In a relatively stunning move, the Seattle Seahawks have fired veteran offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2011. He was with the franchise for seven seasons.
In an unfortunate way, Bevell appears to be playing the role of scapegoat.
Seattle was 15th in total offense and 11th in scoring in the NFL, which highlights an admirable but not great offense. Yet, the Seahawks struggled as the season went on. Bevell's offense failed to accumulate more than 150 yards in both Week 15 and 16.
The biggest issue Bevell faced was having a below average offensive line, which often forced quarterback Russell Wilson to scramble for his life before making a play.
This will unlikely sit well with some of the franchise's offensive weapons, are players like Doug Baldwin were already on the record before this firing, backing their offensive coordinator.
"It's not playcalling. It's not playcalling," Baldwin said. "We go into a game knowing what the defense is going to give us, the situations that we're going to be in. We don't execute as a team. Offensively, that's what we've seen time and time again is that we do not execute the way that we should. And that's on us as players. You guys can blame Bev all you want to, but the truth of the matter is that Bev's not the problem."
Bevell appears to be well regarded by other coaches in the NFL. It wouldn't be terribly shocking to see him scooped up soon. As for the Seahawks, at the time of this writing, they are currently without a replacement.
