I've never believed the whole "running backs don't matter" theory. I'm not an analytics geek, but I have eyes. Walker is a better running back than Holani which isn't knock on Holani who filled in competently the other day (at least as a receiver/blocker)or Charbonett, who I love. Franco Harris was better than Rocky Bleier, Gale Sayers was better than Brian Piccolo, Emmitt Smith was better than his teammates, as was Shaun Alexander, Walter Payton, Marshawn, Barry Sanders, CMC, Saquon, etc. and most of those were first round picks. Of course there are a few later round success stories, but that's true at any position, Tom Brady springs to mind, or Puka currently. Those successes don't negate the fact that most of the greats at any position were higher round picks. The NFL is full of smart people whose livelihood depends on evaluating talent and potential of hundreds of young men each year so if they think a RB is the best available prospect when it's draft time then they should give him strong consideration (I know team roster/needs play a factor).
I might even be a contrarian who says a 1st round RB is more likely to contribute immediately than a QB who needs more time to learn the position. I applauded the selections of Walker and Charbonett in successive drafts and think the Hawks should probably make that type pick every 2-3 years.
I think I saw pff had Seattle moving up in round one to select RB Jerimiah Love...I couldn't be happier with that. It's still football and running backs Def matter. Great article. Watching a lot of patriot games this week, my over all take is they seem pretty good, but I think we match up well. I could see Maye running some successfully, but they don't look dominate like Seattle does. I would say this might be another blow out like the Denver bowl but I think it will be closer than that...but still could be over by halftime. Trying to be impartial and independent but these Seahawks look tough in all three phases. New england looks good and while they don't dominate, they barely win a ton of plays and if they can keep just barely winning plays they might be a tougher out than many of us think.
I definitely want to see Walker stay, and that's kinda nuts that PFF has the Seahawks trading up for a RB in the first round if true, but in this league you move onto the next very quickly. Definitely think some sort of RB talent is gonna be required.
"You pass to score, and run to win." Running is much much more than just gaining yards and as a change up to passing. Running is also about taking time off the clock, and giving your defense a chance to catch their breath.
And at the end of the game when we are ahead and have the ball, we want to run to run out the clock. If you can NOT run the ball for first downs at that point in the game, you either have to pass for first downs or you end up punting the ball back to the opponents. That's what it means to "run to win." i.e. running when they know you want to run. That wins games.
Especially when those defenses are built to defend the pass. Personnel and depth rotations are just now adjusting to a more run-centric attack, which means those offenses that focus on it hace stacked an edge
I think one reason for the devaluation of running backs has to be the perceived lack of longevity. For every Saquon Barkley, there seem to be a lot of Trent Richardsons, CJ Spillers, Todd Gurley's and Darren McFaddens. And that's just a few picked in the early first round that come to mind. When so few of them don't play out their 2nd contract due to injury, I'd think that's got to hurt their draft stock just by the position they play. I think it was Micheal-Shawn Dugar a few years ago who proposed that RBs get their own set of contracts that don't impact the cap the same, but I could have the details wrong. At any rate, in what's already a car crash sport, they're sitting on the hood without a seat belt. But as linebackers get smaller and faster to counteract the passing schemes, the RB value just goes up. They matter.
I think you're right that it has a lot to do with perception. Because I swear that CBs tear their ACLs and get wrecked at least as often as RBs. The fact that McCaffrey, Barkley, and Henry have had such long careers with some of their best work on their second contracts. I mean, that's rare for anybody and I think some of the best late-20s work is done by great backs. We'll probably see it with Jonathan Taylor and Kenneth Walker too.
Defensive backs are the most oft-injured positions, there's little doubt. I'm not sure who tracks things like injury by position per snap, but almost every team loses multiple DBs every year.
