Seahawks fill vacancy on coaching staff

Following the conclusion of the 2019 NFL season, many fans of the Seattle Seahawks were calling for the firing of defensive coordinator Ken Norton, following the team’s finish as the number 18 defense in the NFL by DVOA. With an inability to stop the run (26th ranked run defense by DVOA) and a propensity to allow opposing offenses to convert on 3rd & Long, fans hoped that someone, anyone would be brought in to replace Norton. This included many fans hoping that the Hawks might bring former defensive coordinator Kris Richard back from the Dallas Cowboys.

According to reports, the Hawks have hired an assistant coach who spent the 2019 season with Dallas, however, it wasn’t Richard.

It was Sanjay Lal, who was brought in to replace former assistant quarterbacks coach Steve Shimko after Shimko left the Hawks to be the tight ends coach at Boston College. Lal spent the 2017 season with the Indianapolis Colts, where he worked with current Seattle offensive coordinator Bryan Schottenheimer. Thus, in filling out the coaching staff with the hire of Lal, the Hawks continued the hiring process for assistant coaches, where positions appear to only be filled by coaches for whom another member of the staff can vouch.

In any case, the Seahawks appear set to roll into the 2020 with the overwhelming majority of the coach staff the same as it was for the 2019 season. That means that those fans who place the blame for the defensive performance this past season on the shoulders of Ken Norton can now begin sharpening their pitchforks and lowering their 2020 expectations accordingly. In addition, with the reports being that no other changes are likely, particularly at the “major” assistant spots, it appears as though Seattle fans will once again get to cheer for special teams units operating under the direction of Brian Schneider for the eleventh consecutive season.