Tag: run game

Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III edging closer to full workload

As he further recovers from hernia surgery, Seahawks back Ken Walker III will likely be splitting more of the carries with Rashaad Penny.

Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Kenneth Walker III sat out the season opener against the Broncos, still not completely recovered from the hernia operation he underwent this summer. While he made his debut in Week 2, his time on the field was limited.

The plan going forward is to have him carry more of the load.

“We just want to roll him in there and have Rashaad (Penny) and Ken go at it,” coach Pete Carroll said on Monday. “They share the plays. There’s nothing that Ken can’t do. We’re fine about him pass protecting and catching the ball out of the backfield. And you saw we had him split out and we went to him yesterday.”

In his first outing last Sunday, Walker logged just four carries for 10 yards and two receptions for five. His participation should be more significant once he reaches 100%.

“There are really no restrictions on his play at all other than just getting back into game shape because he hasn’t played in a while,” Carroll continued. “The fact that he made it through the game, and he felt alright and got hit a couple times and all that, that just helps us progress.

“He’ll be calling for a regular workload as we are going forward.”

Walker’s next opportunity will come this Sunday when the Seahawks host the Falcons at Lumen Field.

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Seahawks have been conservative, and it’s time to let Geno Smith cook

Through the first two games of the season, the Seattle Seahawks have been looking to run the ball but it’s time to turn QB Geno Smith loose.

The Seattle Seahawks are now 1-1 on the year following a “humbling” loss to the San Francisco 49ers after beating Russell Wilson and the Broncos to open the season.

Seattle is still getting used to quarterback Geno Smith leading the charge, and growing pains are evident even with the veteran at the helm. Over the first two outings, Smith has completed 81% of his passes, but for a total of only 392 yards and two touchdowns.

Coach Pete Carroll was asked Monday morning whether or it’s time to open things up.

“We don’t need to hold him back at all. I think Geno’s got his game ready to go,” Carroll told host Mike Salk and Brock Huard during his Seattle Sports radio hit. “We need to trust him and we need to maybe give him a few more opportunities and stuff. We’ve been pretty solidly conservative, counting on running the football, and when we didn’t run the football, then OK, we didn’t have much of a mix that we needed.”

Through the first two games, Smith has connected on 47 of 58 pass attempts. Decent enough, but it’s time to see what Smith can do if he’s really turned loose.

“We can do better with that,” Carroll said of the conservative playcalling. “And whether that’s right or wrong, that’s not the point. The point is that we need to keep expanding. We have too many explosive avenues to go to, and we’ve got to make sure that these guys show up.”

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Did Chris Carson concerns lead Seahawks to draft RB Kenneth Walker III?

The Seattle Seahawks could very well have drafted running back Kenneth Walker III due to uncertainty of Chris Carson’s return from injury.

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson is still uncertain to return to the roster following a neck injury that required surgery in December. By March, all indications were that Carson’s workouts were going well, but there haven’t been any real updates since then.

Could this be the reason the Seahawks selected running back Kenneth Walker III in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft?

“I would say this, we picked him because, on the board, he was up there for us and we couldn’t pass him up,” Carroll said last Friday night after Walker was selected. “We don’t have updates yet on Chris, we won’t know for some time here, and we can’t predict it yet, so there is a little bit of uncertainty that we are waiting on. With the commitment that we have in the run game, we want that group of guys really raring up to get this thing going.

“It felt like a good move, it’s going to make it very competitive, and like you said, it’s going to be the theme throughout camp.”

The Seahawks also re-sign Rashaad Penny to the roster this offseason to ensure significant depth in the run game, a major focus for theoffense going into the summer.

“It’s a volatile spot, guys get banged up, and with the way we ask our guys to run, we need rotations,” Carroll explained. “We like playing multiple guys and we don’t have any problem with that at all. I’ve said it to you a million times, I’m fine about going with who is hot, but also, we have to find a way to keep our guys healthy. That’s why the rotation is so important, so we don’t overwork them, particularly early in the year, so we can keep the good momentum building.”

Hopefully, Carroll will have good news regarding Carson by the time the players report to the mandatory minicamp in June.