The Hawks have won a conference championship four times—three times with a starting running back drafted in the first round and once with the starting RB drafted in the second. Mike Holmgren, who did as much to influence the modern passing offense as any coach not named Coryell or Walsh, valued Shaun Alexander so much as a rusher that he took Shaun out of the passing offense even though he had caught 145 passes in three seasons.*
Anyway, the reason that whoever plays RB matters comes down to math—a concept that the analytics should grasp. Once the ball is handed off, the QB is out of the play. The leaves nine potential blockers on offense to account for eleven players on defense. Whoever is carrying the ball must be able to make at least one tackler miss. Oh, OCs can scheme a back into the open field a few times, but across the entirety of a game there is no way around the necessity of the RB being to make 1-2 tacklers miss. Unsurprisingly, the ones who are best at doing this get drafted early.
This is why PCJS took Rashad Penny: His feet were astounding, like he was born to make tacklers miss. Sadly, a player who didn’t miss a game in college couldn’t hold up in the pros, but there was no way of knowing that.
For a few seasons, RBs became devalued, which gave rise to the “don’t matter” argument as if it were an enduring truism. However, as DCs adapted to the modern passing game, RBs became important again. I.e., they matter.
* Shaun is arguably second only to John L. Williams as the best receiving RB in team history.
Ricky had no help from his OL and yet he treated every play as if it were life or death. I don’t know that I’ve ever personally seen a more committed player.
I stand by my assertion we should have drafted Bijan (because I had Witherspoon going to the Colts at 4, and we all see how AR and not a CB went for them, this year especially, never forget the Sauce trade!).
KW3 has won me over on a second contract DEPENDING on its size. I don't think he's a 3-down bell cow RB, he's a 2-down speed threat. I think he needs a Charbie around to shine, allowing him rest and to focus on being his best self rather than a role he isn't suited to.
Get him back. Get Shaheed back. Draft a WR early. Make this offence even stronger, scare the shit out of the NFL next year figuring out how to stop us.
If you REALLY want to scare the NFL, make your first two picks a CB and a WR (even though we get Horton back), and then sign Joel Bitonio and Trey Hendrickson
I have no idea how much gas Hendrickson has left in the tank, but this defense is a great edge rusher away from going from great to terrifying. Terrifying Trey has a good ring to it.
I keep arguing that positional value is a chimera. Or an analyst's crutch. Or a coward's refrain, if one is a GM. (I'm not necessarily right, and I do know our host argues otherwise most times. No disrespect meant.)
Difference-making players with demonstrated production matter. (In fact, I think that just crystalized my draft philosophy. Not that it matters.) At any position. At every position. Elite players at any position, even IOL, are levers which give good OCs options and opposing DCs fits.
I feel bad for Jeanty. He deserved better. I hope whoever takes the Raiders gig (god bless) does right by him (and Brock Bowers). Ah. A corollary. Skill players on either side of the balls cannot overcome bad line play.
Kudos to the team for its load management acumen this season, especially at RB. I think that's a big part of why Walker is closing strong.
I love Walker's explosiveness, ellusiveness, and toughness. I hope that coaching he's received the last year or so has cured him of the tendency to unnecessarily stop and change direction.
I feel like he needs be allowed to improvise when it makes sense, but we need to stay on schedule and for some time he would get a lot of negative plays.
He's a great player. I just want him to play somewhat within the offensive scheme rather than trying to hit a home run on every play
He looks like he's learning too -- hitting holes more quickly with just one move (although the two moves he laid on that Rams LB are going to go down in history, holy Barry Sanders!), and the smoother way he's flaring out for dump-offs or screens (can you believe it everyone, SEATTLE CAN RUN A SCREEN PLAY!!), think he's really improved his value to the team. Gonna be more expensive but gonna be worth it too.
Always been a K9 fan, have a soft spot for guys who look like they're shot from a cannon.
So Ken, didn't Hawks have a 5th yr K9 option they chose not to.exercize last yr?
Maybe the core injury a couple years ago. Like Charbonnet, guys that hurl their body into 1200 lbs of muscle going the other way (and K9 does push a 1200 lb pile occasionally) can end their season or career in a second.
Probably why the RBs don't matter theory (Gurley comes to mind and there's others) got some play.
