This season was an eye-opener for the Seattle Seahawks after they finished with a record of 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. A few short weeks after the season’s end, the Seahawks did what most fans were begging for, and that was changes to the coaching staff. The Seahawks fired offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, defensive coordinator Kris Richard and offensive line coach Tom Cable. Their replacements came to be Brian Schottenheimer, Ken Norton Jr., and Mike Solari, respectively. Below we analyze what the Seattle Seahawks coaching changes mean.
Seahawks officially parted ways with defensive coordinator Kris Richard, and announced they hired Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator, Ken Norton Jr. s defensive coordinator and Mike Solari as offensive line coach.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 16, 2018
What the Seattle Seahawks Coaching Changes Mean
Offensive Coordinator
The fans must be thanking Pete Carroll and John Schneider wholeheartedly for finally getting rid of Darrell Bevell. Bevell’s total offensive only ranked in the top five once during his seven years in Seattle and had a long series of poor play-calling and the inability to get the ball down the field. Shortly after Bevell’s release, the Seahawks hired Indianapolis Colts quarterback coach, Brian Schottenheimer as his replacement. Schottenheimer has spent several years in the past as an offensive coordinator with the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams, and at the University of Georgia. With the Jets, his offense was ranked in the top 10 four times.
Defensive Coordinator
Ken Norton Jr. is making his return to Seattle after the team let go previous defensive coordinator Kris Richard. Norton was originally brought over to Seattle in 2010 as the linebackers coach along with head coach Pete Caroll, who he had worked under at the University of Southern California for the past several years. During his first tenure with the Seahawks, he was a key part in developing two promising players, Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. Norton was also a big part in creating a top-league defense with the team. He left the team and became the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders but has returned to Seattle after three seasons away.
Norton has won three Super Bowls as a player and one as a coach, with the Seahawks, in 2013. Let’s hope he can do that again.
Offensive Line Coach
Mike Solari is also making his return to Seattle, replacing Tom Cable as the offensive line coach. Solari previously held this position for two years in 2008 and has been the offensive line coach for several teams in the NFL and college football since 1976. Most recently he’s worked for the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and New York Giants. Solari was present when the Seahawks offensive line wasn’t painful to watch. One outstanding player he worked with was future Hall-of-Famer tackle, Walter Jones. After the 2009 NFL Draft, Solari got to coach future Pro Bowler center, Max Unger.
Last Word
Bringing back Mike Solari brings hope that he can restore the currently awful offensive line (excluding Justin Britt). While injuries were the main problem with the Seahawks this last season, the Seahawks can count on Kent Norton Jr. to bring them back to a top-five defense. Unlike, Norton and Solari, Schottenheimer doesn’t exactly have anything special under his belt from the past but having a fresh face to take over offensive play calling is breath of fresh air. The changes to the Seahawks coaching staff means a wake-up call has finally hit the franchise and if they want to reach the Super Bowl again, it starts here.
Main Photo:Embed from Getty Images
