Seahawks have to work on both sides of running game

The Seahawks have a lot of work to do on both sides of the ball. The Rams vs Cowboys highlights that fact.

The Seahawks largely won or lost this year on the results of the rushing game, both their own and their opponents. They lost their playoff game against the Cowboys because they could neither run the ball nor stop their opponent. This weekend proved that Seattle has more work to do.

Dallas got a lot of credit for the Seahawks troubles in that game, but the Rams proved it wasn’t all Dallas. Los Angeles dominated them with a punishing ground game. I’d say two backs with over 100 yards each qualifies as punishing.  Los Angeles also shut Ezekiel Elliott down. If Los Angeles can do it, Seattle should be able to as well.

More from Seattle Seahawks News

• 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
• Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency 
• Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
• 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
• 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson

In their first two games, Seattle ran the ball as if they were unfamiliar with the concept. They corrected that, ironically against the Dallas Cowboys in week three. Chris Carson was unleashed and had his first 100 yard game of the season. From week three on, the Seahawks game plan was to establish the run. Unfortunately, they stuck to that strategy too long in their playoff loss.

Yes, I know Pete Carroll says we’re all wrong, but when you only gain 73 yards on 24 carries, the run game isn’t working. Especially when you consider that 28 of those yards came on one play. I will say that at least the Seahawks realized they had to throw the ball in the fourth quarter. They had one running play, and it lost a yard. It’s likely Carroll is right. The gameplan wasn’t the problem; it was the execution.

The Rams defense stole the Cowboys offensive line’s lunch all day. Not only that, they sat on top of them and ate it, too. How else do you explain that Zeke only got 47 yards rushing? Los Angeles came into the game ranked dead last in average rushing yards allowed, yet bullied a good Dallas line for the whole game. Maybe they just needed the playoffs to get motivated.

Seahawks shake up strength coaches

And that brings us to the latest news on the Seattle coaching staff. Last season we saw an almost complete turnover of the coaching staff. About the only guys that were retained were the strength and conditioning guys. It appears that they’re taking the hit for lack of execution, as Carroll dismissed the entire staff this week. Head strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle, assistant coaches Mondray Gee and Jamie Yanchar, and head trainer Donald Rich were all shown the door.

I think this is likely the result of the defensive line’s relatively poor showing against the run all year. The Hawks allowed an average of 4.9 yards per carry, just 30th in the league. The Hawks did average 4.8 yards per carry, fifth in the league. That sounds great for the offensive line, until you look a little deeper.

It seemed that Chris Carson got hit at the line about every other play. In fact, according to playerprofiler.com, Carson ranked third in the league in evading tackles, and sixth in yards gained after evading that first attempt. In Carson’s case, evading a tackle typically consists of running his man over like a Mack truck. Ezekiel Elliott ranked second and third in those categories. He also had 57 more carries than Carson. Per carry, Carson evaded more tackles and picked up more yards than Elliott. Imagine what Carson could do with a stronger offensive line.

It could be that Carroll was tired of seeing so many nagging, persistent injuries, too. I certainly don’t know if a new head trainer would have helped Doug Baldwin or K.J. Wright heal any faster. But the changes are coming. We hope this leads to an even stronger Seahawks team, one that can fight off blocks and blow up running plays better than ever.