MVN - Most Valuable Network

Running Back Options

If you watched the Seahawks play last year, you know that their running game was, at times, atrocious. I became accustom to screaming at the TV and stomping around every time the team failed to gain even a single yard on both 3rd and 4th and short, sometimes right in a row. It was a frustrating, mostly because teams knew the Seahawks couldn’t run, yet they could still pass the ball effectively. Just imagine how good the offense could have been had there been any type of ground game to keep defenses honest. But alas, we move on to 2008.

The team headed into this offseason with the explicit goal of revamping the running game. After 2006, General Manger Tim Ruskell faced a similar situation with the safeties. He held no punches in replacing both starters and the secondary coach. This was rewarded when the team allowed the lowest number of touchdown passes, despite allowing four in the meaningless game in Atlanta during week 17. Now Ruskell has done the same with the running backs. In are Mike Wahle, former Pro Bowl guard, Julius Jones and TJ Duckett to tote the rock, and Mike Solari and Mike DeBoard to coach the guys up front. We will wait and see if the results are as grand, but in the meantime it worth looking at how this new lineup might be used.

To begin with, there is a gluttony of tailbacks on the roster at the moment. However, it could be argued that none of them are true starter material. Julius Jones was a starter, but really in name only, as Marion Barber took the key carries. TJ Duckett, a former first rounder, has been given several shots to be a feature back, never succeeding. Mo Morris is as solid a backup as you can have, he has filled in admirably for Shaun Alexander the last few years. All three figure to make the team and split carries. There are several ways it could work.

The first way seems to follow pretty standard logic. TJ Duckett, the big back will be a short yardage and goal line specialist, with Jones and Morris rotating through between the 10’s. This is a possible way to use the backs for sure. It makes sense on many levels. The back power back just drives the pile, right. In his last two years in Atlanta, Duckett scored 8 touchdowns per year on limited carries, so he is capable of filling that role. However, there is another way this running game could shake out as well.

The one thing that this unit has a tremendous amount of versatility. Not only does the team now have three capable running backs, but it is likely that the team will have two good fullbacks, each who brings a different skill. Leonard Weaver took over for Mack Strong last year and immediately the passing game got a boost as Weaver proved an excellent receiver. For the first time is several years the team had an effective screen game. Owen Schmitt, fifth round pick, comes in known for nasty blocking and a willingness to sacrifice his body. Adding both of these players to the running back mix could make for some unique combinations.

Recently, Mike Lombardi, over at Si.com, wrote a nice article about how establishing a running game early is more legend than model for success. He pointed out that 5 of the most successful teams last year primarily threw the ball in the first half and ran the ball in the second. This makes a lot of sense. The Cowboys were one of these teams, using Jones in the passing game and Barber at the end. The Pats did this very effectively. They build up big leads with an explosive passing game and then took the air out of the ball. One of the big problems with the Seahawks last year was they let second half leads slip away because they couldn’t run the ball to put the game on ice. Now they are set up to do just that.

What I propose the Hawks do with their running backs is this: Use both Morris and Jones to put points on the board and establish a lead. While it will be important for them to run enough to keep the defense honest, mostly these backs can be assets in the passing game. Getting them out in space will allow them to do the most damage. Add Leonard Weaver into the mix and then consider the number of receivers that a defense has to be responsible for on any given play. If John Carlson is the tight end the team believes he is, both a blocker and receiver, this team could line up in a power formation with two backs and a tight end, and be capable of both running or sending 5 quality receivers into the pattern. That is a lot for a defense to handle if they were expecting run. Keeping defenses honest will make both pass and run more effective.

So what to do with TJ Duckett? Well, because of his success in short yardage, it is clear he is use to running when teams are expecting it. Why not use him like a closer is used in baseball. When the Hawks have the fourth quarter lead, in come Duckett and Schmitt, and in comes power football. It doesn’t mean the team will have to run, but they often do anyway, even when they know they will be stopped. Mike Holmgren is famous for taking a three an out, even with a precarious lead, just to run some time. Sometimes it works and sometimes the Hawks then have little time to mount a game winning drive. But with Duckett and Schmitt, two large and powerful backs, both with fresh legs, they are more equipped to take advantage of a worn down defense. There is nothing more demoralizing for a team then when the defense needs a stop and knows what is coming but can’t convert. On the flip side, it provides a heck of a boost when the defense gets a three and out and hands the offense the ball right back. Thats what happened all too often to the Hawks last year, but with this new backfield, it is time to turn the tables.

Michael Steffes writes primarily for Seahawks fan site, Seahawkaddicts.com. If you are interested in up to the minute news and analysis please visit the site and read more of Michael’s work.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 11:17 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.