RB history for Pete and Cable?

Does anyone know what success Pete had at USC at RB? Or was it just Reggie Bush? What about Cable? Was his success as a head coach as well as line coach tied to any one RB?

It seems like both of these guys have had very good success even when they didn't have a Lynch type of RB. Do we believe our running game would go away without Lynch?

I feel like I'm experiencing Deja vu with the Lynch situation. I know he is the polar opposite of Alexander but Shawn was coming off an MVP season and was putting up record TD's and nearly 2000 yards a season when we resigned him There was a ton of folks that felt then that losing Alexander would doom the organization to mediocrity. So what did we do? We sank the ship trying to keep him happy.

The first game of the next year Shawn gets his foot stepped on and breaks bones on the top of his foot and that was pretty much the end of his career. We on the other hand were on the hook for a massive contract that kept us from re-signing Steve Hutchinson and the team spiraled from there.

I love Lynch. As much as many Seahawks but he is seemingly becoming about Lynch and not the team. This organization has thrived on exactly the opposite of that. IMO giving Lynch a huge contract could cripple the team. If he isn't all in then he is not worth the money and paying him will set a very poor example. Even if he is all in, an injury could also derail us.

Imagine Marshall and Mathews on the outside with Baldwin in the slot and Willson at TE. That could be a great system to get defenses to back off the LOS. Add in the threat of Wilson running and you force defenses to choose to defend the run or the pass and not be able to commit to either. Three 6'5" targets plus Baldwin in the slot? Game on.

Wilson had what, three TD's in a quarter of play in the pro bowl he played in? Sure it was the pro bowl but did any other QB's do that? How many times has that happened?

Give Wilson a decent receiving corp and watch what he can do. He is also developing his quick release but for that to be successful we are going to have to create a threat on the outside and force opponents to put a less talented CB on Baldwin. Spreading defenses out will also open up the running game.

We are at a cross road IMO. Committing to Lynch commits to no dominant #1 receiver and dooms us to Lynch's success or failure. Injury or attitude could derail him and our team. It is time to upgrade the receiving corp and if Lynch needs to play for 10 mill then say goodbye. Go out and get a true #1 receiver to change the game. We can still be a balanced team in the run/pass but it would be easier with a better threat in the passing game.

Cable was the OC at UCLA during the Maurice Jones-Drew years.

Carroll had several successful RBs at SC, but only Bush has been a true success in the NFL. His first star back was I think Justin Fargas in 2002. Fargas went on to have a seven-year career with the Raiders. Then there was Bush and LenDale White ("Thunder and Lighting") from 2003-2005. White led the league in rushing TDs in 2008, but then his career quickly fizzled away as his weight fluctuated. Bush has had a few productive years and won a Super Bowl in a backup role with the Saints, but he never really met expectations. After White/Bush, Carroll went the RB by committee approach for most of the next four years that he was SC, never producing another thousand year rusher with a consistent but never spectacular running game. I fear this is what will happen to the Seahawks post-Marshawn Lynch.

edit -- Joe McKnight ran for 1,014 yards in 2009. But no thousand-yard rusher in '06, '07, or '08.

Well the problem as in many positions is how they are used and what scheme they are in, they may have great numbers in one system but fail in another when a coach see's the measurable but not the style. Also why so many stars seem to fade when traded to another team, different system and not used the same.

Pete recognizes that and styles his scheme to the players strengths and has a roll for them before he brings them in.

I think it's harder to quantify guys in college as far as a measure of success for the NFL. We see it all the time where guys do awesome in college and peter out in the big league, and vice versa.

I think it's probably due to the fact that college in comparison is a very static environment. Similar scholastic environment, monetary situations, social lives, etc. They're all young and impressionable and more prone to taking advice because they don't know any better. Then they hit the NFL and everything changes, just as it does with any walk of life.

I think Lynch is as good a history for Pete and Cable as any running back, college or NFL. He has more than likely shaped their views on the position far more than any other player, and will probably be a better clue to the type of player they'd look for than anyone. They know his strengths and his liabilities, and they'll draft or trade accordingly...

...when that time comes.

What Pete has shown is the ability to adapt to the strengths of his players. Fargas, Bush, White, McKnight and others were all very different in their abilities, yet SC was always successful and exciting to watch.

While there is a stark different in talent between the two leagues the success has stayed the same. Even If we do end up with a RB by committee we will still be successful, maybe not as exciting as Lynch is to watch, but nonetheless still just as successful.

