No way I'm getting rid of either on or our backs. Just get a Top notch (FA) center and the O-line will be greatly improved and that will immensely help the running game and the entire offense. If Shanahan didn't abandon the run game for two quarters the Whiners would have won that game Sunday (IMHO)! Grubb has a history (other than the UW) of using the backs and a varied offense more than what we saw at the UW- He used what he had and what he believed would be the best with that personnel. I would like to see a dip into the playbook of the 80's Seahawks with John L and Curt Warner, a great combo in both the run and pass game! I am very pleased with what we've seen so far in the coaching hires and expect some immediate improvements. GO HAWKS!!!
Makes you wonder a little if that is why they drafted Charbonnet knowing 2024 was weak. Watching Huskies Charbonnet is more like UW back. But do you risk K9 becoming awesome elsewhere. I’m 50/50 on this Grubb hire in part because of this. How about Charbonnet become FB to K9???
Running backs matter very much. They're underpaid, under drafted, play a brutal position (so are often injured), and are one of the most exciting position players on the field in any given game.
Being an NC native, CMC was talk of the town (state) after the Panthers drafted him and throughout his career. I've watched him play live at least a dozen times in Charlotte, and have probably seen more of his highlights than any other non-Seahawk seeing as I occasionally watch local news. And yet I thought the 49ers were fools to give up basically an entire draft outside of the 1st round for him. I was wrong.
It's funny, because I really hoped we'd draft him that year, and then went straight to "He's OVERRATED!" as soon as he went to the Panthers and got some shine. I would hope not, but I wonder if I didn't have a subconscious racial bias against him. He was a football hero for a team in the south, and I usually thought my 'Hawks had at least had a comparable back. Again, I was wrong. Outside of *maybe* a healthy Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry; there hasn't been as good a pure runner as CMAC; and not even Kamara or Breece Hall are as good of pass-catchers from that position. He's one of one, as is Deebo Samuel and it's nuts that these 2 Swiss army knives play on the same team.
This Super Bowl is being played with the two last teams from the entire field I wanted to see in this game, but here we are. I find it tough to even figure out who I'm about to root for. I know the 49ers are our dreaded (of late) rival, but I am so over the Chiefs, as much as I respect their talent and what they've accomplished since drafting Mahomes. But imagine the Chiefs offense with RUN-CMC instead of Pacheco -who is a good back in his own right. Health would be the only thing that could stop them. And before trading Tyreek Hill, even player health might not matter much as long as the most important few guys were able to suit up and their backups weren't horrible.
I'll sleep well tonight if the 49ers or Chiefs get another ring. Yeah, the gloating from SF fans would chafe a little harder where my chaps meet, but they've earned it by assembling a team of this caliber even after the lost capital they dumped into Trey Lance. I don't care about Taylor Swift one way or another, but I don't like Mahomes or Kelce or Rice or Exxon Valdez-Scantling or Butker or Sneed or even Apollo Creed Humphries (only because I wanted him in the draft and we passed). I don't want to hear Kelce scream that we gotta fight for our right to party, which is the only Beastie Boys song I'd just as soon never hear again as long as I live. Holy shit, I think I just decided that I was rooting for what I thought was my least favorite team in the NFL in the Super Bowl! Right this second, I hope CMC wins MVP. This is subject to change as soon as I see 49ers fans in my Seahawk spaces online, but from the fair and balanced perspective I have for who I foor for (and against) let me throw up in my mouth a little, and say "lose Chiefs." I can't put it the other way and mean it.
I just can’t bring myself to root for SF, but I’m also sick of KC. I’ll probably watch Endeavour rather than the SB, the season ended for me after the conference championship games.
Another really entertaining article from Ken. Personally, I’ve never fully accepted the RBs don’t matter argument. Watching CMC, Walter Payton, Gayle Sayers, etc. is not the same as watching D J Dallas. No knock on D J, who has performed well in certain roles, but given the same OL he’s no K9. With the ever lengthening NFL schedule a team needs 3 RBs at minimum and the more talent each has, the better for the team.
