Seattle a "run-first" team?

Yea, yea, Seattle is a run-first team. Everybody's been saying so for a while now, and running a rookie quarterback behind one of the best running backs in the game would seem to indicate it as well. And we draft not only another surprise running back in this draft, but two of them. And the receiver we draft is known for his down field blocking. And the tight end we picked up is a really good blocker as well.

All signs point to it.

And yet they don't. We picked up one of the most explosive pass catchers in the game with Percy Harvin. And if you go back and look at Wilson's touchdown passes, you'll note he had more longer bombs than Hasselbeck did pretty much his entire career in blue and green. And he tied the record for most touchdown passes thrown by a rookie quarterback. None of those really indicate a "run-first" team. Quite the opposite, in fact.

So what are we, a "run-first" team or a "passing" team?

I say neither. We'll continue to do business as we do business. All of those trades and draft picks don't indicate a bent for running or for passing, but rather a goal of more efficiently moving the ball down the field and putting it in the end zone for the score. Harper may be a great blocker, but he's also known for great hands. Ware may be another running back, but he was drafted to fix the problem of not converting third and short situations. And so on.

I'm putting on my prognosticator's hat for a moment here and saying we will not be a predominantly "run-first" team. Nor will we be ultra-reliant on the passing game. We will still be balanced; we'll just do a much better job of executing, because that's what puts points on the board and wins games.

I think in todays NFL being a balanced team is being a run first team.

Run to win, throw to score.

I think the sense that we are a "run-first" team comes from the fact that we had the most rushing attempts of any team in the league last season and the fewest passing attempts. Seriously, 1st and 32nd. Polar opposites.

Now, when we DID pass, our yards per attempt were top 10 in the league. So while we passed fewer times than any other team, we made the most of it when we did.

We'll be a "run first" team, but not a "run only" team. The run will set up the pass. Once teams adjust to stop the run; then the bombs start flying. I do get the impression though that if Pete could run the ball successfully on every down, eating up clock and yardage, he'd be more than happy to do so.

All the additional pieces in the passing game make the offense super dynamic, but I don't necessarily think it means we are going to drastically change one of Pete's main philosophies; which is pound the rock and play lights out defense. I don't see this recent influx of recieving talent as any kind of indication that we're turning into the`91 Oilers. It just gives us more options for when opponents inevitably step up to stuff the run; now when they do, Russ'll make em pay.

Seahawk Sailor":h8f8x0lx said:

Yea, yea, Seattle is a run-first team. Everybody's been saying so for a while now, and running a rookie quarterback behind one of the best running backs in the game would seem to indicate it as well. And we draft not only another surprise running back in this draft, but two of them. And the receiver we draft is known for his down field blocking. And the tight end we picked up is a really good blocker as well.

All signs point to it.

And yet they don't. We picked up one of the most explosive pass catchers in the game with Percy Harvin. And if you go back and look at Wilson's touchdown passes, you'll note he had more longer bombs than Hasselbeck did pretty much his entire career in blue and green. And he tied the record for most touchdown passes thrown by a rookie quarterback. None of those really indicate a "run-first" team. Quite the opposite, in fact.

So what are we, a "run-first" team or a "passing" team?

I say neither. We'll continue to do business as we do business. All of those trades and draft picks don't indicate a bent for running or for passing, but rather a goal of more efficiently moving the ball down the field and putting it in the end zone for the score. Harper may be a great blocker, but he's also known for great hands. Ware may be another running back, but he was drafted to fix the problem of not converting third and short situations. And so on.

I'm putting on my prognosticator's hat for a moment here and saying we will not be a predominantly "run-first" team. Nor will we be ultra-reliant on the passing game. We will still be balanced; we'll just do a much better job of executing, because that's what puts points on the board and wins games.

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I think this is the key point. Seattle wants a balanced attack. As close to 50-50 as possible. Obviously in some games we'll run more, or pass more depending on the opponent. But when USC was kicking arse back in the day they had a scary good run game and a dynamic passing attack all at the same time- Remembe when you had Bush and White pounding the rock both getting 100 yard games routinely. Meanwhile they had guys like DeWayne Jarrett, Steve Smith and along with good pass catching Te's such as Dominique Bird and Anthony McCoy, while also having success with their FB's in Kirtman and Havili.

The reason they were so succesfful was because they could do it all on offense. I think that's what PC is building here in Seattle. A team that can be physical and pound it, and at the very same time be explosive and efficient in the passing game. I love what the offense is shaping up to be this year. Carolina better be ready, because the struggling offense they faced last year is long gone.

We're going to keep the opposition guessing

Ill take the "run first" label all day... It all starts with the run. Play-action opens up also. If we can prove to teams we can run the ball on all 3 downs and still get a first, in my opinion that's truly dominating a game.

Seahawk Sailor":1y8woyau said:

We picked up one of the most explosive pass catchers in the game with Percy Harvin.

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You can't forget that Percy Harvin also adds a dynamic element to the run game and was catching a ton of passes in the backfield last season. I don't even really see him as a deep threat guy either. I envision him as being sort of what Pete had with Reggie Bush at USC: an all-purpose weapon.

