When Pete Carroll took over as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks back in 2010, it took a couple of seasons to replenish the roster and build a team that was capable of contending for the Super Bowl.
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However, despite a pair of 7-9 seasons in Carroll’s first two years at the helm, there were signs that something special was brewing. Most notably, there was the legendary “Beast Quake” run by Marshawn Lynch that highlighted Seattle’s stunning wild-card playoff upset of the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in 2010. And in the second half of 2011, the famed Legion of Boom began to find its footing during a stretch of five wins in six games.
Those two seasons helped lay the foundation for a run of success that featured five consecutive 10-win seasons, including back-to-back NFC championships and a Super Bowl title.
As the Seahawks transition from Carroll to new head coach Mike Macdonald this year, Sports Illustrated senior writer Conor Orr sees the potential for a similar type of dynamic. Orr explained his outlook for the Seahawks this fall during a conversation Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
“I think that Seattle may finish the season outside of the playoffs,” Orr said, “but I think that they might finish the season as the team where everyone’s like, ‘Woah, there’s some very cool stuff happening there.'”
In particular, Orr pointed to the incoming coaching staff and their new schemes.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb comes across town after two massively successful seasons at UW, where he oversaw one of the most prolific offenses in the country as the Huskies’ OC. During an appearance on The Jim Rome Show last month, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said he’s already “seen plays I have never seen before” in Grubb’s creative attack.
On the other side of the ball, Macdonald will be in charge of a cutting-edge scheme that was on full display the past two seasons during his time as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator. With Macdonald creatively mixing up pressures in his versatile scheme, the Ravens became the first defense in NFL history to lead the league in points allowed, sacks and takeaways in the same season.
“Everything I’ve heard about this offense is very, very exciting,” Orr said. “I think it has the potential to look different than anything we’ve seen in the NFL. And Mike Macdonald is clearly brilliant. I mean, he got that job for a reason. Every coach that you’ve talked to who has worked with him said that this is one of the smartest defensive coordinators that they’ve ever come across.
“So, it’ll be fun. This will be a fun season to be a Seahawks fan. They’ve had the same head coach for a long time. They’ve done things the same way for a long time. They’ve looked similar for a long time. So, I think it’s gonna be a fun but maybe not necessarily fortuitous season for them.”
