The Seahawks left Thursday night’s 17-14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos with a stat line that was equal parts frustrating and revealing. Seattle moved the chains on all 12 of its possessions, but once the early downs were handled, the offense stalled out.
The Seahawks produced only two drives longer than 40 yards, found the end zone once and turned it over three times. Denver won anyway, even while finishing with just 168 total yards.
On Friday morning, head coach Mike Macdonald addressed the offensive issues during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, and he pushed back on any quick judgment of first-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury as he handles play-calling for the first time.
“We have high expectations for ourselves,” Macdonald said. “I want to call the perfect game.
I’m sure Brian wants to call the perfect play every time. When we don’t, it kills us.
But that’s coaching, man. How could you live with yourself any other way?”
He didn’t stop there. Macdonald said Fleury is prepared and sharp, but made clear the offense has to take a hard look at the way it’s functioning and how it’s being built through the week.
“Brian’s well prepared and incredibly smart, but as an offense, we need to look at what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, what we’re asking certain people to do, how we build it throughout the week. We need to look at all those things right now and make sure we’re taking some steps in the right direction quickly.”
Macdonald also used the conversation to explain the reality of the job, noting that even he still feels the strain of calling plays on defense. Asked about how a young play caller can grow from game to game, he admitted the learning process never really shuts off.
“Before games, I’m losing my mind,” Macdonald quipped. “I don’t think it ever ends, but that’s how we roll here. I’m always trying to do it better.”
With a few extra days before a primetime matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 25, the Seahawks will spend the time examining everything, Fleury included, as they try to snap a two-game losing skid.
“Am I expecting Brian to be perfect? Absolutely not,” Macdonald said. “But I want our offense to act and operate like the Seahawk offense that we’ve envisioned and talked about.”
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