When asked about how good Seattle's line can be this year, Lucas said, "However good we want to be. We have the right coaching, the right tools, the identity has definitely changed from last year to this year. So it's on us as far as we want to take it."
That answer, of course, led to a follow up on just how the identity has change, and Lucas' answer was telling.
"When you get a new staff in—I mean, everybody wants to run the ball—but when you come in and it's a non-negotiable like, 'We're running the ball. We put a fullback in the backfield. We're changing it up, we're doing things differently.' It's like an old-school mentality with a new-school principle. Definitely looking forward to getting after that.
"I'll put it like this, we're trying to be elite at very few things, but those few things are what the offense is going to be based around, and that's the run game. We're going to be elite at the run game. That's the philosophy with it. It's not some hodgepodge of a bunch of different stuff we're just throwing in. We're going to be elite at the basics to make sure that they work so we can do it against anybody."
Another sign the Seahawks are committed to running the ball under Kubiak is the emphasis on fullback, a position rarely used by Seattle, or most other NFL teams for that matter, last season. Earlier in the offseason, the Seahawks moved Brady Russell from tight end to fullback, then they added to that position in the draft, selecting Robbie Ouzts in the fifth round.
"When you bring a fullback in it kind of establishes that the run game is a cornerstone of your offense, not just an optional thing," Lucas said.
And with the Seahawks unable to work on the more physical parts of the game now, the work this time of year is centered on teaching the details of the offense, especially when it comes to a young offensive line learning a new scheme.
"We're really trying to be great teachers and install a basic system," Kubiak said. "Trying to put in a zone run game and put in a new language. We're trying to get guys all speaking the same language and using precise words precisely and learning a new cadence. Every day is the first day, these first five installs. We're just doing a lot of teaching, and we're correcting the film."
Leading that teaching are veteran offensive line coach John Benton, run game coordinator/senior offensive advisor Rick Dennison and run game specialist/assistant offensive line coach Justin Outten, three new hires brought to Seattle by Kubiak who all have extensive NFL coaching experience.
"It's a young group, which is fun because you get to mold those guys," Kubiak said of the line. "Coach Benton and coach J.O. (Justin Outten) and Rick Dennison are spending a lot of time with those guys, and they're responding. Grey (Zabel) has been doing a fine job. We have a lot of competition up front on the offensive line, so guys are moving around. Because of that, there's a high spirit every day of guys trying to win a job."