Seahawk Sailor":1y8woyau said:

And if you go back and look at Wilson's touchdown passes, you'll note he had more longer bombs than Hasselbeck did pretty much his entire career in blue and green. And he tied the record for most touchdown passes thrown by a rookie quarterback. None of those really indicate a "run-first" team. Quite the opposite, in fact.

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Occasional deep bombs don't really contradict the fact that this is a run first team. That's actually by design and exactly the type of offense Pete wants. You run the ball to establish the play action, and when you take you take your shots in the passing game, you take them deep. You make the most of those passing opportunities. From my understanding, this is the Pete Carroll offense boiled down to its most basic elements (i.e. run first, take deep shots in the passing game). These off-season acquisitions do nothing to suggest a departure from this style of football.

DavidSeven":2nrambmc said:

Occasional deep bombs don't really contradict the fact that this is a run first team. That's actually by design and exactly the type of offense Pete wants. You run the ball to establish the play action, and when you take you take your shots in the passing game, you take them deep. You make the most of those passing opportunities. From my understanding, this is the Pete Carroll offense boiled down to its most basic elements (i.e. run first, take deep shots in the passing game). These off-season acquisitions do nothing to suggest a departure from this style of football.

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Exactly what I was going to post. A+. The reason we have so many exciting plays where Russell throws deep is because we attempt so many rushes compared to other teams.

FWIW, Pete said in one of his most recent radio interviews that we will continue to be a run-first team.

We are a multifaceted team. We are made to beat anyone, we can play smash mouth run the ball down another teams throat see SF,Pitt, ect , or we can air out out fun and gun with the likes of NE, GB, and NO. It doesn't matter who we face we can be effective. The plus side of being soo great at the run is when we do get the lead we can eat the clock and run out the game. Some teams can put up points but only know how to do it fast.

I expect to see the most physical run game in the NFL augmented by a top 5 most explosive passing games. If we had a dominate #2 TE I think we'd be impossible to stop.

So yes we are a run team, and yes we are a passing team. Closest team of the past the compares to us is probably Denver back when Elway, Terell Davis, Ed McCaffery, Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe were all together.

How the Seahawks choose to use their talent will be based on the talent of the opposing team for that specific week. If the opposing team in a certain week has an easier time stuffing the run, we will exploit their passing defense and mix in the run game to keep them honest. If the opposing team is better at playing the pass, we will run the ball down their throats and mix in play actions and pick them apart when we catch them slacking.

Our offense is balanced. Pick your poison. It's how well the coaching staff implements strategy based around their opponents strengths & weaknesses that will define what type of offense our team will have for that given week.

I seem to remember PC said he defined a good balance to be 55% pass, 45% run when asked at the Percy signing press conference. Which is the opposite from last year. Starting a rookie put a lot of pressure on Marshawn, at first.

I loved "Ground Chuck" when I was a L.A. Rams fan living in the area and he was the coach of them at that time. And when he became head coach of the Seahawks and I then lived in the NW, I knew we would have a good competitive team.

And now all these years later we have this Coach/GM that are working so tight together, and we take an RB with our first pick in the draft and I say, YEAH, we will be running first.

Oop's.....We can also throw, from anywhere on the field.

Bad day for the other team.

i expect to see less running per game to be honest.. Beast can't keep up that pace and punishment to many more seasons, plus i would like to see a more balanced attack, keep them guess as another poster suggested.. as long as we're not predictable like last season, i think we'll be successful at both.. and extremely dangRuss

hawker84":28rv9le4 said:

i expect to see less running per game to be honest.. Beast can't keep up that pace and punishment to many more seasons, plus i would like to see a more balanced attack, keep them guess as another poster suggested.. as long as we're not predictable like last season, i think we'll be successful at both.. and extremely dangRuss

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But then again, they invested a 2nd rd pick in Michael and also picked up Ware. We already had Turbin.

I'd expect to see about 5 more passes a game, especially screens. Expect more passes as we get to the Red Zone.

"Run to Win Throw to Score" - Tom Cable

Basis4day":8szfhemq said:

hawker84":8szfhemq said:

i expect to see less running per game to be honest.. Beast can't keep up that pace and punishment to many more seasons, plus i would like to see a more balanced attack, keep them guess as another poster suggested.. as long as we're not predictable like last season, i think we'll be successful at both.. and extremely dangRuss

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But then again, they invested a 2nd rd pick in Michael and also picked up Ware. We already had Turbin.

I'd expect to see about 5 more passes a game, especially screens. Expect more passes as we get to the Red Zone.

"Run to Win Throw to Score" - Tom Cable

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AND we still have MRob, AND Wilson can run AND so can Harvin AND Tate. We can run the shit out of that rock from all sides and angles. I don't expect to see us quite so dependent on Marshawn this year. I bet he cracks 1k yards, but not by much (maybe 1,100 or so).

lukerguy":1hu5jjac said:

Run to win, throw to score.

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This.

Pete and Bevell both say this, often.

Run run run to control the game, and when the other team is selling out to try to make you stop running . . bomb them

We're a "win-first" team.