Pete Carroll talks Seahawks old-school football but won't commit to it
The Hawks used to run the ball, until their quarterback decided he knew better
You can track the evolution of that philosophy easily enough. And you can see the Hawks abandon it just as clearly. in 2009, the year before Carroll took the reins in Seattle, the Seahawks ranked 26th in rushing attempts and yards. They were even worse the following year, gaining just 1,424 yards on 385 carries. In 2011 they had a full season to figure out how to get Marshawn Lynch more involved in the offense and climbed to 15th in rushing attempts.
In 2012, Seattle led the league in rushing attempts and was third in yardage. They finished second in attempts and fourth in yardage in their Super Bowl season, followed that up second in attempts, and led the NFL in rushing by over 400 yards. In 2015, they were third in both categories. That ended with a game we'd all just as soon forget when the Seahawks fell behind the Panthers 31-0 in the first half.
Through those seasons, Russell Wilson had been an excellent player, without a doubt. He'd been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons. But apparently, the occasional label of game manager rankled him too much. He made it clear that he needed the ball in his hands more often. After attempting 393 and 407 passes in his first two seasons - seasons in which Seattle went 4-1 in the postseason and won it all once - Wilson wanted the ball more. He threw the ball 452 times in 2014. I think we can all agree he threw it once too often in that year's final game.
In 2015, we saw more of the same. Wilson's pass attempts were up to 483, and while Seattle was still running the ball - again, third in attempts and yards - they made one of their worst trades ever in an attempt to give Wilson another weapon. Yes, I'm talking about bringing in Jimmy Graham for Max Unger.
Almost as bad, they abandoned the running game too soon at the most critical point of the season. DangeRuss threw a pick-six on the Hawks' second play of the divisional round versus the Panthers. Seattle ran the ball on just two of their next five plays, then punted. After falling behind 21-0, Wilson was picked off again, this time on the Seahawks' first play of the drive. I'll give him credit, he did lead a remarkable comeback in the second half. But just maybe if Seattle hadn't abandoned the run game so soon, Carolina wouldn't have been sitting in those passing lanes.