Is it just me or is Ken’s writing/perspective so good that in some ways the off-season anticipation is more enjoyable than the actual season?
As far as I can see, PC's philosophy (both offense & defense) was something like "we're not going to try & hide what we plan to do. Good luck stopping us." Once in a while they stepped outside of that, and sometimes that worked, but mostly they stayed the course.
That tactical approach required elite players who could execute with discipline. For a while, both O and D, it worked, but only because he had players who could do enough of both to make it work...but many of us recall the roster churn it took to get there.
Eventually, those players aged/injured out of the Not For Long. Mostly, their replacements have not been elite, or could not execute with discipline, or both. Furthermore, the league evolved & became better at countering the (relatively simple) schemes he favored.
Hang onto me for a moment...I'm not knocking PC.
By reputation, MM is known for running disguised defenses & thereby elevating the performance of less-than-elite players. That is not to say "the Ravens have no elite defenders"; only that their non-elite players have been able to elevate their results, in some cases quite substantially.
Now, I haven't been watching the Dawgs for the past few years...like, 30...so I have to rely on the scuttlebutt suggesting that Grubb has a similar approach on O.
Somebody has stolen my Quija puck, most of the letters have long since rubbed off the board and my Magic 8 Ball is stuck on "Go Fish". I'm all out of knuckle bones, chicken innards, and Pixie Dust, and my crystal ball ended up in shards upon the floor of a house that has since burned to the ground after a gas explosion...and then an F4 came through on its way to Anderson Hills. Again.
I saw none of that coming, so none of those might have been working well, anyway. (Sometimes, if it weren't for bad luck...)
But it will be interesting (at least to THIS Idiot) to see how well opposing teams pre-snap-diagnose the 'hawks next year, on both sides of the ball. It could be a radical change from the Previous Occupant's tactical philosophy. Of particular interest to the present discussion is whether/how Grubb will deploy those three RB's...just because they're called "RB" doesn't mean that's how they have to be used.
A viable offense needs a good running game. RBs have a short life span. ( 6 to 8 years max ) Ergo a team needs 3 RBs. ( big back, speed back, combo back) plus some on the practice squad. We have 3. I think 2 back sets are tougher for defenses to cover and Grubb may incorporate them in his pre- snap motion scheme..
Faulk was and McCaffrey is a formidable receiver out of the backfield. Barkley catches a lot of passes, but the numbers suggest that they are mostly checkdowns.
I like Charbonnet. I don’t have a problem with drafting running backs in the second round. I do have a problem with passing on a pro-ready guard to draft a backup back—which is how Charbonnet was used. Either Charbonnet is not what the Seahawks thought he was or he wasn’t properly deployed.
I'm SOooo interested to see how the coaching change shakes out. It could go either way, but I don't think it will be the same. I could see a 4-13 year or a 13-4 year, but not another 9-8/8-9 year, just barely make/just barely miss the playoffs/get blown out in the first round. I'm looking forward to the crazy ride. It's going to be fun. Go 'Hawks!!
I fully expect Grubb to make the most of what is in the cupboard.
I expect a scheme that involves two backs on the field at the same time with less tight ends on the field. It’s about the 11 best guys on offense and Grubb is all about that.
I've never heard of a passing offense without a decent run game. And how that's possible without two good RBs I don't know. Will McIntosh compete with Charbs, or be tradable? Am I dumb cuz I want to keep all three?
A couple things. The UW lost RB Cameron Davis before the season started. In 2022 he ran for 522 yards and scored 13 times. With no Davis, I thought there was quite a drop-off from Johnson to Nixon. Johnson injured his foot against Oregon State on Nov. 18. The Huskies played 4 more games after the OSU game with Johnson less than 100%. It would have been nice to have had another back like Davis. You need 2.
CMC should be buying Deebo Samuels a lifetime supply of beer. The killer combo for the NIners is CMC AND Deebo, because they are both "swiss army knives" as they say and are difficult to defend when they are on the field together. Look at the NIners offensive performance with both of them in the line vs one or the other is out...
