The Rub Route

In the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII much was made of the Denver offense's use of "rub routes" or "pick plays" and if the prior level of ineptitude in defending such plays would continue when the Broncos took on the league's number one defense. Many experts contended that with Peyton Manning at the helm, the Broncos offense was unstoppable, and would shred apart even the most impermeable of defenses. But by the time the players were on the field, and the game was actually being played, it was the Seahawks who did the shredding, and the Broncos who were the shredded.

Throughout the game, the Seattle offense featured several new wrinkles that added a level of creativity and unpredictability to the always reliable bread and butter offense- the run game and play action. Rhythm passes, screens and boundary runs all played an essential role in the Seahawks ability to score nearly 30 points of offense. What was of the most interest to me, was the use of Denver's patented rub routes by the Seattle offense.

The Return Of The Run

I don’t need to tell you how Pete Carroll and the Seahawks offensive staff feel about running the ball. They want to run the ball. I also don’t need to tell you how the Seahawks offense ran the ball the last quarter of the regular season. They didn't.

One of the big concerns for the Seahawks in the playoffs was if if they would be able to get pro-bowl runningback Marshawn Lynch going for the playoffs. When facing the abominable conditions of January (and hopefully February) football, a team’s proficiency in running the football is an invaluable skill and often the reason a game is won (or lost).

Saturday, against the New Orleans Saints, the Seahawks seemingly remembered how to run the ball, and regained their previously existent dominance on the ground. While facing winds up to 50 mph, the Seahawks simply decided to run the ball on a hefty 62.5% of their offensive plays, and Marshawn Lynch picked up 140 yards in the process.

Looking back at the tape there were a bevy of reasons for the vast improvement in execution and success in the running game. Sure, the Saints blitzed often, which opened up holes in the running game, but the Seahawks line blocked significantly better than they had in past games and Lynch was frequently able to find holes that were nonexistent in previous games.

Seahawks Ready for Next Shot

One year ago today the Seattle Seahawks players and coaches were watching the playoffs from their homes after finishing the season 7-9 for the second straight season and being excluded from postseason play. This year the Seahawks were two points and 31 seconds away from advancing to the NFC Championship Game and establishing themselves as one of the Nation Football League’s top four teams. And while Seahawks shouldn’t have had any shot to turn a blowout back into a ball game after falling behind 20-0 in the first half, they still found themselves leading 28-27 with only 31 seconds left on the game clock. The fact that the young, inexperienced Seahawks team that struggles on the road was almost able to muster up a 20 point comeback win on the number one seed Atlanta Falcon’s home turf speaks numbers about the second youngest team in the NFL. Seahawks fans finally have something to root for.