Having a great running game, and a superstar running back, o even just a really good running back, is at the forefront of a lot of good football teams we have seen over the years.
There are two in particular that really stand out the Seattle Seahawks with Pete Carroll as head coach, and the Philadelphia Eagles in today's league, as they just beat down the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Raiders are trying to do that, and if we know Carroll, the Raiders' new head coach, we know he will want to run the ball.
So, of course, they drafted Ashton Jeanty, one of the best college running backs we have seen in a long time, or maybe even the greatest college RB of all time, if we are being honest. Jeanty fits everything that they need, and the style they want to have.
And even better, he has one of Carroll's former RBs fired up about the pick.
"I'm glad you brought him [Marshawn Lynch] up because he's been calling all evening about it. He's pretty fired up about it. And there's nobody who loves the whole running game more than he does. And the style guys that have style is something that's really special to Marshawn I know," Carroll said after drafting Jeanty.
"There are similarities in that his ability to make plays when it doesn't look like there's anything there, Marshawn did that throughout his career. And he found a physical way to kind of bank off of people and bounce, just keep alive and Ashton really is a player that shows that kind of style. That's one of the aspects of his style, his burst, and all of the other things he does as well, complement. But there's a special makeup in there in Ashton in particular."
The two are not the same type of running back, but the similarities are certainly there. And, Carroll helped unlock a whole new version of Marshawn Lynch during his time with the Seahawks, one that earned him the name Beast Mode. He was good with the Buffalo Bills, but the Seahawks version is likely the best version.
Carroll already broke down the two similarities between the two players, so I won't do that, but you certainly see them and that's also a big reason the Raiders picked Jeanty. They're going to be destined to turn this run game around.
