It’s only the preseason, but the Seattle Seahawks’ rushing attack looks night-and-day different under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Both in the scheme and the results.
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With their new wide-zone blocking system, the Seahawks lead the NFL by a wide margin with 219 rushing yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry through the first two weeks of the preseason. The next-closest teams in those categories are averaging 162.5 rushing yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.
Seattle piled up for 170 rushing yards and 5.3 yards per carry in its preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, and then followed that with 268 rushing yards and 5.6 yards per carry against the Kansas City Chiefs last Friday night.
What does Seahawks Radio Network analyst Ray Roberts make of what he’s seen so far? The NFL offensive lineman delved in during Monday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
“They’re operating a system that is proven and that works, and you can see the plan that they’re trying to execute,” Roberts said. “And you can also see how the players have bought into it, just from their energy, the way they approach the plays, the way they execute the plays, the intensity at which they try to finish blocks and drives and things. To me, that’s one indication that the offensive line room has bought into what it is that this staff is bringing to the table.
“And then the other part of it is that it wasn’t gimmicky or anything. It was like guys blocking dudes. There’s a drill that I used to do with (former O-line coach) Howard Mudd called ‘fit and finish.’ And that means you get into the block, you drive your feet and then you finish the block. And there was a lot of that going on in this game.”
Zach just drove his truck right through 😤 pic.twitter.com/iuttt9Jv09
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2025
‘Not allowing the defense to be right’
Roberts elaborated on what he likes about Kubiak’s wide-zone system.
“I just really love the plan that they have with their outside zone with the way that they can use misdirection in there,” Roberts said. “There’s some plays where they look like they’re gonna run a counter to the right, but it’s actually a misdirection to the left.
“And so it seems like, hey, there’s a little trickeration in that, but it’s all rooted in very foundational football. And it’s all based on not allowing the defense to be right. As soon as the linebackers run to the right side to make a play, the play is designed to go to the left side, so you kind of use your leverage against them. And so I love how they do that.”
Roberts also highlighted how the scheme uses movement to create advantages.
“In the run game, it’s important (to do one of) two things when you play design,” Roberts said. “One is you either gain a numbers advantage on the side of attack, or you gain an angles advantage. And so by all the pulling and the fullback and the tight ends in motion and those types of things, you’re creating sometimes both of those to your advantage on one play.”
Listen to the full conversation with Ray Roberts at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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