Why Christine Michael doesn’t get more playing time

By Keith Myers | May 13, 2015

Seattle Seahawks running back Christine Michael is perhaps the most dynamic athlete on a team full of dynamic athletes. Every time he touches the football it is easy to see why the Seahawks used their second round pick on him in 2013. Unfortunately, those touches have been very few in his two seasons in Seattle.

More from Seattle Seahawks News

One of the most often-asked questions that I get is some form of “Why doesn’t Christine Michael get more playing time?”

The response I often hear to that question is simply that Marshawn Lynch has so good that the Seahawks don’t want to take him off of the field. While there is something to that answer, it isn’t correct. The Seahawks do take Lynch of the field, and almost always replace him with the good but unspectacular Robert Turbin.

There were also multiple games last season when Lynch’s back tightened up before kickoff and he missed the start of the game. It would make sense for the Seahawks to rest Lynch more often and preserve his back. Besides, Michael wasn’t able to get the field in those instances either.

Unfortunately, the answer is actually more simple than you might realize: ball security.

It isn’t that Michael isn’t sloppy with the football either. His technique is fairly sound as long as the ball is in his right hand. The problem is that the ball is always in his right hand, no matter the direction he’s running or where on the field he is.

Running backs are supposed to hold the ball in their left hand when they run to the left side. This keeps the ball as far from any would-be tacklers as possible. For whatever the reason, Michael never learned that before turning pro.

Here are all 34 carries Michael had during the 2015 season. The second column indicates if the initial direction of the play is to the right, left, or straight upfield:

[table id=58 /]

Notice a trend? Not once did Michael carry the ball in his left hand. This doesn’t matter on the 25 carries that are to the right or up the middle, but the ones to the left are problematic.

Opposing teams have noticed this as well. When he runs left, they start trying to rip the ball out of his hands. It was only a matter of time before they were able to get the ball away from him, and it happened in Week 16 against Arizona.

The play was zone stretch to the left. While Michael did cut upfield inside of the tackle, the entire play was to the left side and he had the ball in his right hand the entire time.

The first defender to the ball made no attempt to make a tackle. The Cardinals saw an opportunity to cause a turnover and went for it.

The Seahawks were lucky that the ball bounced out of bounds. A turnover deep in their own end could have changed that game. That is a point that isn’t lost on head coach Pete Carroll, who preaches ball security at every opportunity.

While one fumble isn’t typically a big deal, Michael’s small number of carries amplify the problem. His fumble rate on carries to the left side is an amazingly high 11 percent. Small sample size or not, that is a major problem.

The Seahawks have been working with him on that, but it has been two years now. The moment he gets into the game he falls back on old habits. The Seahawks simply don’t trust him yet.

It should be noted that the Seahawks clearly believe in Michael. The 2014 draft was the deepest and most talented RB class in a long time, and Seattle still skipped the position entirely. With Lynch’s status on a year-to-year basis, that is a huge vote of confidence on Michael’s future.

It is also easy to see why the Seahawks are still excited about Michael. After watching all of his carries from last season, it left me wishing I there was more film on him to watch. He is clearly a special player.

So is this the season where we finally see Christine Michael on the field more often? Probably, but only if he can learn to carry the ball in his left hand.

Next: Why the Seahawks will win Super Bowl 50

More from 12th Man Rising

Home/Seattle Seahawks News