Brian Fleury’s new Seahawks offense just got a deep dive from Coach DC on the Sea Hawkers Podcast, breaking down the preseason tape. What we’re seeing is a wild hybrid beast, ready to tear up the league! After Kubiak bounced for the Raiders, we all wondered what Fleury would cook up, especially after last year’s Super Bowl win.
The Ace Formation Is Back, Baby!
After Kubiak left, the big question was the ‘Ace’ formation, that 12-personnel beast with two tight ends, two receivers, balanced and mirrored. It was a play-action dream! Coach DC’s early film breakdown shouts YES: Fleury is keeping it! We saw it multiple times against Tennessee. This is huge continuity, a high-success package that fits our tight end room and stresses defenses just like last season. Total relief, right?
More Motion, More Options, More Problem for Defenses
But Fleury isn’t just copying and pasting. Coach DC caught some spicy new wrinkles: way more running-back motion pre-snap, straight out of San Francisco’s playbook. That back often motions towards the two-receiver side, forcing second-level defenders to widen, which BOOM, opens throwing lanes underneath. Combine that with a heavier diet of shotgun run concepts and option-style reads, where Sam Darnold is reading the edge or second-level guys. Last year was under-center, but this year’s different. Don’t expect Sam to turn into a full-time runner, even with his Super Bowl athleticism. These aren’t high-volume QB runs, but used sparingly, these wrinkles are gonna snag us easy yards. Trust it.
Not a Reset, But a Genius Evolution: What’s the Catch?
So, if you’re picturing a total reset, nope. Coach DC described it like a Venn diagram: Fleury’s offense is a Shanahan-Kubiak hybrid, with way more overlap than divergence. We’ll still see that play-action boot to the field after run action to the boundary. And here’s the genius: protection answers don’t look rigid like that Shanahan style diced in the Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. Keeping John Benton looks like a masterstroke, letting us evolve core principles while adding sweet motion and shotgun options. The only hazy thing? How Fleury plans to distribute the ball. Seriously, everyone’s watching our tight ends early season, how much they’re featured, especially with AJ Barner. That’s the big question.
So yeah, we’ve got the Ace, new motion, shotgun options, and a smarter protection scheme. It’s an evolution, not a total rebuild, built to cause problems. But until we see how Fleury uses our tight ends in the regular season, that’s the story to watch, Emerald City. Get ready for fireworks!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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