It's been a long time coming, but there's overwhelming evidence that the Seattle Seahawks will finally establish the running game this year. It may be an overstatement that it will be the first time in a decade, but it's certainly the first time they'll truly emphasize it.
I don't think I need to bring up February 1, 2015, to a single member of the 12s. But I will. Maybe you're new to the land of College Navy, Wolf Gray, and Action Green. Or maybe you mercifully erased that final terrible play for the Seahawks on that day. Regardless of who called the play, the failure to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch marked the beginning of Seattle's slide into overreliance on the passing game in Seattle.
Since that play, the Seahawks moved away from the running game more and more. How often did we hear Pete Carroll say after another loss, "We should have gotten (Chris or Rashaad or Ken) the ball more often?" Frankly, more than once was too often. It looks like Seattle finally has an offensive coordinator who knows the value of the running game in Klint Kubiak.
Seahawks' Klint Kubiak will clearly emphasize the ground game
Anyone who's watched the Seahawks in the past several years has seen how much the team moved away from the running game firsthand. We all hoped we'd see a course correction with new head coach Mike Macdonald and his new OC Ryan Grubb. Sadly, it was more of the same. Exit the pass-happy Grubb, enter the balance-oriented Klint Kubiak.
Let's get just a teeny bit mathy, shall we? We'll look at where the Seahawks ranked in the percentage of running plays in the past two years, compared to where Kubiak's offenses ranked. All stats are from teamrankings.com.
|
Team |
Year |
Percentage |
Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Seahawks |
2024 |
37.18 |
27th |
|
Seahawks |
2023 |
38.39 |
27th |
|
Saints |
2024 |
43.02 |
16th |
|
Vikings |
2021 |
41.46 |
14th |
By the way, the four teams that ran the ball even less than Seattle last year: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, and the NY Jets. Is that really the company you want to keep? That was no anomaly, either. In 2023, the futile four were Washington, Cincinnati, Minnesota, and the Jets. The Bengals had the best record in the group and were only 9-8.
Toss out the Bengals, 9-8 both years on the strength of Joe Burrow's arm, and the average winning percentage is just .291, or a 5-12 team.
Even with the Bengals, the average record is only 6-11. And what team has been listed among the most underperforming/disappointing in the past two seasons? I mean, other than the Seahawks, by some disgruntled fans. On the flip side, the Eagles, Ravens, Packers, and Bills ran the ball more than any other team last year. Which group do you want your team compared to?
Kubiak has favored a balanced attack, so much so that he's one of the few coordinators who uses a fullback. Heck, the Seahawks even have a position battle going on at the position. My money is on fifth-round pick Robbie Ouzts. He may not be as good a receiver as Brady Russell, but Kubiak doesn't target the fullback that often.
The Saints' main FB last season, Adam Prentice, got four targets in 272 snaps. Under Kubiak in Minnesota, C.J. Ham saw 18 targets in 376 snaps. It's not like Ouzts can't catch, either. He pulled down eight catches for 108 yards and two scores for the Crimson Tide last season. Regardless of who it is, the Seahawks' opponents are going to see a lot of the fullback in 2025
Kenneth Walker has been one of the most underrated backs in the league since he arrived three years ago. With a more physical offensive line, a fullback clearing a path, and an honest-to-god commitment to the running game, expect big things from him. Or whoever totes the rock for the Seahawks this season.
