Pete Carroll called Shane Waldron “a must-get for us” who has a “vision for the future” and will “expand the explosive ability” of Russell Wilson and the offense.

Those comments were included in the team’s announcement that Waldron will become offensive coordinator and fellow Rams assistant Andy Dickerson will come with him to coordinate the running game.

This setup harks back to the Darrell Bevell/Tom Cable days, but with a more definite hierarchy: Waldron is in charge.

Carroll said Waldron’s “creative and competitive approach to the game will bring out the best in our players and coaches. Shane also brings great knowledge and insight about our division. His vision for the future, along with the caliber of players on our offense, made him a must-get for us.”

Those first two sentences are pretty clear: Waldron brings Sean McVay’s advanced offensive attack and also knows the 49ers and Cardinals after spending the past four years with the Rams.

As great as those two traits are, the more intriguing comment was about Waldron’s “vision for the future.” That makes it sound like Waldron articulated a grand plan for how to get the most out of Wilson, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and company.

It obviously includes the elements Carroll loves: running the ball and hitting deep throws. Dickerson’s hire is a nod to the former. An assistant O-line coach with the Rams, he helped spearhead a running game that has ranked in the top 10 in three of the past four years. He and Seattle line coach Mike Solari – called “the best line coach in football” recently by Mike Holmgren – should work well together to help the line take a step forward after the playoff debacle against Waldron and Dickerson’s Rams.

Waldron and Dickerson will arrive with a shared vision of how to attack defenses.

“(Dickerson) has worked with Shane for many years, and that continuity will be an integral factor in the transition process,” Carroll said. “They, together with our staff, will work to capture the many strengths we have developed over the years and expand the explosive ability that Russell and crew have afforded us.”

It all looks and sounds good at this early date, but also recall that the offseason is likely to be much as it was in 2020: virtual.

The Hawks did well preparing last year, as evidenced by their fast start, but they were on Year 3 of Brian Schottenheimer and just making adjustments to their early-down approach. This will be a bigger test to get the players synced up with a somewhat new scheme ahead of training camp. It helps that Wilson and the Hawks have run a similar offense and Wilson is apparently excited about the tweaks Waldron plans to make.  

As we said on “The Emerald City Sportscast,” Waldron’s main task is to get Wilson to sustain great play into the postseason. That’s the biggest “vision for the future” he needs to have.