The Seattle Seahawks reportedly went with a relatively unexpected hire over the weekend. After days of speculation that Seattle would replace Klint Kubiak with an in-house hire at offensive coordinator, the Seahawks have instead brought in San Francisco 49ers tight end coach Brian Fleury for the role, per multiple reports.
What stands out to Brock about new Seahawks OC Brian Fleury
Well, that was unexpected. Fleury is borne of the same Shanahan system as Kubiak (that’s good), but doesn’t have play-calling experience. So, why do we think the Seahawks pulled the trigger?
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco joined us Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy to tell Seahawks fans what they should know about Fleury.
He’s worked with Sam Darnold
The pre-existing relationship between Klint Kubiak and quarterback Sam Darnold was a massive part of the previous OC’s ability to acclimate quickly with the Seahawks. That relationship is also why most people expected an in-house hire, so it’s worth noting Fleury is familiar with Darnold. The two worked together when Darnold was Brock Purdy’s backup in San Francisco in 2023.
“He knows Sam Darnold, and I can tell you that there was not one person in the (49ers) organization who has a bad thought about Sam Darnold,” Maiocco said.
He’s detail-oriented
Fleury wasn’t the play caller nor the official OC in San Francisco, but he’s been involved in game planning as run game coordinator, a title he took on this past season.
“He’s a very detailed coach,” Maiocco said. “Very much into the minutia, he covers all the details with George Kittle and the tight ends. Very much making sure the steps are right and the angles are right in the run game. So he will definitely make sure that everything is exactly the way he wants it…
“I would think that when Brian talked with Mike Macdonald that he probably blew him away with the level of detail that he stresses from the tight end position and all that’s involved in the run game.”
It’s all about the run
Go figure. This head coach and GM made that exceptionally clear ahead of their second season, hiring Kubiak to replace a pass-happy Ryan Grubb, who struggled in his one season in the NFL in between stints as Kalen DeBoer’s OC at UW and Alabama. It worked, and it’s clear that the hire of Fleury is part of an effort to build on that growth in the run.
“It’s being in this system for seven years and working hand in glove with (49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan,” Maiocco said. “Every play has some unique (detail) to it that enables a 4-yard run to become a 14-yard run. So, I think that beginning the offseason program up in Seattle, that’ll be very much the emphasis. Just getting on point and polishing up the angles and targets and getting the running backs involved in knowing what their reads are and getting that outside zone going. There’s very little gray area in what’s expected on any given play, and I think that’s where Brian Fleury will really clean up any ambiguities with the run game and what’s expected.”
Central to the run will be the team’s decision to re-sign or tag Ken Walker. Click here for the latest on that.
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