Lesson learned: Seahawks won’t change Lynch-based offense for Jimmy Graham

RENTON, Wash. – Last year brought the disruption, the fights, the angst and ultimately the trade of Percy Harvin.

Now comes the benefit from having him.

The lessons Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and quarterback Russell Wilson learned last season – initially force-feeding Harvin the ball with bubble screens, end-arounds and everything else in the first five games, then after trading him getting back to basing the offense on Marshawn Lynch’s power running – are what Seattle is applying to this spring’s trade for tight end extraordinaire Jimmy Graham.

“The cool part about Jimmy is we can just plug him in,” Seahawks offensive coordinator and play caller Darrell Bevell said following Thursday’s lightning-altered practice No. 11 of training camp. “We really don’t have to do anything special.

“He’s special as a player being able to fit into the offense. He’s picked it up very well. We can run the exact same routes that we’ve been running and just kind of plug him in.”

So no straying far from Lynch early and often in games to loosen up defenses with constant jump balls to the 6-foot-7, 270-pound Graham, whose 27 receiving scores is tied with Brandon Marshall and Dez Bryant for the most in the league the last three seasons?

“We’re not going to have to stray very far at all,” Bevell said. “We’ve been able to just plug him in and play.”

Earlier Wednesday, Carroll was more pointed on what he learned from catering too much to Harvin early last season.

On Seattle’s KJR-AM radio Carroll said the Seahawks got so into playing with their new (in full health) toy in Harvin they strayed from their Super Bowl-winning identity from the 2013 season.

“That did happen. He’s such an explosive player we wanted to see if he could create a problem that would help other aspects of it – and probably to our detriment somewhat,” Carroll told KJR. “We got out of what we were doing.”

Lynch had a mere six carries last September in a broiler at San Diego, when Harvin did score on a 51-yard catch and run but the Chargers otherwise swarmed him on bubble screens and fly sweeps as if they knew they were coming. Lynch had just 10 rushes in a home game against Dallas, one of two games Harvin refused to re-enter late after getting pummeled early.

Those Lynch-less Seahawks lost both games.

Doug Baldwin was also adjusting to unfamiliar ground with Harvin around early last season: outside as a flanker or split end while Harvin got most snaps at the inside, slot position in three wide-receiver sets. That’s where Baldwin had been so effective with the most clutch of his 116 receptions the previous two seasons. Instead, Bevell fed his bubble-screen-palooza of play calls to Harvin from September into October.

The idea to spread defenses away from Lynch’s inside running. The idea failed. Seattle began the season 3-3. National people such as those from Sports Illustrated declared the Seahawks the latest in a decade string of defending Super Bowl champions to flop.

Seattle traded Harvin to the New York Jets for a later-round draft choice on Oct. 17. Two days later Baldwin tied his season high with seven catches at St. Louis for 123 yards, the second-most of his career. He had six grabs the following week.

In the nine games immediately after the trade, Lynch averaged 20 carries. Voila! Seattle went 7-2 to seize the NFC West lead. It was on its way to eight consecutive wins and into another Super Bowl.

“We got right back to (our norm),” Carroll told KJR Wednesday. “Doug went back to the slot and we were going to him on third downs and he was making his plays and what go right back to what we’d been doing. And we were more comfortable. And we were a better team doing it.”

Now they are vowing they’ve learned. Even with Graham the latest new toy in the offense.

“What’s really been interesting with Jimmy coming in is, we‘ve tried to not change the offense – for that reason. We don’t want to change the offense,” Carroll said. “But, you’ve got to get the ball to him. You can’t miss him out there; he’s such a great target.

“So we have not had to change our offense. We’ve tried to grab onto what he brings that is unique and worth moving towards. And that’s what we are doing.”

Graham is all for merging into the Seahawks’ run-based scheme led by Lynch, the NFL’s leading rusher and touchdown maker since 2011, rather than being so relied upon as he was for Drew Brees in pass-happy New Orleans.

“For me? Less hits. Longer career,” Graham said, smiling.