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Drafting key offensive needs ‘sets tone’ for Seahawks going forward

The Seattle Seahawks picked up two tackles and a running back early in the 2022 NFL draft which makes a clear statement for the offense.

The Seattle Seahawks selected two offensive tackles in this year’s NFL draft – left tackle Charles Cross at No. 9 overall and right tackle Abraham Lucas at No. 72. The Seahawks are clearly setting the tone about the vision for the team going forward.

“I think that three of the four picks really make a statement about the emphasis of what we would like to get done and we are going to sure things up on the edge and with Kenneth (Walker III) coming in,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters Friday night. “Kenneth is an explosive, exciting running back to add to what we have. It rings true, we want to run the football, we want to be good at it, and we want it to complement the football with the way we approach it.”

During an interview with the NFL Network on Saturday, Carroll acknowledged this was a particularly good draft class as far as offensive tackles were concerned, and clearly, the picks lined up for Seattle.

“This was an opportunity to do it and it just felt right, so these guys will come in blazing,” Carroll continued. “And I think that it sets the tone for camp coming up.” 

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Seahawks: College highlights for 2nd-round pick Kenneth Walker III

A compilation of the college highlights for the Seattle Seahawks’ newest running back, Kenneth Walker III out of Michigan State at No. 41.

The Seattle Seahawks strengthened their run game on Friday night when they selected a running back to add to the mix. The Seahawks picked Kenneth Walker III out of Michigan State at No. 41 overall.

Below is a look at some of his college highlights from the 2021 season.

Walker vs. Michigan

Walker vs. Rutgers

Walker vs. Miami

Walker vs. Northwestern

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Seahawks RB Chris Carson’s workouts going well after neck surgery

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson’s workouts going well following his neck surgery last season is on track to return this year.

Last season, the Seahawks were reminded of just how important running back Chris Carson is to Seattle’s offense. Carson appeared in only four games in 2021, saddled by a nagging neck injury.

Now that Carson has had surgery to repair the injury, coach Pete Carroll is hopeful but cautiously optimistic that his No. 1 running back can return for his 2022 campaign.

“His workouts are going well, he’s in good spirits, and he’s looking forward to playing and getting back,” Carroll said Wednesday from the 2022 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. “Anytime you have a neck surgery, it’s obviously very intricate and all, we’ve got to see how that works out.

“You know how much I’ve always loved Chris, I’d love to get him back if we can get him back.”

Carroll said he has no reason to doubt Carson will be able to return but said it’s wait and see for now.

Carson signed a contract extension with the Seahawks last March.

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It’s just the ‘start of the journey’ for Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny

Finally having the breakout success he’s been hoping for, it’s just the “start of the journey” for Seattle Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny.

The Seattle Seahawks finished their 2021 campaign on Sunday with a losing record overall but a finale win against the Arizona Cardinals. One major contributor to the team’s victory was running back Rashaad Penny.

Penny posted an impressive final month of the season, earning the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and logging over 135 yards on the ground in four of his last five games and a whopping 190 rushing yards in Arizona Week 18.

“I think this is really the start of my journey,” Penny told reporters during his final presser of the year Monday morning. “It has been a long time coming, it’s been a frustrating one, but these guys have had my back through it all. I’m really thankful to be around a great organization and they showed that there was no quit in me, they pushed me, and they kept pushing me, so I’m just thankful for what I have been doing over this past month or so.”

The Seahawks declined to pick up the fifth-year option of Penny’s rookie contract, so he’s headed towards free agency if he and Seattle don’t reach a new deal before the start of the new league year.

“Through the time I’ve been here, I’ve battled injuries, and they just never gave up on me,” Penny said. ” . . . So I’m thankful for that, and I really love this place. The training staff does an amazing job with us, the medical guys and girls, they really look after us. I love being here.”

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How Seahawks found ‘winning formula’ late in 2021 regular season

Despite a losing record, the Seattle Seahawks were finally able to find success late in the 2021 regular season by running the football.

The Seattle Seahawks finished their 2021 campaign with a disappointing losing record of 7-10 and as the only team in the division not to advance to the playoffs. However, the Seahawks were able to find some success late in the season and wrapped up the year winning four of their last six contests.

During his post-game press conference after the finale Sunday night, coach Pete Carroll was asked what he believed led to the team’s end-of-the-year comeback.

