Is Seahawks' rookie OC Brian Fleury a 'home run' hire? - ESPN

SEATTLE — Sam Darnold has a favorite adjective for first-year Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury: stoic.

«Whether it's a good play or bad play,» Darnold said over the summer, «his mentality never changes out there on the field.»

That was true even when a wrench was thrown into Fleury's playcalling debut — his starting quarterback going down on the fifth play of the Seahawks' season opener with what was later determined to be a glute injury.

After taking over for Darnold, backup Drew Lock led five straight scoreless possessions. With the Seahawks trailing by seven early in the fourth quarter, they faced a fourth-and-1 from the New England Patriots' 45-yard line. Fleury put the ball in Lock's hands, dialing up a play-action throw that resulted in a tying touchdown to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With Darnold watching on his phone from a nearby hospital, Lock led another field goal drive on the ensuing possession, and Seattle's defense sealed a 13-10 win with a third interception of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

Afterward, Lock credited Fleury for providing a calming voice amid the chaos.

«I think as a quarterback, with someone in the headset, you want them [to have the same demeanor] all the time,» Lock said. «It was awesome to feel that from him tonight and see that from him and know that's what we're going to get moving forward.»

It has become clear what kind of personality Seattle has spearheading the offense. There was never much question as to what the West Coast scheme itself would look like, as it's largely unchanged from the one Klint Kubiak ran before leaving to become the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders. But there is a question of whether Fleury can pick up where his predecessor left