Other K9 attribute is dual threat pass catching hands. There's one other I won't mention bc don't wanna jinx it ;-)
Look how much the NFL has changed since 2018. What guys like Ben Baldwin miss is that the NFL is constantly changing and evolving.
Top passers Yards/Game 2018
1) 320 yards
2) 318 yards
3) 308 yards
16) 266 yards
Offenses had exploded back then primarily due to rule changes. But that was then this is now:
Top passers Yards/Game 2025
1) 277 yards
2) 269 yards
3) 268 yards
16) 225 yards!
The Seahawks drafted a RB at pick 41 at a great time to buy. In 2025, passing has gone back down due primarily to advances in defenses. Those advances largely driven by exotic looks and pressure. Linebackers have gotten smaller. So, one way to counter that? Running
Also, always less turnovers when running the ball especially with the two guys we drafted.
Exactly. As things shift one way ,the pendulum always swings back and the league is favoring offenses that are built to overpower the smaller defensive end pass rushers. Which perhaps is why the Seahawks rank #1 in run D with your bigger LWill, BMur, Dlaw types.
"...argument stopped evolving from the day it was popularized about eight years ago by Ben Baldwin on the very site I was running"
Another favorite from the article:
"...or that they are any more dependent on a good offensive line than quarterbacks are. It’s the ultimate team sport: Every player is depending on their teammates.
You would also hope that the purpose of analytics is to CONTINUOUSLY move a conversation forward with new information and advanced data"
You would hope! But sometimes even analytics gets stuck and their creators continually dig their heals in deeper.
Kind of a full circle moment for me. I got back into reading about the Seahawks after the Russell Wilson trade. To see what moves would be made and how they would build a team. One of my first perspectives that got me interested in this site was the K9 draft pick.
I completely agreed with Joe then and glad to see him revisit this. I can't remember many or any other Seahawks or football commentators supporting that pick. I am sure there were others, but it just seemed like the world became such a group think. I felt differently and glad/not surprised to see it paying off in a major way.
The whole running backs don't matter thing misses one of the big and great aspects of football ... it is always evolving. The game today is not what it was 10 years ago, and 10 years ago isn't what the game was 20 years ago.
So the Seahawks, understanding who they want to be: point guard QB, running football team that plays great defense... You got to walk the walk. Back to back RBs drafted in the second round. And what may have been that last piece was JS evolving to picking a guard in the first round!
That is a commitment to who they have said they want to be, and who they are today.
Happy for K9, get that ink on paper! Let's bring him back.
(Also, I think these last two games are some of the best games of his career as a Seahawk.
Everyone likes to talk about JSN's Rose Bowl game, rightfully so, but I always think about K9 beating Michigan when he was at Mich State. Never seen a game like it from a RB.)
You speak to the "JS Priority List" running from Most Crucial to Least. When he finds #1, he doesn't hesitate to procure it. Anytime/anywhere/anyhow. No doubt MM came to interview and agreed, possibly 100%, with what he was shown. Probably suggested changes. John had his Coach.
I still maintain one of the reasons MacDonald agreed to sign with Seattle was K9 -- he was the defensive coach of that Michigan team that K9 literally destroyed.
"So John, you're telling me I get to coach this guy myself now?? Oh man yeah, I'm in!!"
"Uh, we do have Geno Smith and Sam Howell at QB, full disclosure, just so you're aware"
"Geno Schmeeno who cares, we're not going to pass the ball anyway if I've got this kid and my defense, holy crap!!"
Haha ... I am a Geno fan so can't ride with ya there.
But, wow, was he the coach at the time at Michigan?
That is a great point. I am not trying to hyperbolic here, that was really one of the best games I've seen a football player play. No doubt that had to have made a huge impact on Mike Mac.
In the 2021 matchup between Michigan State and Michigan (October 30, 2021), Michigan's Defensive Coordinator was Mike Macdonald.
Key Details of the Game:
Result: Michigan State 37, Michigan 33.
Kenneth Walker III Performance: 23 carries for 197 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Context: Walker's performance included a 58-yard touchdown run and the game-winning 23-yard touchdown with 5:08 remaining, overcoming a 30-14 Michigan lead.
