At 28 years old and with under 1,800 career rushing attempts under his belt, Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowler Marshawn Lynch still has a lot left in the tank. He could shoulder Seattle’s rushing load for the next two seasons and still be extremely productive. This isn’t stopping Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevil from indicating that they are going to go in somewhat of a different direction in 2014.
Bevell: "We are going to be running back by committee. We really like what Christine Michael is doing right now."
— Terry Blount 🌎 (@TBlountNews) June 5, 2014
Seattle is extremely high on second-year running back Christine Michael, who awed onlookers at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. At 5’10” and 220 pounds, the Texas A&M product packs a strong punch at the line of scrimmage and boasts the ability to get to the outside due to an underrated burst off the snap. He’s extremely raw and didn’t see a ton of action (18 rush attempts) as a rookie.
If Michael is able to pick up about 7-10 attempts per game, he will be able to keep Lynch fresh entering the second half of the season. This will come in handy with Seattle taking on the San Francisco 49ers (twice), Arizona Cardinals (twice), Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in six of its final eight regular season games.
The unknown here is whether Lynch’s ego would be impacted. He’s seen as somewhat of a loose cannon, both on and off the field. If his touches are limited early on in the season, it might cause some issues between the player and coaching staff. That’s where Pete Carroll and his ability to connect with the players comes into play.
Photo: Fox Sports