The Jets were successful with Tomlinson/McKnight duo when they were the rushing kings, neither of them ran like Lynch. Point is cable and Pete know what they are doing and will maximize the talent they have. With or W/O Lynch.







I certainly hope it is with Lynch though

Cable had a great RB and HB/FB thing going in Oakland. He was on the cusp of a very, very dynamic rushing attack there. Very cool blend of zone, stretch, misdirection, and HBack looks. He just got Al Davis'd too quick.

Cable has been forever tinkering with ideas at FB to recapture what he found in Reese. I think if Cable could find another guy like Reese, the offense as whole would rise. Augment the passing game more through the backfield options. I dream of Clay from Miami in that role.

Unless of course "guru" cblocks such attempts.

I think pehawk is spot on with his description of Cable.

The Seahawk coaching staff continues to be committed to the running game. That "all in" commitment includes wide receiver coach Kippy Brown. I know that frustrates a lot of fans who love the passing game. But, that "all in" commitment to the running game is what they are about.

As I recall, Marshawn approached Cable and adapted to Cable's zone blocking scheme. Lynch committed to Cable's rules to get to the hole. Once there, Marshawn is free to improvise with his own style. As I recall. It took a number of games for Marshawn to begin to roll. It will be the same for any back to get on the field.

What I think is most important in the Seahawk offense is the development of three way players. Men that can block, run and catch ... particularly at running back .... fullback .... and tightend. It is why they value Marshawn Lynch, Derrick Coleman and Zach Miller over the competition. A dynamic specialist like Christian Michael doesn't get the playing time because he has yet to evolve into a competitive and trusted three way player.

Pete also used the FB as blocker, runner and pass catcher--the latter being especially true of Stanley Havili.

sc85sis":8qu9wfhs said:

Pete also used the FB as blocker, runner and pass catcher--the latter being especially true of Stanley Havili.

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Thank you...if there's ever a thread you're needed it's this one.

I think Coleman can be that FB. The position seems to need a tweener.

RichNhansom":3445txes said:

Wilson had what, three TD's in a quarter of play in the pro bowl he played in? Sure it was the pro bowl but did any other QB's do that? How many times has that happened?
We are at a cross road IMO. Committing to Lynch commits to no dominant #1 receiver and dooms us to Lynch's success or failure. Injury or attitude could derail him and our team. It is time to upgrade the receiving corp and if Lynch needs to play for 10 mill then say goodbye. Go out and get a true #1 receiver to change the game. We can still be a balanced team in the run/pass but it would be easier with a better threat in the passing game.

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I'm kind of in the same camp here.
If we put too much devotion into any ONE player, we are limiting ourselves to that player not faltering when all the chips are down, and that's not a sustainable blueprint.
I believe Pete & John had visions of using Percy Harvin, Russell Wilson & Marshawn Lynch in a three pronged attack, with intentions of opening up the Offense to something never seen before, only problem with that?, One Head Case Me-Me player, and the magic doesn't happen.
I too believe that if Wilson has another tall blocking Sidney Rice type Receiver or >TWO< that he can rely on to fight for the ball, the running game will automatically open up a lot more, for which Marshawn Lynch would also benefit from.
I love what Marshawn Lynch has done for the team, but ALL great RB's, and especially the ones that pound the rock without trying to avoid contact, eventually get worn out and have to retire, the smart ones do it before there's too much irreparable damage, and I think that THAT is what ML is contemplating right now.

pehawk":28sxdg89 said:

sc85sis":28sxdg89 said:

Pete also used the FB as blocker, runner and pass catcher--the latter being especially true of Stanley Havili.

Click to expand...

Thank you...if there's ever a thread you're needed it's this one.

I think Coleman can be that FB. The position seems to need a tweener.

Click to expand...

Yea, I have a feeling they went with Coleman over Robinson due to Coleman's athleticism.

It makes me wonder what they're going to do with Tukuafu. For his size, the guy is an athetic freak...almost on the level of a Ngata. He can catch and absolutely BLOWS open holes and erases LBers.

I don't think we need this true dominant #1 WR that tilts the field like a lot are saying, but we do need a guy that can win 1 on 1 matchups. Richardson was good at this. Norwood was great at winning the contested catches in college. I was hoping those two could elevate the WR corps: one guy with separation and one guy with physicality.

I'm actually pulling for Chicago to cut Marshall. I think he would be perfect here. He doesn't stretch the field, but you're not going to put one guy on him and keep him from getting the ball. He's an immediate sure fire outlet option for Russ when things go bad, or we face an unfavorable match up in the run game.