Take a look at Walker’s TD, just after the five minute mark.
The line probably should have gone zone right to get a hat on a hat. They didn’t. They went duo, which means that the linemen block forward in double teams, with one guy releasing to the second layer.
Terrible line call. K9 gets two defenders in his face, Kobie Turner free on the back side, and an outside LB protecting the edge. This isn’t dead. It’s four times dead.
Walker cuts hard right, leaving the two guys in his face frozen in amber. Turner can’t catch him. And then he beats the OLB to the corner.
The bad OL call and four defenders should have made this an easy tackle for loss. Instead, “TOUCHDOWN… SEAHAWKS! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!???”
I know for a fact that SSJ has a folder on his PC titled "Computer Cowboy Compromat".
Well, almost a fact. Stunt on him, Ken.
I've never believed the whole "running backs don't matter" theory. I'm not an analytics geek, but I have eyes. Walker is a better running back than Holani which isn't knock on Holani who filled in competently the other day (at least as a receiver/blocker)or Charbonett, who I love. Franco Harris was better than Rocky Bleier, Gale Sayers was better than Brian Piccolo, Emmitt Smith was better than his teammates, as was Shaun Alexander, Walter Payton, Marshawn, Barry Sanders, CMC, Saquon, etc. and most of those were first round picks. Of course there are a few later round success stories, but that's true at any position, Tom Brady springs to mind, or Puka currently. Those successes don't negate the fact that most of the greats at any position were higher round picks. The NFL is full of smart people whose livelihood depends on evaluating talent and potential of hundreds of young men each year so if they think a RB is the best available prospect when it's draft time then they should give him strong consideration (I know team roster/needs play a factor).
I might even be a contrarian who says a 1st round RB is more likely to contribute immediately than a QB who needs more time to learn the position. I applauded the selections of Walker and Charbonett in successive drafts and think the Hawks should probably make that type pick every 2-3 years.
I think I saw pff had Seattle moving up in round one to select RB Jerimiah Love...I couldn't be happier with that. It's still football and running backs Def matter. Great article. Watching a lot of patriot games this week, my over all take is they seem pretty good, but I think we match up well. I could see Maye running some successfully, but they don't look dominate like Seattle does. I would say this might be another blow out like the Denver bowl but I think it will be closer than that...but still could be over by halftime. Trying to be impartial and independent but these Seahawks look tough in all three phases. New england looks good and while they don't dominate, they barely win a ton of plays and if they can keep just barely winning plays they might be a tougher out than many of us think.
I definitely want to see Walker stay, and that's kinda nuts that PFF has the Seahawks trading up for a RB in the first round if true, but in this league you move onto the next very quickly. Definitely think some sort of RB talent is gonna be required.
"You pass to score, and run to win." Running is much much more than just gaining yards and as a change up to passing. Running is also about taking time off the clock, and giving your defense a chance to catch their breath.
And at the end of the game when we are ahead and have the ball, we want to run to run out the clock. If you can NOT run the ball for first downs at that point in the game, you either have to pass for first downs or you end up punting the ball back to the opponents. That's what it means to "run to win." i.e. running when they know you want to run. That wins games.
So true.
Big Time Rrec, Stephen.
I think a punishing run game physically wears out the opposing defenses as well. Walker has been absolutely dealing punishment on those short runs.
Especially when those defenses are built to defend the pass. Personnel and depth rotations are just now adjusting to a more run-centric attack, which means those offenses that focus on it hace stacked an edge
True that.
Great article K1.
The tweet by Jon Bois.. “.. great, but you didn’t get the first down”
🤣
Thanks!
I think one reason for the devaluation of running backs has to be the perceived lack of longevity. For every Saquon Barkley, there seem to be a lot of Trent Richardsons, CJ Spillers, Todd Gurley's and Darren McFaddens. And that's just a few picked in the early first round that come to mind. When so few of them don't play out their 2nd contract due to injury, I'd think that's got to hurt their draft stock just by the position they play. I think it was Micheal-Shawn Dugar a few years ago who proposed that RBs get their own set of contracts that don't impact the cap the same, but I could have the details wrong. At any rate, in what's already a car crash sport, they're sitting on the hood without a seat belt. But as linebackers get smaller and faster to counteract the passing schemes, the RB value just goes up. They matter.