“Just run the football, run the football,” Carroll said. “We started to convert on third downs, and we were able to take advantage of the good, solid play that we were getting out of our defense. Our kicking game was extraordinary all year long. We just put the elements together and you can see how it works.”

Running back Rashaad Penny was a huge factor in Seattle’s run game efforts, rushing for over 100 yards in the Seahawks’ last three matchups and at least 170 yards in the last two.

“You don’t have to throw for 400 yards to win football games,” Carroll explained. “You’ve got to be able to mix it and control the ball and be dominant at the line of scrimmage. Our guys were able to find that. I don’t know how many games it is, but we’ve been averaging 160 yards a game rushing, or something like that, for five or six weeks.

“That’s just a winning formula.”

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Broncos’ run game disappeared vs. Raiders

Fortunately for the Broncos, up next is a Chargers defense that allows 140.3 rushing yards per game, 4th-most in the NFL.

Going into Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Denver Broncos running backs Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams had a chance (albeit a slim chance) of both rushing for 1,000 yards this season.

After the Broncos rushed for just 18 yards in a 17-13 loss on Sunday, the dream of a 2,000-yard duo is just about dead.

“[The run game was] very disappointing and really when you look at what it was, 14 carries for our running backs for eight yards, Drew [Lock] got 10 yards on scrambles,” coach Vic Fangio after the game.

“It was disappointing. We had been running the ball well [in previous games], they did a good job up front on us. We never could seem to get our backs through the first wave of the defensive line, and we had a hard time finding any room in there.”

Las Vegas stacked the box to stop the run, giving little respect to Lock and the passing game. Denver wasn’t able to overcome that stacked box as the team’s running backs were frequently met at or near the line of scrimmage. Williams rushed seven times for 12 yards and Gordon rushed seven times for -4 yards.

The Broncos’ offense leans on its rushing attack, so that kind of production obviously won’t cut it in the final two weeks of the season. Fortunately for Denver, up next is a Los Angeles Chargers team that allows 140.3 rushing yards per game, the fourth-highest average in the NFL.

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Broncos RBs Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams chasing NFL history

Broncos RBs Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams could become just the eighth duo in NFL history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

Denver Broncos running backs Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams carried the team’s offense in a 38-10 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 14.

Gordon and Williams combined for 194 yards from scrimmage and scored four total touchdowns on Sunday, bringing back memories of Denver’s old-style football of the 1960s.

Gordon and Williams became the first Broncos RB duo to each score twice in a single game since Gene Mingo and Al Frazier in 1962. Fred Bukaty and Donnie Stone also accomplished that feat in 1961, and Gordon and Williams became the third duo on Sunday.

It was an impressive showing from the talented running backs, but credit also goes to their teammates.

“Our two running backs have been doing that all year, but I think a good bit of credit needs to go to the o-line and the tight ends,” coach Vic Fangio said after the game. “You know, anytime you hand it off 39 times and the other team knows you’re handing it off that many times, and you are able to grind out the yards — credit to the guys doing the blocking.

“But our two [running] backs are really, really good, and I love them both and glad we have them both. You know, no one is going to carry it 39 times by themselves.”

Gordon now has 882 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns this season while Williams has 1,022 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.

Gordon is on pace to finish the year with 954 rushing yards and Williams is on pace to end his rookie season with 971 rushing yards. If they can improve their respective paces and each finish the year with 1,000 rushing yards, they would become just the eighth duo to accomplish that feat in NFL history.

To do that, they’ll need their teammates to continue blocking like they did against Detroit.

“We gave credit in the team locker room to the offensive linemen — as we should — but I just want to give just a brief moment to thank the tight ends and the wide receivers,” Gordon said after the game. “Those guys fight their butt off to make plays. We’re fighting as a unit right now. I love to see it, and hopefully they hear this because I didn’t get to say it in there.

“I’m thankful for those guys as well because those guys help create the lanes and the receivers help really make the explosive runs — if you didn’t know. The line absolutely did their thing today and hopefully we can continue to finish this thing out the right way.”

It’s clear that Denver’s plan of attack on offense is a run-heavy approach, and Gordon and Williams have been up to the task.

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