Seahawks Copying Rams' Blueprint - In More Than One Way
By appointing Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator and Andy Dickerson as run game coordinator, the Seahawks are copying the Rams’ offensive blueprint - in more ways than one.
First there is the obvious. Waldon and Dickerson were both Rams offensive minds under Sean McVay. Waldron was the offensive quality control coach in 2016 at Washington, became Rams tight end coach in 2017, and was passing game coordinator in 2018, 2019, and 2020. He also coached quarterbacks in 2019. Dickerson held the assistant offensive line coach position since January 2012.
There are complicating factors preventing an exact copy. We don’t know what the blend will be between McVay’s system and existing Seahawks offensive ideas - each from coach Pete Carroll, quarterback Russell Wilson, and offensive line coach Mike Solari (who coaches different technique compared to the Rams). We haven’t heard from any of the parties since the news broke. Furthermore, Seattle’s playing personnel and talent is of course different. It is still safe to assume that the 2021 Seahawks will presumably try to mimic large portions of the Rams offense - the McVay blueprint that made Jared Goff dangerous.
Goff’s danger was especially effective against the Seahawks, though. While Jared "Goof" moments happened versus other teams, Goff largely managed to execute the McVay gameplan when facing Seattle. McVay became Carroll’s weak point. It looked like the Seahawks had finally learned, with a Week 16 NFC West-clinching victory where the defense nullified the Rams. After the glory, Carroll admitted to second-guessing himself in previous encounters. Then Seattle’s unit declined in the wild card round. The early playoff exit at the hands of the McVay system was not a defensive regression to previous lows but it was certainly a move backwards from their regular season home win.
This brings us to the second, less immediately obvious way in which the Seahawks are copying the Rams blueprint. We’ll have to hear from Carroll to confirm if this thinking, at all, influenced his decision. The degree to which the blueprint copy was on his mind can be questioned, but I’m sure it was somewhere in his conscious.
In 2020, McVay left the other side of the ball, the defense, to a man running a system he had experienced great difficulty with. In 2021, Carroll has hired two coaches to run his worst nightmare offense.
Let’s go back to McVay’s decision to hire Brandon Staley as his defensive coordinator. In the 2019 season, McVay decided to not renew the contract of seasoned defensive mind Wade Phillips. This was despite the ‘19 Rams defense finishing 9th in the DVOA rankings. McVay then hired then-37-year old Staley as a replacement.
Staley had various small-school coaching experience in the college ranks, including defensive coordinator stints at John Carroll and James Madison. Tennessee was a major program but Staley was a grad assistant there for just the 2012 season. His NFL coaching time was limited to three seasons as an outside linebackers coach in Vic Fangio’s Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos defenses.
McVay wanted the coach who had schemed with the man who borderline-destroyed his Rams offense. Facing Fangio and Staley in Week 14 of the 2018 season, the Rams offense sputtered in a 15-6 defeat. Jared Goff finished with a 20-for-44, 180 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and four interceptions stat line. Todd Gurley carried the ball 11 times for 28 yards. It was shocking. The Rams offense had looked unstoppable up to that point.
The NFL took notice. New England turned the Super Bowl into a defensive battle by using a similar game plan to that of Fangio and Staley. The Patriots held what was once a Rams offensive juggernaut to just three points. Even the Seahawks installed their own 6-1 and staggered hooks approach to nullifying the Rams, trying it in 2019. The Rams offense had to rapidly evolve after that Chicago loss and embarrassing defeat to New England.
“I mean, he [Staley] basically ruined my night that night. That was not a good night for us,” Sean McVay described after hiring Staley, looking back at the loss in Chicago. “We talked a lot about that game and a lot of the things that we’re doing are reflective of some of the things that they were doing then, but also you see some carry over from what Coach Fangio and then what they’re doing under Coach [Chuck] Pagano. But it certainly is Coach Pagano’s system and they’re doing an excellent job executing that defense now.”
After just one season coordinating NFL defense, Staley is now the head coach of the other Los Angeles team. This should show you how successful McVay’s addition was. The Chargers beat the rest of the league to the hire, viewing Staley as the young coaching hotshot.
The 2020 Rams defense finished 4th in defensive DVOA. More than impressive statistics, though, it was the manner in which Staley achieved high performances to the level where the defense often carried the offense. His scheme and coaching proved problematic. Moreover, a "modern" feel was present throughout, with star Rams players deployed in optimal roles.
It’s not a stretch to think that similar could happen in Seattle with their 2021 offensive hires. Yes, there will be a blending process. Staley had experienced NFL 3-4 systems and star outside linebacker pass rush talent that surely smoothed his transition to Los Angeles. It would have made him an even more attractive candidate to McVay, too.
Seattle's personnel feels less natural of a move than what Staley experienced. Cognitive biases - heavy dosage of recency here - be damned! To dream, however, the potential of the Shane Waldron and Andy Dickerson hires still feels oh so high. The system the pair will introduce has caused Carroll great pain in the past. It’s this element which makes the offense's future so tantalizing.