I think you're right that it has a lot to do with perception. Because I swear that CBs tear their ACLs and get wrecked at least as often as RBs. The fact that McCaffrey, Barkley, and Henry have had such long careers with some of their best work on their second contracts. I mean, that's rare for anybody and I think some of the best late-20s work is done by great backs. We'll probably see it with Jonathan Taylor and Kenneth Walker too.
Defensive backs are the most oft-injured positions, there's little doubt. I'm not sure who tracks things like injury by position per snap, but almost every team loses multiple DBs every year.
Agree with this... The days of every team having a bell cow ringing up 250-300 carries per season seem to be a thing of the past.
The Hawks have won a conference championship four times—three times with a starting running back drafted in the first round and once with the starting RB drafted in the second. Mike Holmgren, who did as much to influence the modern passing offense as any coach not named Coryell or Walsh, valued Shaun Alexander so much as a rusher that he took Shaun out of the passing offense even though he had caught 145 passes in three seasons.*
Anyway, the reason that whoever plays RB matters comes down to math—a concept that the analytics should grasp. Once the ball is handed off, the QB is out of the play. The leaves nine potential blockers on offense to account for eleven players on defense. Whoever is carrying the ball must be able to make at least one tackler miss. Oh, OCs can scheme a back into the open field a few times, but across the entirety of a game there is no way around the necessity of the RB being to make 1-2 tacklers miss. Unsurprisingly, the ones who are best at doing this get drafted early.
This is why PCJS took Rashad Penny: His feet were astounding, like he was born to make tacklers miss. Sadly, a player who didn’t miss a game in college couldn’t hold up in the pros, but there was no way of knowing that.
For a few seasons, RBs became devalued, which gave rise to the “don’t matter” argument as if it were an enduring truism. However, as DCs adapted to the modern passing game, RBs became important again. I.e., they matter.
* Shaun is arguably second only to John L. Williams as the best receiving RB in team history.
I would add Ricky Watters to the list as well. All great receiving backs.
Ricky had no help from his OL and yet he treated every play as if it were life or death. I don’t know that I’ve ever personally seen a more committed player.
I really liked Ricky's play all the way back to his Niner days. The guy was a baller.
KENNETH WALKER the III ! ! ! Gratitude.
I stand by my assertion we should have drafted Bijan (because I had Witherspoon going to the Colts at 4, and we all see how AR and not a CB went for them, this year especially, never forget the Sauce trade!).
KW3 has won me over on a second contract DEPENDING on its size. I don't think he's a 3-down bell cow RB, he's a 2-down speed threat. I think he needs a Charbie around to shine, allowing him rest and to focus on being his best self rather than a role he isn't suited to.
Get him back. Get Shaheed back. Draft a WR early. Make this offence even stronger, scare the shit out of the NFL next year figuring out how to stop us.
Bijan would have been a really fascinating pick and a heck of a weapon on this team.
If you REALLY want to scare the NFL, make your first two picks a CB and a WR (even though we get Horton back), and then sign Joel Bitonio and Trey Hendrickson
I have no idea how much gas Hendrickson has left in the tank, but this defense is a great edge rusher away from going from great to terrifying. Terrifying Trey has a good ring to it.
Yeah.
"Do you have a good pass rush?""
"Trey bien!"
Well-said and well-reasoned, sir.
I keep arguing that positional value is a chimera. Or an analyst's crutch. Or a coward's refrain, if one is a GM. (I'm not necessarily right, and I do know our host argues otherwise most times. No disrespect meant.)
Difference-making players with demonstrated production matter. (In fact, I think that just crystalized my draft philosophy. Not that it matters.) At any position. At every position. Elite players at any position, even IOL, are levers which give good OCs options and opposing DCs fits.
