Bevell: ‘We really like what Christine Michael is doing right now’

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The Seahawks have been known for their outstanding run game on offense.

Their star in the backfield is Marshawn Lynch, a beast of epic proportions who has had such incredible runs in Seattle, they have literally caused earthquakes.

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But now, a new star is emerging to take some weight off of Lynch’s shoulders. His name is Christine Michael.

Last week, Pete Carroll said that Michael is expected to “get a ton of work” in 2014, but that doesn’t mean he is going to take over the starting job.

What it means is the Seahawks now have two great running backs, one of which has proven his play-making abilities while the other is just now starting to show his stuff.

“We are going to be running back by committee,” OC Darrell Bevell said on Wednesday, via NFL.com. “We really like what Christine Michael is doing right now. … He has breakaway speed and power behind his pads.”

Michael, entering his second season out of Texas A&M, only played in four games last season, rudshing for 79 yards on 18 attempts.

But if you go back to the preseason, you’ll find that he rushed for 201 yards on 40 carries, an average of just over five yards per carry.

“He’s just a million miles ahead of where he was in terms of understanding what we want scheme wise, pass protection wise, route wise, and we know he’s a natural runner,” Carroll said, per ProFootballTalk. “He’s got explosive talent and we just want to get him fit in. By the end of preseason he should be just a real comfortable part of this football team.”

The Seahawks have added Sidney Rice, Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood, among others, to help with the passing game, but it looks like the running game is also being improved.

Lynch is still the No. 1 guy in the backfield, but it will be great to see Michael gets some touches.

Who knows, there might be a new beast in town.