hawknation2016
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By drafting three RBs in this year's draft and signing a highly regarded UDFA, the Seahawks will have hopefully increased their odds of successfully replacing the newly retired Marshawn Lynch going forward. Rawls is the proven incumbent, but it's nice to see that they are not putting all their eggs in one basket.
Carroll used a similar approach when he coached at the college level. After LenDale White and Reggie Bush ("thunder and lightning") each rushed for over a thousand yards in 2005 and then declared for the NFL draft, Carroll sought to replace them by recruiting as many top ranked running backs as he could. At one point, USC had 10 bluechip backs on its roster. The result was that USC continued to run the ball at a high level of efficiency, using a committee approach, but with no player rushing for more than a thousand yards in a season for the succeeding three years under Carroll.
It's going to be interesting to see how this competition plays out. That is a lot of young backs to evaluate at one time. Each possesses a unique skill set all his own. The good news is there is a lot of obvious talent in this group. Rawls demonstrated tough running before getting hurt in his rookie campaign. And Michael finally looked serviceable and ran the ball with a sense of urgency after being released and re-signed by the team. The competition will hopefully allow the cream to rise to the top, especially with Rawls potentially sitting out of training camp.
Thomas Rawls (recovering from ankle injury, expects to return by the start of the season)
Christine Michael (2nd Round pick in 2013)
C.J. Prosise (3rd Round pick)
Alex Collins (5th Round pick)
Zac Brooks (7th Round pick)
Cameron Marshall (CFL signee)
Tre Madden (Undrafted signee)
Prosise is an explosive back with excellent field vision and a nice size to speed ratio. But he's new to the RB position, does not understand protection fundamentals, and ball security is an issue for him. I wonder whether some of his jukes and cuts will translate from college to the NFL, where defenses are faster and take better angles.
Collins shares with Prosise great field vision and instincts. He's very experienced and consistent (over 1,000 yards and over five yards per yards for three seasons), but not nearly as inherently explosive as Prosise. It seems to me his running style will make for an easier transition to the NFL. But he's not the big play threat that I think they are searching for to complement Rawls, i.e. the lightning to his thunder.
Like Prosise, Brooks is a tremendously explosive athlete. Also like Prosise, he is adept at catching the ball out of the backfield and running passed defenders. But he's always been a backup and has dealt with injuries. He seems to run into tackles at times and is not physical.
Marshall is a stocky runner with good balance. He's just not very quick or elusive. He does bring a year of experience in the CFL. Like all the others, he is a good receiver.
Madden is downhill, cut and go runner, who is both explosive and physical. He can also block and catch well, which makes him the ideal 3rd down back. Unfortunately, he's had a lot of injuries throughout his career.
Carroll used a similar approach when he coached at the college level. After LenDale White and Reggie Bush ("thunder and lightning") each rushed for over a thousand yards in 2005 and then declared for the NFL draft, Carroll sought to replace them by recruiting as many top ranked running backs as he could. At one point, USC had 10 bluechip backs on its roster. The result was that USC continued to run the ball at a high level of efficiency, using a committee approach, but with no player rushing for more than a thousand yards in a season for the succeeding three years under Carroll.
It's going to be interesting to see how this competition plays out. That is a lot of young backs to evaluate at one time. Each possesses a unique skill set all his own. The good news is there is a lot of obvious talent in this group. Rawls demonstrated tough running before getting hurt in his rookie campaign. And Michael finally looked serviceable and ran the ball with a sense of urgency after being released and re-signed by the team. The competition will hopefully allow the cream to rise to the top, especially with Rawls potentially sitting out of training camp.
Thomas Rawls (recovering from ankle injury, expects to return by the start of the season)
Christine Michael (2nd Round pick in 2013)
C.J. Prosise (3rd Round pick)
Alex Collins (5th Round pick)
Zac Brooks (7th Round pick)
Cameron Marshall (CFL signee)
Tre Madden (Undrafted signee)
Prosise is an explosive back with excellent field vision and a nice size to speed ratio. But he's new to the RB position, does not understand protection fundamentals, and ball security is an issue for him. I wonder whether some of his jukes and cuts will translate from college to the NFL, where defenses are faster and take better angles.
Collins shares with Prosise great field vision and instincts. He's very experienced and consistent (over 1,000 yards and over five yards per yards for three seasons), but not nearly as inherently explosive as Prosise. It seems to me his running style will make for an easier transition to the NFL. But he's not the big play threat that I think they are searching for to complement Rawls, i.e. the lightning to his thunder.
Like Prosise, Brooks is a tremendously explosive athlete. Also like Prosise, he is adept at catching the ball out of the backfield and running passed defenders. But he's always been a backup and has dealt with injuries. He seems to run into tackles at times and is not physical.
Marshall is a stocky runner with good balance. He's just not very quick or elusive. He does bring a year of experience in the CFL. Like all the others, he is a good receiver.
Madden is downhill, cut and go runner, who is both explosive and physical. He can also block and catch well, which makes him the ideal 3rd down back. Unfortunately, he's had a lot of injuries throughout his career.