I feel bad for Jeanty. He deserved better. I hope whoever takes the Raiders gig (god bless) does right by him (and Brock Bowers). Ah. A corollary. Skill players on either side of the balls cannot overcome bad line play.
Kudos to the team for its load management acumen this season, especially at RB. I think that's a big part of why Walker is closing strong.
Totally agree. If Kubiak goes to LV, Jeanty may get his chance to shine.
Cannot underestimate the difference of having Cross, Lucas and Zabel (and maybe Sundell?), WOW
I love Walker's explosiveness, ellusiveness, and toughness. I hope that coaching he's received the last year or so has cured him of the tendency to unnecessarily stop and change direction.
I feel like he needs be allowed to improvise when it makes sense, but we need to stay on schedule and for some time he would get a lot of negative plays.
He's a great player. I just want him to play somewhat within the offensive scheme rather than trying to hit a home run on every play
He looks like he's learning too -- hitting holes more quickly with just one move (although the two moves he laid on that Rams LB are going to go down in history, holy Barry Sanders!), and the smoother way he's flaring out for dump-offs or screens (can you believe it everyone, SEATTLE CAN RUN A SCREEN PLAY!!), think he's really improved his value to the team. Gonna be more expensive but gonna be worth it too.
Always been a K9 fan, have a soft spot for guys who look like they're shot from a cannon.
So Ken, didn't Hawks have a 5th yr K9 option they chose not to.exercize last yr?
Maybe the core injury a couple years ago. Like Charbonnet, guys that hurl their body into 1200 lbs of muscle going the other way (and K9 does push a 1200 lb pile occasionally) can end their season or career in a second.
Probably why the RBs don't matter theory (Gurley comes to mind and there's others) got some play.
Other K9 attribute is dual threat pass catching hands. There's one other I won't mention bc don't wanna jinx it ;-)
My understanding is that the 5th year option is only for first round picks.
K9 has been awesome. And I think having him split carries with Charbs has proven to be smart as he looks very fresh right now.
Ok thanks. I'm sure SSJ and others explained this. I'll file in special memory to retain for 10 minutes instead of 5...
Maybe Hawks re sign K9 to, among other things, keep him away from Rams, 49rs. Don't want to face what McVay, Stafford et al would do w/K9!
And even though McCaffrey getting up there, a K9/McCaffrey combo would be nasty too...
Yeah what Mike McD said is correct.
I think/hope K9 is staying!
This is true. Only 1st round have a 5th year option. So it wasn't an option for Walker.
Quick follow up:
Look how much the NFL has changed since 2018. What guys like Ben Baldwin miss is that the NFL is constantly changing and evolving.
Top passers Yards/Game 2018
1) 320 yards
2) 318 yards
3) 308 yards
16) 266 yards
Offenses had exploded back then primarily due to rule changes. But that was then this is now:
Top passers Yards/Game 2025
1) 277 yards
2) 269 yards
3) 268 yards
16) 225 yards!
The Seahawks drafted a RB at pick 41 at a great time to buy. In 2025, passing has gone back down due primarily to advances in defenses. Those advances largely driven by exotic looks and pressure. Linebackers have gotten smaller. So, one way to counter that? Running
Also, always less turnovers when running the ball especially with the two guys we drafted.
Exactly. As things shift one way ,the pendulum always swings back and the league is favoring offenses that are built to overpower the smaller defensive end pass rushers. Which perhaps is why the Seahawks rank #1 in run D with your bigger LWill, BMur, Dlaw types.
Thanks Joe!
Inspired by this from the article:
"...argument stopped evolving from the day it was popularized about eight years ago by Ben Baldwin on the very site I was running"
Another favorite from the article:
"...or that they are any more dependent on a good offensive line than quarterbacks are. It’s the ultimate team sport: Every player is depending on their teammates.
You would also hope that the purpose of analytics is to CONTINUOUSLY move a conversation forward with new information and advanced data"
You would hope! But sometimes even analytics gets stuck and their creators continually dig their heals in deeper.
There are four new breakdowns of parts of the NFC Championship at All_22’s YouTube channel.
https://m.youtube.com/@all_22_films/videos
Thank you, Rusty. Good watch.
