3 former Rams coaches who are killing it with their new teams

NFC West rival

Seattle Seahawks OC Shane Waldron was a somewhat surprising hire by the Seahawks, particularly when the offense had been rather productive under former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.  But the team cited philosophical differences, and that led to his release. Of course, that opened the role up for a new offensive coordinator.

After the 2020 NFL season, the LA Rams had once more re-established their ability to run with the football, ending the year among the Top 10 NFL rushing offenses despite relying upon a running-back-by-committee approach.

Slow but steady wins the race but at a frustrating pace

That slow but steady pace frustrated Rams HC Sean McVay, who stated in no uncertain terms that he wanted a more explosive offense in 2021. That change in philosophy indicated a new direction for the Rams’ offense and may have prompted then-LA Rams offensive passing coordinator Shane Waldron to consider other opportunities.

In his first season with the Seahawks, Waldron’s goals were pretty simple and straightforward. Head coach Pete Carroll wanted to run the ball more effectively.  While the Seahawks’ ground game was about the same, their ability to score on the ground improved slightly. But the true test came when the team traded away quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a treasure chest of picks and players.

Waldron was up to the task, reforging an offense behind perennial backup quarterback Geno Smith that has an offense that many NFL pundits and analysts had written off for dead in or near the NFL’s Top 10 this year. And their offense is doing so with a balanced attack, something that has been sorely missing from the LA Rams offense since, coincidentally, 2022.