The lesson for the Seahawks (and others) is that flexibility/versatility by players conveys an advantage beyond the positional value itself. It is the same on D--OLBs who can cover, pass rush and defend the run are extremely valuable, as are cover corners that can blitz and give run support on the edge.
Jake Bobo earned his spot by blocking and catching the ball (and ST play).
K9 is one part of the tandem, could Charbs be the other part? They weren't on the field much together last season. Maybe if Lockett does not return a group of K9, Charbs, JSN and DK, plus a TE "TBD" would allow the same kind of versatility that the NIners have now. Or maybe the fifth member is... Jake Bobo.
Methinks Bobo may take on TE duties next season. In his few appearances, it looked like he was getting tested for this. He'll define 'versatile' in new ways.
Yes I thought so too. Bobo is certainly fast enough for a TE, has the blocking chops and build for it, AND can catch the damn ball! Bobo is in line for a bigger role regardless but given that Dissly is likely gone, and Fant, and possibly Parkinson, Bobo can step right in.
If Bobo being the 5th member in that scenario were to take place, I don't think it would be as the ONLY TE on the team. Through all of his impressive blocking, I just can't see him doing that in-line to DEs in the league regularly, especially in the run game. He is an excellent blocker vs coverage players and hybrid LBs, though. So, he could be an H-back swiss-army-knifd more effectively, IMHO
He could just mean that he'll continue to treat all employees with respect and as individuals, including players. He can certainly keep his word to continue the culture by keeping the "always compete" mentality in the air while still allowing the coaches to change the players and change the focus of the team's strategy
No way I'm getting rid of either on or our backs. Just get a Top notch (FA) center and the O-line will be greatly improved and that will immensely help the running game and the entire offense. If Shanahan didn't abandon the run game for two quarters the Whiners would have won that game Sunday (IMHO)! Grubb has a history (other than the UW) of using the backs and a varied offense more than what we saw at the UW- He used what he had and what he believed would be the best with that personnel. I would like to see a dip into the playbook of the 80's Seahawks with John L and Curt Warner, a great combo in both the run and pass game! I am very pleased with what we've seen so far in the coaching hires and expect some immediate improvements. GO HAWKS!!!
Makes you wonder a little if that is why they drafted Charbonnet knowing 2024 was weak. Watching Huskies Charbonnet is more like UW back. But do you risk K9 becoming awesome elsewhere. I’m 50/50 on this Grubb hire in part because of this. How about Charbonnet become FB to K9???
Running backs matter very much. They're underpaid, under drafted, play a brutal position (so are often injured), and are one of the most exciting position players on the field in any given game.
Being an NC native, CMC was talk of the town (state) after the Panthers drafted him and throughout his career. I've watched him play live at least a dozen times in Charlotte, and have probably seen more of his highlights than any other non-Seahawk seeing as I occasionally watch local news. And yet I thought the 49ers were fools to give up basically an entire draft outside of the 1st round for him. I was wrong.
It's funny, because I really hoped we'd draft him that year, and then went straight to "He's OVERRATED!" as soon as he went to the Panthers and got some shine. I would hope not, but I wonder if I didn't have a subconscious racial bias against him. He was a football hero for a team in the south, and I usually thought my 'Hawks had at least had a comparable back. Again, I was wrong. Outside of *maybe* a healthy Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry; there hasn't been as good a pure runner as CMAC; and not even Kamara or Breece Hall are as good of pass-catchers from that position. He's one of one, as is Deebo Samuel and it's nuts that these 2 Swiss army knives play on the same team.
This Super Bowl is being played with the two last teams from the entire field I wanted to see in this game, but here we are. I find it tough to even figure out who I'm about to root for. I know the 49ers are our dreaded (of late) rival, but I am so over the Chiefs, as much as I respect their talent and what they've accomplished since drafting Mahomes. But imagine the Chiefs offense with RUN-CMC instead of Pacheco -who is a good back in his own right. Health would be the only thing that could stop them. And before trading Tyreek Hill, even player health might not matter much as long as the most important few guys were able to suit up and their backups weren't horrible.
