The Seattle Seahawks offense stumbled down the stretch after a hot start in 2020.
Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf, speaking with former Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall on the I Am Athlete Podcast, said defenses knew what Seattle was trying to do, making it easier to slow.
"Teams just started to figure us out," Metcalf said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. "We've been running deep pass, ever since (coach) Pete (Carroll) got there. Play-action. Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball, go deep. Teams just said, 'We're just not gonna let you all go deep.'"
Parsing Metcalf's brief quote, there is clearly some frustration for an offense that became predictable and couldn't adjust.
Carroll's response to the offense sputtering was to say the Seahawks must run the ball more in 2021 to force defenses out of those Cover 2 looks that slowed the deep passing game, as Metcalf mentioned.
The inability to adjust the offense ultimately led to the dismissal of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
The next man at the helm of the Seahawks offense will be tasked with getting past the stumbling blocks that have held back Seattle from unlocking the true potential of talented players like Metcalf. Given Carroll's comments, however, Metcalf's grievances about running the ball on early downs aren't likely to be met with open ears.
