The Seattle Seahawks struggled to protect their starting quarterback last season. Starter Geno Smith was sacked on 54 occasions. That was tied for third-most in the league, with only the Chicago Bears (68) and Cleveland Browns (66) allowing more sacks. The Houston Texans matched the Seahawks at third-worst (54).
Seattle's struggles to protect Smith would seemingly indicate the offensive line required extra help on dropback attempts. It was up to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to create those scenarios. Grubb should've technically been leaving extra blockers at the line of scrimmage (such as a blocking tight end?) on Smith's passing attempts.
That did not happen. Tru Media Sports recently released each team's percentage of passing plays in 2024 that were five-man protections, meaning no extra blockers. The Seahawks confusingly placed ninth, with 74.18% of their passing plays occurring with five-man empty protections. No wonder Smith was under constant duress.
Just look at some of the teams who placed ahead of the Seahawks. The Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys have some of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Grubb and the Seahawks had no business running five-man protections.
This stat captures Grubb's shortcomings as a play-caller. Grubb was a college air raid coordinator at heart. His philosophies proved to be a misfit at the NFL level. That's precisely why Mike Macdonald fired him after just one season.
Hopefully Klint Kubiak will be a better OC and play-caller this year.
