Michael's lack of playing time

According to Myers, Christine Michael's lack of playing time is a result of his inability to switch hands when carrying the ball to the left. Opposing teams know this and key in on his right arm to strip the ball away.

"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."

Not sure if true but would make sense if it is.

http://www.fanize.com/p/TGGZRFZjMd

I doubt that's true. If it is, it is an incredibly stupid thing to not play him for. In fact, I've had coaches who wanted you to never or hardly ever change hands with the ball. Also, if I can remember correctly, there was a prominent running back in the NFL (maybe LT? not sure) who never switched hands.

This has been discussed here before, which leads to the obvious question.

Why doesn't he learn how to do this if it is required for him to play?

Is he stubborn, stupid, or something else? Perhaps a weak left hand? This baffles me. I would make him practice running left with a gigantic boxing glove on his right hand, some kind of training aid to discourage using the right hand.

Perhaps coat his right hand with the slipperiest lubricant.

Whenever asked, Pete always says it is due to pass protection and the fact that you don't want to take Lynch off the field. They like Turbin's blocking better. RB in the Seahawks system is about more than running the ball in a straight line. It really is.

Basis4day":td3ba922 said:

Whenever asked, Pete always says it is due to pass protection and the fact that you don't want to take Lynch off the field. They like Turbin's blocking better. RB in the Seahawks system is about more than running the ball in a straight line. It really is.

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Why did they Draft him then? Especially a first pick?

Bigpumpkin":2qts7mil said:

Basis4day":2qts7mil said:

Whenever asked, Pete always says it is due to pass protection and the fact that you don't want to take Lynch off the field. They like Turbin's blocking better. RB in the Seahawks system is about more than running the ball in a straight line. It really is.

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Why did they Draft him then? Especially a first pick?

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It's very possible that they were concerned that Lynch might retire. There was a lot of talk (and I believe even confirmed by some players if I remember correctly) about Lynch saying that he might retire during the year we won the Super Bowl. Considering he may have mentioned it prior to that, it would be in the front office's best interest to have a plan of succession. Also, I believe we all are of similar thinking that Turbin is a solid backup, but he's not likely to become the guy to carry the load if/when Lynch leaves. Sometimes you draft a guy with tons of physical skills, and they just can't quite do everything at the level required to get on the field. Right now, he's probably the second best runner of our backs, but the third best blocker (not including fullbacks). Lynch is still getting the bulk of the carries. Turbin is the better blocker between him and Michael, so he's getting the majority of the rest.

I believe if Lynch had left, we'd have seen a Michael in a much greater role as I believe he's much better running the ball than Turbin, but since that's not likely to happen anytime soon, it's just conjecture on my part

That's a big issue, but it's not the only thing he needs to improve. I think he needs to learn how to read his blockers in order to become a more consistent runner. After Harvin was traded, that was the perfect opportunity for Michael to integrate himself into the offense. That did not happen, in part, because Michael failed to show that he could be a consistent threat as a runner/receiver out of the backfield.

Against St. Louis, a few days after the Harvin trade, Marshawn was struggling, and yet Michael received just two carries for five yards. In addition, there were numerous opportunities to feature Michael more when Lynch was on the sideline due to back and stomach ailments throughout the season. Instead, Turbin received those carries.

Pass blocking is also a bigger reason for Michael's lack of playing time than his inability to switch hands with the football. If he were a better pass blocker, then he could be getting reps ahead of Turbin on 3rd downs. They also might have been able to explore giving him more opportunities as a receiving weapon on 3rd downs with the set of plays they had previously carved out for Harvin.

Maybe he could have seen time on the field as a punt returner, which we badly needed last season. He seems to have the quick twitch instincts to thrive in such a role, but unfortunately he lacks experience and a willingness to learn the position. In fact, he failed to earn playing time on any special teams unit.