Thanks Rusty!
Thanks for this, Rusty.
Kind of a full circle moment for me. I got back into reading about the Seahawks after the Russell Wilson trade. To see what moves would be made and how they would build a team. One of my first perspectives that got me interested in this site was the K9 draft pick.
I completely agreed with Joe then and glad to see him revisit this. I can't remember many or any other Seahawks or football commentators supporting that pick. I am sure there were others, but it just seemed like the world became such a group think. I felt differently and glad/not surprised to see it paying off in a major way.
The whole running backs don't matter thing misses one of the big and great aspects of football ... it is always evolving. The game today is not what it was 10 years ago, and 10 years ago isn't what the game was 20 years ago.
So the Seahawks, understanding who they want to be: point guard QB, running football team that plays great defense... You got to walk the walk. Back to back RBs drafted in the second round. And what may have been that last piece was JS evolving to picking a guard in the first round!
That is a commitment to who they have said they want to be, and who they are today.
Happy for K9, get that ink on paper! Let's bring him back.
(Also, I think these last two games are some of the best games of his career as a Seahawk.
Everyone likes to talk about JSN's Rose Bowl game, rightfully so, but I always think about K9 beating Michigan when he was at Mich State. Never seen a game like it from a RB.)
You speak to the "JS Priority List" running from Most Crucial to Least. When he finds #1, he doesn't hesitate to procure it. Anytime/anywhere/anyhow. No doubt MM came to interview and agreed, possibly 100%, with what he was shown. Probably suggested changes. John had his Coach.
What a great fit it has been. JS and MM.
I also like that MM's vision is very similar to Pete's. Just rock solid fundamental NFL football especially for an outdoor team in the PNW.
I still maintain one of the reasons MacDonald agreed to sign with Seattle was K9 -- he was the defensive coach of that Michigan team that K9 literally destroyed.
"So John, you're telling me I get to coach this guy myself now?? Oh man yeah, I'm in!!"
"Uh, we do have Geno Smith and Sam Howell at QB, full disclosure, just so you're aware"
"Geno Schmeeno who cares, we're not going to pass the ball anyway if I've got this kid and my defense, holy crap!!"
Haha ... I am a Geno fan so can't ride with ya there.
But, wow, was he the coach at the time at Michigan?
That is a great point. I am not trying to hyperbolic here, that was really one of the best games I've seen a football player play. No doubt that had to have made a huge impact on Mike Mac.
I know! :-), here's the copy/paste:
In the 2021 matchup between Michigan State and Michigan (October 30, 2021), Michigan's Defensive Coordinator was Mike Macdonald.
Key Details of the Game:
Result: Michigan State 37, Michigan 33.
Kenneth Walker III Performance: 23 carries for 197 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Context: Walker's performance included a 58-yard touchdown run and the game-winning 23-yard touchdown with 5:08 remaining, overcoming a 30-14 Michigan lead.
5 TDs! 197 yards on only 23 carries
What a performance. Glad he made his way to Seattle at the 41st pick ... what a bargain that was!
This came out this morning so I didn't have it in the original article. A breakdown of Walker/OL by The OL Committee: https://youtu.be/FREuihe-uy0?si=eP06Hqv0r1ccgfYF
I was going to link this exact video.
Take a look at Walker’s TD, just after the five minute mark.
The line probably should have gone zone right to get a hat on a hat. They didn’t. They went duo, which means that the linemen block forward in double teams, with one guy releasing to the second layer.
Terrible line call. K9 gets two defenders in his face, Kobie Turner free on the back side, and an outside LB protecting the edge. This isn’t dead. It’s four times dead.
Walker cuts hard right, leaving the two guys in his face frozen in amber. Turner can’t catch him. And then he beats the OLB to the corner.
The bad OL call and four defenders should have made this an easy tackle for loss. Instead, “TOUCHDOWN… SEAHAWKS! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!???”
Double rec for "frozen in amber", Sea Hawk Run.
Great breakdown! Thanks!