Seahawks’ depth on offense has been vital to team’s success
By David Stobbe
The Seahawks’ offense has been amazing to watch the last half of the season, and a big part of their success is the positive contribution of backup players filling in for injured starters.
The Seattle Seahawks’ offense has put up ridiculous numbers this year, and they have made this team very dangerous going into the playoffs. Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin have led the charge and deserve major recognition, as both have had career years.
Wilson put the team on his back and showed why the Seahawks paid him all that money prior to the season. He threw for 4,024 yards and 34 touchdowns, breaking the Seahawks’ single season passing record in his fourth year.
Doug Baldwin proved to the rest of the NFL that he is one of the top wide receivers in the game. He finished the regular season with 1,069 yards and 14 touchdowns and looked unstoppable down the final stretch.
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What really impressed me with the Seahawks’ offense was the contribution of the backups. They stepped in when starters went down with injuries, and the offense didn’t miss a beat.
The “next man up” approach has been vital to the team’s success, especially when injured players such as Marshawn Lynch, Thomas Rawls and Jimmy Graham went down.
Let’s start with the running back position, which was without Beast Mode for the majority of the season.
Thomas Rawls came in as an undrafted rookie and ran for 830 yards in 13 games. If he hadn’t gotten injured, Rawls would have made a strong case for offensive rookie of the year.
When Rawls went down Christine Michael, the prodigal son, came back to the Hawks focused and on a mission. Last game he ran for 102 yards against the Arizona Cardinals.
Fred Jackson has also stepped up to help fill the void of both Lynch and Rawls. He finished with 32 receptions for 257 yards in the regular season and proved to be a reliable target for Wilson.
The wide receivers were led by Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett this year. But injuries to Ricardo Lockette and Paul Richardson forced two undrafted rookies from University of Washington to step up.
Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams are both great stories about how hard work pays off. They spent some time on the practice roster this year earning their spot, but they are now playing on game day for the Seahawks.
Smith and Williams stepped in and showed that they can be counted on to make the right play and do the dirty work, such as blocking. Don’t be surprised if Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams make a few big catches in the playoffs.
The tight ends have also stepped up to replace Jimmy Graham after his injury against Pittsburgh in week 12.
Luke Willson has made some great plays for the offense this year. He can stretch the field so well with his speed and has become a consistent target for Russell Wilson.
It was exciting to watch Cooper Helfet get some game action these past few weeks. He played really well last week, with Luke Willson out with a concussion. Helfet caught 4 passes for 42 yards and was just short of a touchdown.
Chase Coffman, who was recently signed, also had a solid game in Arizona. He had 4 catches for 29 yards and a touchdown.
The offensive line has come a long way this year and they managed to stay healthy for the majority of the season.
In Arizona, though, they were missing Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy to injury. Alvin Bailey and Mark Glowinski stepped up and both had great games.
Seahawks fans worrying about Russell Wilson’s health were pleasantly surprised with the way Bailey and Glowinski protected their star quarterback.
The coaches also deserve to be recognized for the work they do each week to get the backups ready to play in case of injury. Seahawks coaches make sure the second and third string players prepare as if they are going to start on Sunday.
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The entire Seahawks team wouldn’t have had the success they did if it weren’t for backup players stepping in and playing so well. Football is a team sport and you need every player on your roster to contribute to the team in a positive way.
The Seahawks are a perfect example of a team that is able to overcome injuries and still play championship football. Having the depth that they do is what makes this team so dangerous come playoff time.