K9. Saddle up and pay or not?

[SoulfishHawk]

This. I likes me some running back by committee....... Don't matter who you plug in - next man up. And a decent fullback. And a playcaller that calls ******* plays that USE the fullback

So, you think just any old RB will do as well as K9? It kind of doesn't work that way. A good RB is not some dime a dozen player.

 

[Trackhawk]

I’m talking a line where you don’t need a $12M per year RB. This is, and always will be a narrative. From pee-wee football to the NFL.

By the midpoint of this contract, $12 m APY will be what a slightly above average RB is earning in the NFL. Top tier will be pushing $25

But I absolutely agree. Put the money into the line, and plug any average back in. Keep two or three on the roster, so you don't have a McCaffree/ Robinson situation where the entire offense runs through one guy in a injury prone position.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

We shouldn't be blinded to his history by the elite level run that he went on to close out the season. History is littered with backs who looked elite for a short time, in a contract year, who then reverted to the mean once they got paid.

Top tier running backs don't need to split carries to make it through a season. Top tier running backs top 4.8 YPC. Top tier running backs don't need four years of coaching to figure out you can't dance backward behind the line. Top tier running backs are breaking 1,500 rushing and 2,000 total yards per season. (scoring can't be used here due to the way they let Charbs finish drives)

Walker doesn't belong in that conversation, and if you are paying to have two backs split carries, neither of them should be paid top tier money.

If Walker had a couple of seasons approaching 1,500/ 2,000 and 5 ypc, where he made it through the entire season as the bellcow back, then it makes sense to pay him in the 15 mill APY range.

He may be him, but so far he has only flashed potential, not realized it for a full season.

Dude only has 855 carries under his belt. MUCH fresher legs than many guys his age. He has a career average of 4.3 a carry. He also has over a thousand receiving yards for over 7 yards a touch. Dude is ELITE in the open field. His field vision is ELITE.
His teammates love the guy. He is a HUGE part of this team's success. He was $ in the playoffs and SB.

I just will never understand why some people think this guy is just some average back. Makes NO sense to me and never will.
And at the risk of sounding like an a**, if you think just any average back is gonna' come here and magically be as good, you're living in a fantasy world.

 

[Spin Doctor]

Dude only has 855 carries under his belt. MUCH fresher legs than many guys his age. He has a career average of 4.3 a carry. He also has over a thousand receiving yards for over 7 yards a touch. Dude is ELITE in the open field. His field vision is ELITE.
His teammates love the guy. He is a HUGE part of this team's success. He was $ in the playoffs and SB.
He also has had injury issues despite the lack of touches. K9 is an injury liability at one of the most replaceable positions. K9 also has had some consistency issues.
I just will never understand why some people think this guy is just some average back. Makes NO sense to me and never will.
And at the risk of sounding like an a**, if you think just any average back is gonna' come here and magically be as good, you're living in a fantasy world.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Dang, gonna' add to my quote like it's something I actually said? That's cold

You act like he's missed half the games possible.
He has played 15, 15, 12 and 17 in his 4 years. Plus he has played in all 4 playoff games they've been to during his career.
Not exactly the "injury prone" player that you and many make him out to be.
I might suck at math. But that's a TOTAL OF 7 GAMES MISSED IN 4 YEARS (16 game season his first 2 seasons) I have a feeling if you looked at MANY backs in the NFL, that's on par with #1 backs over the last 4 seasons.

But I've been down this path for years. Believe what you want. I'd probably have better luck clapping with one hand.
And that's ok, we all see him how we see him.

 

[Raifers]

Dude only has 855 carries under his belt. MUCH fresher legs than many guys his age. He has a career average of 4.3 a carry. He also has over a thousand receiving yards for over 7 yards a touch. Dude is ELITE in the open field. His field vision is ELITE.
His teammates love the guy. He is a HUGE part of this team's success. He was $ in the playoffs and SB.

I just will never understand why some people think this guy is just some average back. Makes NO sense to me and never will.
And at the risk of sounding like an a**, if you think just any average back is gonna' come here and magically be as good, you're living in a fantasy world.

If the broncos did it with TD and company. It’s not fantasy

 

[SoulfishHawk]

It actually is. That Bronco's team had a PHENOMENAL O line. Horrible comparison.

 

[ZagHawk]

Call me crazy...but I'd rather put more stock into the O-Line. Because if/when injuries happens, that insures that core keeps the entire offense running. You could have Marshawn Lynch as a RB and if you're O-line isn't producing, it doesn't matter.