Ball security is what I think ultimately doomed him to a reserve role last season. There are countless examples of players who have entered Carroll's dog house after dropping the ball. It took several games for Carroll to forget about those two fumbles Michael had in the preseason. Then Michael drops the ball again toward the end of the season; at that point, there was no way was he going to be permitted to touch the ball going forward in the playoffs.

Michael is far from a lost cause, going into his 3rd year, but he it is undeniable that there are many aspects of his game in serious need of improvement.

Two Words: Marshawn Lynch

Bigpumpkin":19hxde5l said:

Basis4day":19hxde5l said:

Whenever asked, Pete always says it is due to pass protection and the fact that you don't want to take Lynch off the field. They like Turbin's blocking better. RB in the Seahawks system is about more than running the ball in a straight line. It really is.

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Why did they Draft him then? Especially a first pick?

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What do you mean?

As we know although Michael was our first pick in that draft he was a very late 2nd round pick, I suspect he was picked as the BAP regardless of position. As the Lynch discussions were ongoing in terms of contract renewal or extension it isn't hard to understand why the team picked Michael. The thing is he just isn't as good as Marshawn Lynch and is weak as a pass protector, has tipped off plays, and Turbin is thus a better all around option.

What do you do with him? He's a hedge against losing Lynch and exceptional depth but not as versatile as Turbin. I'd rather see the team keep Lynch even if it means losing Michael, but in a perfect world Michael could become a good eventual replacement for Lynch if he improves his skills.

Bigpumpkin":2daaxelk said:

Basis4day":2daaxelk said:

Whenever asked, Pete always says it is due to pass protection and the fact that you don't want to take Lynch off the field. They like Turbin's blocking better. RB in the Seahawks system is about more than running the ball in a straight line. It really is.

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Why did they Draft him then? Especially a first pick?

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You see things on film and other things you don't see. You expect to be able to train a guy at things like reading blockers or blocking. If he turns out to be stupid (not saying he is) then you realize he can't figure out how to read his blocks and it is something that you couldn't realize before you had him out there.

If it was simple to determine if a guy would succeed or not then there wouldn't be a draft. Instead every team would just get a player based on a concensus ranking........

Pandion Haliaetus":36pks8x5 said:

Two Words: Marshawn Lynch

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Wait....what? Why wouldn't you take the best RB in the league off the field? :sarcasm_on:

Our balls are to firm and he may have smallish hands.

This to me really is a bummer. I think we will see Michael leave when his FA period comes up and will become a very good performer for his next team but I also expect he will be a diva who will get a big head and struggle to find happiness even in his success.

To me his problems go way beyond his blocking or ball handling. I think it is a character flaw that is keeping him off the field. Maybe Pete is waiting it out since the cost is so low and in dire need we could use him while he is cheap.

I believe in Pete's system you are either all in or gone. The only thing that is keeping Micheal here is the low cost and he hasn't yet been a cancer. That and if Lynch couldn't play he would have some value. add to that if he did play well in Lynch's absence and we still didn't want to keep him, he would have some trade value. I am surprised we didn't draft a RB this year but that very well could be due to not having anyone on their board.

This of course is just a gut feeling but it is based on the observation over Pete's tenure.

I know I will get killed for this but I really think it's a mistake of the staff to not play him more. He has played well when given the chance and at some point either on the Seahawks or for someone else, he's going to blow up.

As it occurred the reason is to not piss of f Lynch?

A pissed off Lynch is a Beast, keep him pissed!

Anthony!":1wr9cdgv said:

As it occurred the reason is to not piss of f Lynch?

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No because Lynch loves to see his teammates get carries; he has said as much. Throwing the ball at the goal line is what pisses him off. :34853_doh:

hawknation2015":3d2ymdae said:

Anthony!":3d2ymdae said:

As it occurred the reason is to not piss of f Lynch?

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No because Lynch loves to see his teammates get carries; he has said as much. Throwing the ball at the goal line is what pisses him off. :34853_doh:

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To be fair I give the same salute to our OC a few times a game too.