I'll sleep well tonight if the 49ers or Chiefs get another ring. Yeah, the gloating from SF fans would chafe a little harder where my chaps meet, but they've earned it by assembling a team of this caliber even after the lost capital they dumped into Trey Lance. I don't care about Taylor Swift one way or another, but I don't like Mahomes or Kelce or Rice or Exxon Valdez-Scantling or Butker or Sneed or even Apollo Creed Humphries (only because I wanted him in the draft and we passed). I don't want to hear Kelce scream that we gotta fight for our right to party, which is the only Beastie Boys song I'd just as soon never hear again as long as I live. Holy shit, I think I just decided that I was rooting for what I thought was my least favorite team in the NFL in the Super Bowl! Right this second, I hope CMC wins MVP. This is subject to change as soon as I see 49ers fans in my Seahawk spaces online, but from the fair and balanced perspective I have for who I foor for (and against) let me throw up in my mouth a little, and say "lose Chiefs." I can't put it the other way and mean it.
I'm still making up my mind who to root for as well, but I think I am tending the opposite way you are tending. Great post, though, so a rec for you.
I just can’t bring myself to root for SF, but I’m also sick of KC. I’ll probably watch Endeavour rather than the SB, the season ended for me after the conference championship games.
Another really entertaining article from Ken. Personally, I’ve never fully accepted the RBs don’t matter argument. Watching CMC, Walter Payton, Gayle Sayers, etc. is not the same as watching D J Dallas. No knock on D J, who has performed well in certain roles, but given the same OL he’s no K9. With the ever lengthening NFL schedule a team needs 3 RBs at minimum and the more talent each has, the better for the team.
Is it just me or is Ken’s writing/perspective so good that in some ways the off-season anticipation is more enjoyable than the actual season?
First, I think you overrate Charbonet. No one is going to give us much for him.
Instead, use Charbonet as a fullback.
As far as I can see, PC's philosophy (both offense & defense) was something like "we're not going to try & hide what we plan to do. Good luck stopping us." Once in a while they stepped outside of that, and sometimes that worked, but mostly they stayed the course.
That tactical approach required elite players who could execute with discipline. For a while, both O and D, it worked, but only because he had players who could do enough of both to make it work...but many of us recall the roster churn it took to get there.
Eventually, those players aged/injured out of the Not For Long. Mostly, their replacements have not been elite, or could not execute with discipline, or both. Furthermore, the league evolved & became better at countering the (relatively simple) schemes he favored.
Hang onto me for a moment...I'm not knocking PC.
By reputation, MM is known for running disguised defenses & thereby elevating the performance of less-than-elite players. That is not to say "the Ravens have no elite defenders"; only that their non-elite players have been able to elevate their results, in some cases quite substantially.
Now, I haven't been watching the Dawgs for the past few years...like, 30...so I have to rely on the scuttlebutt suggesting that Grubb has a similar approach on O.
Somebody has stolen my Quija puck, most of the letters have long since rubbed off the board and my Magic 8 Ball is stuck on "Go Fish". I'm all out of knuckle bones, chicken innards, and Pixie Dust, and my crystal ball ended up in shards upon the floor of a house that has since burned to the ground after a gas explosion...and then an F4 came through on its way to Anderson Hills. Again.
I saw none of that coming, so none of those might have been working well, anyway. (Sometimes, if it weren't for bad luck...)
But it will be interesting (at least to THIS Idiot) to see how well opposing teams pre-snap-diagnose the 'hawks next year, on both sides of the ball. It could be a radical change from the Previous Occupant's tactical philosophy. Of particular interest to the present discussion is whether/how Grubb will deploy those three RB's...just because they're called "RB" doesn't mean that's how they have to be used.
A viable offense needs a good running game. RBs have a short life span. ( 6 to 8 years max ) Ergo a team needs 3 RBs. ( big back, speed back, combo back) plus some on the practice squad. We have 3. I think 2 back sets are tougher for defenses to cover and Grubb may incorporate them in his pre- snap motion scheme..
Faulk was and McCaffrey is a formidable receiver out of the backfield. Barkley catches a lot of passes, but the numbers suggest that they are mostly checkdowns.
