New Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury has come under fire after an abysmal display on Thursday Night Football against the Denver Broncos. It’s hard to find a game in recent memory in which the performance looked so all-around out of sorts.
Head coach Mike Macdonald has already said he’ll stick with Sam Darnold at quarterback, but he didn’t necessarily give the same vote of confidence in Fleury as the offensive play-caller. In his postgame press conference last night, he said:
“We’re not questioning people. We’re evaluating. We’re finding solutions.”
Then, on “Brock & Salk” this morning, he took this tone:
“Do I expect Brian to be perfect? Absolutely not, but I expect our offense to play Seahawks football. Brian is well prepared
and incredibly smart. But on offense, we need to ask who is doing it and see throughout the week that we are taking steps in the right direction, quickly.”
The offensive line allowed Darnold to get drilled more than ever. He was covered in blood by the end of the game. They’ve allowed five sacks in consecutive weeks. They’ve got the same personnel they did last season, but all seem to have regressed. Tackles Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross have taken a marked step back after receiving contract extensions last season. Guard Grey Zabel looks far worse in his second year than he did as a rookie. The Broncos’ pass rushers kept beating them with the same moves. They adapted late to give Darnold opportunities to push the ball downfield, but he still took a beating.
The running back room is banged up, but they’ve fumbled six times through six weeks. When the offensive line gives them holes to zig into, they zag out of them. They’re the reason the team ranked 28th in the NFL in Rushing Yards Over Expected (RYOE) through five weeks. It doesn’t take a second watch of the tape to notice the ineptitude they displayed last night.
They still have the reigning Offensive Player of the Year at receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba — but he’s operating under far too much pressure for long-term success. He tweaked his ankle and came back to the rescue last week, and ran himself ragged last night, getting targeted 16 times. While his clutch triple-coverage reception in the fourth quarter was the stuff of legends, it’s incredibly uncomfortable watching him undergo collisions that would give any normal human a concussion while exploding in and out of cuts off an injured ankle.
On Tuesday, I suggested the Seahawks need not worry about mistakes, as any human will make them. Lucas getting repeatedly beat inside on the same pass rush move isn’t that. That means the assignment or technique is lacking. Watching Darnold and Smith-Njigba shoulder the physical burden that comes after is just plain ugly.
It’s no wonder fans and analysts alike are calling for Fleury’s job. Regular Seattle Sports Radio guest Rob Staton did so last night in his postgame stream. He suggested they admit it’s not working, cut their losses, and promote either run game coordinator Justin Outten or quarterbacks coach Jake Peetz, and tell them to “Give us last year’s offense”.
With nine full days in between their Week 6 and Week 7 games, this long week is the Seahawks’ biggest opportunity to make a change. They started 2-2 last year before winning Super Bowl LX, but they’ve shown regression in so many areas that they have to consider this 3-3 start its own beast.
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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Brian Fleury is on the hot seat after Seahawks' ugly loss to Broncos
