Image Courtesy of www.Seahawks.com
(This post is part of an on-going series detailing which team in the NFC West has the upper hand in each facet of the game. This post originally appeared on Stoop Sports.)
It’s no great secret that the
running game isn’t as vital to success in the NFL as it once was. The 2011
Giants won the Super Bowl despite being last in the NFL in rushing. The
Steelers and Cardinals put on one of the more entertaining games in NFL history
in Super Bowl XLIII despite both averaging less than four yards per carry in
the regular season.
Gone are the days of one-back power-running
offense. That’s not to say the running game is dead; it has simply evolved.
Many of the league’s best offenses were run-based in 2012, using the
read-option as their weapon of choice. Nowhere was this more prevalent than the
NFC West.
Arizona: Yikes.
That’s the best way to describe the Arizona run game during the Ken Whisenhunt
era. The Cardinals finished last in total rushing yards in 2012, 2010 and 2008.
They haven’t finished higher than 22nd since 2002 despite seemingly
consistent investment in running backs (Edgerrin James, Beanie Wells, Ryan
Williams). Part of the reason they’ve been so inept at running the ball has
been the abysmal play of their offensive line. They’ve taken steps to change
that by signing tackle Eric Winston and drafting guard Jonathan Cooper. They
also took a flyer on former Steeler Rashard Mendenhall. They might not possess
a fearsome rushing attack just yet, but the Cardinals have taken steps to move
out of the league’s run-game cellar.
San
Francisco:
The 49ers have perhaps the
league’s most dangerous running game. Coach Jim Harbaugh has employed a
cutting-edge and multi-faced attack that ran his team to an NFC title in 2012.
In 2011, the Niners attempted
to physically dominate teams with fantastic offensive line play and power-back
Frank Gore. They were still able to do this in 2012; but added another
dimension to the attack when dual-threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick took over
the starting job late in the season. Kaepernick, who may be the best running
quarterback in league history, made the 49er offense nearly unstoppable when
executed properly.
The read-option, which usually
involved Gore, Kaepernick and fullback Delanie Walker (among a litany of
receiving options), will likely have a different look this year after Walker’s
departure. Many have also raised concerns about the age (30) and career
workload (1911 carries) of Gore. The good news for the Niners is they have
plenty of depth and options with Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James and
(eventually) Marcus Lattimore.
Right now it appears the run
game is in danger of taking a step back. That is, if you’re ignoring the
Harbaugh factor. And I’m not. There’s no way he doesn’t get a top-seven rushing
attack out of his running back talent, Kaepernick and this offensive line. It’s
the surest thing in football.
Seattle:
Switch
out Harbaugh for Pete Carroll, Kaepernick for Russell Wilson and Frank Gore for
Marshawn Lynch and essentially everything I said about San Francisco is true
about Seattle. The Seahawks mix a power running game with a read-option and
employ a young, dual-threat quarterback who’s just as dangerous throwing on the
run as he is taking off. The only differences are Lynch doesn’t have quite the
mileage Gore does and we have a full season of evidence of Wilson’s greatness
as opposed to less than a half-season of Kaepernick. I don’t know which team
will have a better run attack; but I can almost guarantee the Seahawks will
join San Francisco as one of the league’s most productive rushing attacks.
St.
Louis: An era came to an end in St. Louis this offseason when
perennial pro-bowl running back Steven Jackson decided it would interesting to
see what it’d be like to play in the playoffs at some point before he retired.
Since the Rams are coached by
Jeff Fisher, you can count on them running the ball. If it were 10 years ago,
I’d use this area to speculate who among Daryl Richardson, Zach Stacy and Isiah
Pead would earn the starting job. But in the era of backfield platoons, it’s
just a matter of who will get more carries.
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