I like Charbonnet. I don’t have a problem with drafting running backs in the second round. I do have a problem with passing on a pro-ready guard to draft a backup back—which is how Charbonnet was used. Either Charbonnet is not what the Seahawks thought he was or he wasn’t properly deployed.
David Montgomery: 219/1015; 24/117
Jahmyr Gibbs: 182/945; 52/316
Ken Walker III: 219/905; 37/259
Zach Charbonnet: 108/462; 33/209
At least one of the best new artist nominees has been a group for 6 years lol
I'm SOooo interested to see how the coaching change shakes out. It could go either way, but I don't think it will be the same. I could see a 4-13 year or a 13-4 year, but not another 9-8/8-9 year, just barely make/just barely miss the playoffs/get blown out in the first round. I'm looking forward to the crazy ride. It's going to be fun. Go 'Hawks!!
You can definitely live with just Kenneth Walker II…until he gets hurt. Then, it’s REALLY nice to have a Zach in the wings.
I fully expect Grubb to make the most of what is in the cupboard.
I expect a scheme that involves two backs on the field at the same time with less tight ends on the field. It’s about the 11 best guys on offense and Grubb is all about that.
I've never heard of a passing offense without a decent run game. And how that's possible without two good RBs I don't know. Will McIntosh compete with Charbs, or be tradable? Am I dumb cuz I want to keep all three?
A couple things. The UW lost RB Cameron Davis before the season started. In 2022 he ran for 522 yards and scored 13 times. With no Davis, I thought there was quite a drop-off from Johnson to Nixon. Johnson injured his foot against Oregon State on Nov. 18. The Huskies played 4 more games after the OSU game with Johnson less than 100%. It would have been nice to have had another back like Davis. You need 2.
CMC should be buying Deebo Samuels a lifetime supply of beer. The killer combo for the NIners is CMC AND Deebo, because they are both "swiss army knives" as they say and are difficult to defend when they are on the field together. Look at the NIners offensive performance with both of them in the line vs one or the other is out...
The lesson for the Seahawks (and others) is that flexibility/versatility by players conveys an advantage beyond the positional value itself. It is the same on D--OLBs who can cover, pass rush and defend the run are extremely valuable, as are cover corners that can blitz and give run support on the edge.
Jake Bobo earned his spot by blocking and catching the ball (and ST play).
K9 is one part of the tandem, could Charbs be the other part? They weren't on the field much together last season. Maybe if Lockett does not return a group of K9, Charbs, JSN and DK, plus a TE "TBD" would allow the same kind of versatility that the NIners have now. Or maybe the fifth member is... Jake Bobo.
Methinks Bobo may take on TE duties next season. In his few appearances, it looked like he was getting tested for this. He'll define 'versatile' in new ways.
Yes I thought so too. Bobo is certainly fast enough for a TE, has the blocking chops and build for it, AND can catch the damn ball! Bobo is in line for a bigger role regardless but given that Dissly is likely gone, and Fant, and possibly Parkinson, Bobo can step right in.
If Bobo being the 5th member in that scenario were to take place, I don't think it would be as the ONLY TE on the team. Through all of his impressive blocking, I just can't see him doing that in-line to DEs in the league regularly, especially in the run game. He is an excellent blocker vs coverage players and hybrid LBs, though. So, he could be an H-back swiss-army-knifd more effectively, IMHO
Yeah agree. The Seahawks will certainly draft a TE or two and maybe re~sign Parkinson. Lining up Bobo in the backfield would be interesting,
SSJ toyed with that idea earlier in the season, also with Dareke Young. It would be an interesting formation wrinkle, if nothing else.
Except that Disley is under contract and Fant & Parkinson arent.
That's a correctable situation, but it complecates things.
JS said he wishes to "maintain the culture", which I took to mean he'll be keeping this group together.
He could just mean that he'll continue to treat all employees with respect and as individuals, including players. He can certainly keep his word to continue the culture by keeping the "always compete" mentality in the air while still allowing the coaches to change the players and change the focus of the team's strategy