Alex Gibbs' Shocking Retirement Leaves Seahawks in a Bind

Filed under: Seahawks, NFL CoachingThe Seahawks had a whole lot of problems with their offensive line in 2009 thanks to injuries. New offensive line coach Alex Gibbs was supposed to help fix those problems this year. Instead, he just caused a much bigger one.

Just eight days before the season opener, Gibbs told the Seahawks that he is retiring immediately. Gibbs, considered the guru of zone blocking, is 69 years old, but it's hard to believe there isn't more to the story than the fact that he's worn out, as a spokesman told the Seattle Times. Burnout may be a factor in his decision, but unless they are facing a life-threatening health situation, they don't quit in season.

For now, Art Valero, the team's assistant offensive line coach, is expected to be the team's primary offensive line coach, but Seattle is thought to be on a frantic search for a more permanent replacement. There are a couple of problems that will make that very difficult. For one, good offensive line coaches are rarely looking for a new job during the football season. For another, Gibbs' zone-blocking schemes are very different from the scheme that a majority of offensive line coaches use. So if the Seahawks hire a new coach who doesn't emphasize the smaller, but more mobile linemen that Gibbs prefers, the new coach will likely have to spend the rest of this season coaching a scheme he's not comfortable with.

The Seahawks already were expected to go into the opener without first-round pick Russell Okung and they have put backup tackle Ray Willis on injured reserve. Valero has a very difficult week ahead for him as he tries to piece together a line. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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