 

[pittpnthrs]

This is one of those "damned if you, damned if you don't" deals. When he plays, he's awesome, but we all know his injury history. I think they resign him, but I would hate to see another Chris Warren/Shaun Alexander deal.

 

[Grahamhawker]

I'm not saying I think we should break the bank to re-sign Walker. But I also don't think he's replaceable to the point of plug-and-play. There has to be a balance point somewhere and hopefully JS can find it.

 

[Torc]

I don't understand how the transition tag for a RB is $11.7 million, while a CB is $17.95 million. The RB is touching the ball 20+ times a game.

In THIS offense, we should value the RB more than most teams do. I completely understand wanting to protect the team in case of injury. We've been hurt before!

I also get that we had a RB-by-committee situation this year. But when Walker was given a chance when the games really mattered, his game went up several notches. It didn't hurt that he was fresher than your typical workhorse running back due to the committee approach all year. The players also need to feel like they get rewarded when they play at the highest level. You don't get much higher than Super Bowl MVP. I think it would hurt morale to just let him walk without really trying to keep him here. I hope we keep him.

 

[Spin Doctor]

Dang, gonna' add to my quote like it's something I actually said? That's cold

You act like he's missed half the games possible.
He has played 15, 15, 12 and 17 in his 4 years. Plus he has played in all 4 playoff games they've been to during his career.
Not exactly the "injury prone" player that you and many make him out to be.

But I've been down this path for years. Believe what you want. I'd probably have better luck clapping with one hand.
And that's ok, we all see him how we see him.

That was just me being an idiot

K9 isn’t an irreplaceable talent, id rather we not spend money on him.

Also, the guy has missed 9 games over four years despite being more limited on carries. That is concerning.

K9 also is not the type of guy to consistently churn out yards. He’s content to bounce things to the outside to create a play. His vision inside is inconsistent.

We Seahawk fans really get attached to players that aren’t all that.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Fair enough. Agree to massively disagree.

 

[Dallashawksfan]

I don't understand how the transition tag for a RB is $11.7 million, while a CB is $17.95 million. The RB is touching the ball 20+ times a game.

In THIS offense, we should value the RB more than most teams do. I completely understand wanting to protect the team in case of injury. We've been hurt before!

I also get that we had a RB-by-committee situation this year. But when Walker was given a chance when the games really mattered, his game went up several notches. It didn't hurt that he was fresher than your typical workhorse running back due to the committee approach all year. The players also need to feel like they get rewarded when they play at the highest level. You don't get much higher than Super Bowl MVP. I think it would hurt morale to just let him walk without really trying to keep him here. I hope we keep him.

Nothing to do with Walker

But running backs are less valuable and make much less than CBs

It’s much easier to replace a RB

That’s how it works in today NFL

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Yeah, I'm sure you can just grab any old RB and he'll be as good as K9

 

[Nv_Hawks]

John has and will always follow his plan for the team.

 

[Rat]

Even with a good OL, RBs aren't fungible. If you have an explosive game changer that defenses have to account for, there should definitely be a considerable effort to keep him. If Walker demands more than the price point they have, that's one thing, but if they let him go because they assume Holani, Wright, etc., could easily replace him, they'll probably be greatly disappointed.

 

[Njla]

K9 is better than "slightly above average", and I'm guessing that those who identify a "lack" of receiving skills weren't watching the final Rams game.

I agree with the caution in breaking the bank for a running back, especially when he already has an injury history, and especially given the run game coordinator is now heading to Vegas. But let's get K9's quality right. He proved me wrong this year.

I often wonder if folks are watching the same game I am. K9 is not an average back. He is among the most talented. I too like the 1-2 of he and Zach. But Zach is going to miss time next year.

Hoping a practice squad back or Kenny can fill his shoes is not my idea of a good way to go next season.

I do have faith the John will make the right call. There seems to be room in the cap so we shall see.

 

[sutz]

Remember, guys, the tag is not a one year guaranteed contract that cannot be re-negotiated any more.

If they tag K9, they can still keep negotating for a better long term deal.

 

[glenwo2]

Would prefer we keep him.

It's not just what he did in the playoffs.

It's about chemistry with the team, especially the QB.

It's about continuity.

We lose him, we lose all that and have to somehow bring someone else in from outside (Etienne? Breece Hall?) and start over. (am I being a bit too melodramatic here?)