Brian Fleury’s, Mike Macdonald’s theme for new Seahawks OC: Continuity in style

Brian Fleury knew the question was coming. It’s the one everyone has about the Seahawks’ new offensive coordinator. Everyone, that is, except the man who hired him.

What about the 47-year-old Fleury, a former college quarterback at Towson and defensive linebackers coach in the NFL, arriving from being “only” a position coach for San Francisco the last seven years, with the added role of 49ers run-game coordinator this past season? What about him taking over the offense the just won the Super Bowl — while having zero offensive play-calling experience?

“I do think it’s a bit overrated. At some point, all play-callers have to be first-time play-callers,” said Mike Macdonald, that man who chose Fleury over four internal candidates plus Arizona Cardinals assistant Connor Senger to be Seattle’s offensive coordinator. Macdonald introduced Fleury as the Seahawks’ fourth offensive coordinator in four years Thursday, at Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.

Fleury replaces Klint Kubiak. Kubiak left this month after one, Super Bowl-champion season calling Seattle’s plays to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders . “Look, you are going to have to grow in any new role,” Macdonald said. He would know. The Seahawks hired Macdonald two years ago to be a head coach for the first time, at any level of football.

They made him the NFL’s youngest head coach, at age 36, i n February 2024. That’s worked out all right for Macdonald, and for Seattle. In just two seasons he joined the legend he replaced, Pete Carroll, as the only coaches in the Seahawks’ 50-year history to win the Super Bowl. “We have a lot of great people around here, and a lot of great opportunities for (Fleury) to get ready to go,” Macdonald said.

“I’m really confident he’s going to be off and running sooner than later. “I’m excited about it.

It’s going to be a fun process to build this thing.” Brian Fleury’s offense Given he hasn’t called his own plays, there a second, obvious question about Fleury taking over as the orchestrator for Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold, NFL offensive player of the year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks offense that this past season set a franchise record for points. What does a Brian Fleury offense look like?

“It looks very similar to the one that just won the Super Bowl,” Fleury said. Months before his first Seahawks practice their new OC was, as many of his new, 20-something players on the league’s third-youngest team say, dropping bars. Then Fleury echoed what his new boss was saying throughout the Seahawks winning 17 of 20 games and the Super Bowl from September through 11 days ago.

“It’s more about how you play than what you are actually doing schematically,” Fleury said. “We’re going to be fast and violent and aggressive in every way that we possibly can. Put pressure on defenses.” And: Run the ball. Fleury and Kubiak were on the 49ers offensive staff in 2023, a team that made the Super Bowl.

Kubiak was San Francisco’s passing game coordinator and Fleury was in his second of three seasons as Niners tight ends coach. Yet Fleury made it clear the offense he’s going to run with the Seahawks isn’t patterned after Kubiak’s. It’s from the Shanahan system. Kyle Shanahan hired Fluery from the Cleveland Browns in 2019. That was to be a 49ers defensive quality-control coach.