RENTON — As the new play-caller for the Seattle Seahawks offense, there’s one person who will most dictate the level of success or failure new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will have in the next step of his career.
His new quarterback — Geno Smith.
“Geno is a very aggressive player — has a lot of production,” Kubiak said during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “Obviously, he’s been doing it for a long time. he’s overcome a lot in his career. I have a lot of respect for Geno. Was a huge draw to come here and be able to get to coach him alongside (new quarterback coach) Andrew Janocko.”
Now, to be fair, no one ever, on their first day as a coordinator for a football team, said he thought the quarterback and the rest of the team was bad. Kubiak, however, seemed genuine in his praise of Smith and other offensive players. Straightforward with his thoughts on the Seahawks’ offensive pieces, Kubiak did not sound like the next great football TV personality. While he gave lengthy answers, he came off as someone who’s ready to install the X’s and O’s and get the plans in place. He won’t wow anyone by holding court in a press conference, and is unlikely to become the next TikTok sensation.
See Kubiak’s opening comment here.
No one will care about charisma, though, if Kubiak’s offense scores points.
Kubiak, son of long-time offensive coordinator and head coach Gary Kubiak, will use many of the same outside zone running schemes the elder Kubiak has utilized in Houston and other stops.
“Klint’s been around this scheme since he probably took his first breath,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said. “He knows it cold. It’s been fun to learn it over the last few days, but I think it’s the repetition and time on task. The reads are consistent for the quarterback, the o-line tracks are the same, the running back tracks are the same.
“Much like we’re doing on defense, when we call a coverage we’re going to be repping this thing hundreds of times between now and January and February. The same thing goes offensively, our guys are going to get really good at what we do.”
Kubiak said he was attracted to the opening in Seattle in part because of Macdonald’s defensive track record. He believes that will lead to complementary football by putting the offense in good spots both in terms of field position and score-wise throughout games.
“There are a lot of really dang good football players on this roster that I’d love to coach,” said Kubiak, who has worked with defensive coaches in Minnesota (Mike Zimmer) and New Orleans (Dennis Allen). “I want to be a part of helping their careers and helping them so we can win as a team. I think the personnel, the coaching staff here, John Schneider, the reputation the Seattle Seahawks have as a first-class organization. That’s just common knowledge around the NFL.”
Kubiak, asked about the regard he and new offensive line coach John Benton hold for the offensive line, took a bit of a different tone. He mentioned left tackle Charles Cross in the same breath as Smith and receivers DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He said the offensive staff is still learning what they have blocking for Smith and running back Kenneth Walker III.
“We’re watching a lot of tape, we’re getting a feel for the guys that we have, and we’re getting a feel for their strengths and weaknesses,” Kubiak said. “We’re looking at free agents, we’re looking at college players, and that’s what the offseason is all about.”
This story originally appeared in seattlesportsnow.com, of which Aaron Coe is a co-founder. Follow Coe on X: @Coe_Aaron
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