choice between which run play to call.
Fleury’s first call will be a look into his offensive philosophy, and how it differs (or doesn’t) from Kubiak. Personally, I’m hoping Fleury gives the ball to Seattle’s new toy on a play with added motions that we didn’t see last season. That would be the right mesh to show that, yes, the Seahawks will still be running the heck out of the ball, albeit with some new wrinkles.
Maybe I can even learn a thing or two for my own playcalling down the line…it’s hard to trust 7th graders to execute a pass play after all!
